WS - Deconstruction for Babysitter Wanted (Jonas Barnes, 2008)

The opening to Babysitter Wanted is quite short at about 2 and a half minutes. You do not really learn much, although you do see a killing. Subtle clues do give you some idea about the killer, not their identity but what they are like and there are clues they have done this kind of thing before.

The opening uses a lot of Close up shots, and Extreme Close ups. These workeffectively because they keep identitys secret, and give few overviews of the situation. They also give detail to important things, such as the blood on the hammer, the range of weapons the killer has available to him (including a meat hook) and the markings on the woman, similar to those a butcher would make on meat before cutting it up. Low angles of the killers feet help to keep his identity secret, providing the opening with a Narrative Enigma. The camera is often looking down on the female, making her look like the victim and vulnerable. The camera is often wobbling, using handheld shots which make the audience feel like they are there, and are witnessing this slaughter.

The film uses mostly non-diegetic sounds, apart from the the female screaming. The music is quite scary and adds to the mise-en-scene to add tension. There is one long, high pitched note which builds tension. This kind of sound can also make the audience hold their breath, feeling like something happening is immenent. The note ends when the hammer hits the womans head.

The mise-en-scene is vital to this opening scene, and provides a lot of tension, fear and worry for the audience about what this killer is going to do throughout the rest of the film. The woman is crying in the scene, which adds to the tension; she is clearly very distressed and knows death is coming. It makes the audience feel uncomfortable and you know what is about to happen to her. The blood-splattered weapons show that the killer has done this kind of thing before and has got away with it, and he appears very calm throughout. There is a meathook seen in the opening, an implement often used by butchers. This could signify howthe killer sees this woman, or women in general (he sees them as pieces of meat). The markings on the woman also appear to be like those a butcher would put on meat before cutting it, again comparing women to pieces of meat.