Opening Title of '1408' - First 2 minutes

14 secs - The film starts with a black screen with white writing. The opening has some non-digetic sound that matches the dark colours. The colours and music both connote evil and horror. The opening is then followed by two more black screens with the music and then fades into the first shot.


28 secs - The first shot of the film is a mix between an establishing and an extreme long shot of a desserted area with a very long road. The area is surrounded with dark tress which are stereotypical of a horror film. The weather is also stereotypical of a horror because it is heavy rain with some thunderstorms. The weather sets the whole mood of the film.


30 secs - After 30 seconds we get the name of the first actor (John Cusack) which last's on the screen for o more than three seconds.


31 secs - The camera starts to pan across and the name of the second actor appears, (Samuel A Jackson). The name also only stays on the screen for about 3 seconds, the cars in the backgroung is driving towards the camera.


40 secs - After 40 seconds the name of the film finally appears '1408'. The font is made to look ghostly because it is in a white font.


45 secs - After 45 seconds the car starts to reverse back towards the sign post. The fact that the car is reversing connotes confusion and also tells us that he could be lost. In this shot the camera is at a high angle to make him look small and vounerable.


50 secs - After 50 seconds we hear the non-digetic sound of the radio. The radio shout "Open the gates of HELL"!. The camera angle is a close up of John Cusacks face and beside him appears the name of a fellw actor Mary McCormack.


56 secs - After 56 seconds we get the first point of view shot. the shot shows us what he would see when he is reading the sign. The sign says "You Are Now Leaving Fairfield County, Please Come Back". This gives us the idea that they are an empty town that wants people to visit again although they know that they probobly will not.


1.02 secs - The camera shot is a mid shot of his face as he is reading the map. Because he is reffering to a map it tells us again that he could be lost . After this amount of time there are still credits appearing on the screen.


1.09 secs - Extreme close up of the cars tyre gives us the idea that something bad could happen, i.e. get stuck or burst his tyre.


1.15 secs - After 1.15 the current shot fades into the next. The next shot is of the house we think he has been looking for. At this point there are still credits appearing. The house is sourrounded by trees and has some low key lighting which tells us that they are isolated and alone and that nobody has been there for a while, this is a typical stereotypical house for a horror film. Although he has arrived at the house we could be releived of the tension.


1.25 secs - The weather has been getting worse. The main actor is alone walking over a wet bridge towards the house. The bridge is surrounded by some small lighting and the bridge tells us that there is only one way in and one way out. The thunder that we can hear overhead canbe used to make the audiece become uneasy about what could happen. This is a stereotypical horror movie setting.


1.30 secs - The camera looks as if it is a point of view shot from somebody unkown like watching him. The are still the names of people involve appearing on the screen. Outside of the house is some low key lighting which look like a big contrast to the house which looks bright inside. Outside there is an old fashioned electric street lamp that shows us that the place is old and has been left alone. Because the light is electric we suspect that it could starts to flicker and fade out.


1.38 secs - After this amount of time we finally get inside the house which is very old. There is a huge change in Mise-en-Scene. Because the actor is in the house there is a scence of safety because the place looks very homely with some calming colours. The decor in the house is old because no one has used it it is as if they havent bother to change.


1.52 secs - The old couple in the house look very old and because of that we asume that they are going to be friendly. They seem very happy to see him and to have somebody stay at the hotel which could be because it is very unusual.


2.00 secs - The camera uses a number of shot-reverse-shots to show us the conversation between the main actor (John Cushack) an the two elderly people. The scene shows us that it is a horror folm when she says the line "Wanna hear about our horror history"? Out side the poor weather has continued.