Opening Credits 'American Horror Story- Coven'

Genre

In this season of American Horror Story (AHS) the main genre is 'Supernatural Horror'. This genre usually features ghosts, demons, witches etc. In some cases, religion is also referred to. From the opening credits, we see shots of witches, the devil and unrealistic creatures. These are all common conventions of the genre.       

Mise-En-Scene

When the opening credits first begin, the first shot we see is a long shot of three witches in long, black, pointed cloaks. We also cannot see their faces, only silhouettes which makes them appear creepy and sinister, especially as we cannot see their identities.  

The setting of this shot is of woods at night. This setting shows that the area is isolated and abandoned, making the programme seem creepy and scary, therefore reflecting the genre. 

We then see another long shot of another character, presumably a woman (as they are in a dress). Again, we cannot see their identity, so this adds mystery to the programme and suspense. 

The setting of this shot is in a dark room with a light shining behind the character. This makes them stand out and makes us focus on them, leaving the viewer wondering who they are and what their significance may be. This again adds mystery and suspense to the show. 

The next two shots are displayed very quickly, one after the other and are both a close up and extreme close up shots. This emphasises the action occurring in the scenes making it more memorable and the timings of the shots increases adrenaline for the audience because a lot of different shots are being shown quickly, so tension is created. 

    
The first shot is of someone sewing up a 'voo-doo' doll. Due to the fast paced shots, the audience only gets a shot glimpse of it and may not see what it is immediately, however those who might see it will get subtle hints of future events/story lines, therefore creating suspense and tension. In the second shot, there is an extreme close up shot of a bloodied mouth. This adds gore and disturbing images to the credits as viewers may be disgusted or intrigued to find of how the individual cut themselves. 

The next shot is a medium shot of a toy/puppet horse/donkey behind a tree. During this shot the animal moves its head slightly, as if its being controlled. This makes the credits seem sinister as puppets/moving toys are usually associated with horror films/shows and this also links in with the 'voo-doo' doll as people control others with them and puppets and toys are controlled. Due to the shot being in the woods shows that it is isolated and that there is no one else around- making the scene seem scary. The horse 

    

The significance of this shot is that the 'creature' displayed is the devil, which adds a supernatural and religious 'feel' to the show and opening credits, therefore conforming to the genre. In this shot the devil appears to be eating a human being, adding a gory and supernatural theme to the credits. 

To conform to the 'Supernatural Horror' genre, there are 'made up' creatures that feature in the opening credits. This again conforms the genre and also created and also makes the opening credits look unrealistic, however this contrasts with the realistic and historical theme of witches.  

  

Also reflecting the religious aspect of the 'Supernatural Horror' genre is the 'Satanic Ritual' shot. This conforms to common representations of the genre and also makes the opening credits seem sinister. Also relating to the devil, is the close up shot of the 'He-Goat'. This is a demonic animal and symbolises lust, (which is one of the seven Deadly Sins). This again conforms to the genre.  

This close up shot of the man stabbing the 'voo-doo' doll implies that he is trying to harm someone else and possibly kill them. This adds gore and control to the credits, making the audience feel scared and 'creeped out'.

This extreme long shot of the burning ceremony of a witch makes the credits seem believable and realistic as these ceremonies occurred in the past. This makes the credits seem creepy and sinister as these events actually happened so it is implying that they could occur again. It also conforms common conventions of the genre. 

The lighting throughout the credits is very dark monochromatic. For the majority of the credits, the shots are in black and white. If there is colour, it is very dull and dark. This gives an old fashioned and sinister effect, making things pop up unexpectedly and making the audience not know what is in the darkness.

 

Sound

In the opening credits there is no diegetic sound, however there is a non-diegetic sound track. Most of the sound has been made synthetically. The synthetic sound are buzzing, creaking and crackling. These sounds are very loud and unexpectedly appear and disappear, creating adrenaline. The other soundtrack, which plays constantly, (until the last third of the opening credits) has been made using a guitar and drums. This is quiet and steadily paced so that the shots can change along with the music. Due to it being quiet, it adds sneaky and monotone sounds to the credits. When it fades out, you can easily notice that it's gone and creates tension as you don't know if a loud sound is going to appear or not.       

 

Typography

The typography for the opening credits is consistent throughout. This is so that viewers focus mainly on the shots of the witches, animals etc. and not on the text. 

  

This is also the same for the title of the show.

The timings between each piece of text are long. This is because the producers want you to focus on all of the other shots of the creepy objects, characters and scenes that are displayed. The title of the show is shown at the end of the credits. This is so that you remember it easier, rather than it being at the start of the opening titles and then forgetting it. The pieces of text are not displayed for very long either, (roughly the same amount of time for each shot). This is so that it fits in with the music and creates tension and adrenaline for the audience.