Task 2 - The Vampire Diaries Extract Analysis

The Vampire Diaries - Series 1, Episode 1

In the opening of the extract, the first scene shown is a dark wood. The wood is very foggy and the camera pans very slowly through the scenery while a voice over introduces a currently unknown character. The scenery reflects the character’s words “for over a century, I have lived in secret, hiding in the shadows, alone in the world. Until now. I am a vampire”. This instantly builds audience interest within the first 15 seconds of the episode by introducing the overall genre of the series.  The use of a voice over introduces a vampire character without revealing their identity which increases the audience’s curiosity.

While the shot pan and the voice over plays, subtle, eerie background music plays, which gradually builds in volume and suspense until the words “I am a vampire” at which point the music ends with a thud and the screen turns black. The music helps to create an emotive response from the audience by creating fear and suspense. The speed at which the character speaks also increases, in time with the music, as it builds, which shows anticipation. The quick build-up of tension and then sudden darkness could signify the deaths of a vampire’s victims, their lives ending instantly. Once the screen turns black, the words “and this is my story” show what the episode or series will address, instantly engaging the audience. 

Following this, a guitar heavy song begins to play and the visual cuts from black to a high angle shot of a car driving down a dark road. The music suggests the scene will be happy, however the use of a high angle shot, which is partially obscured by a tree, could suggest the shot is from the point of view of the vampire who later attacks and kills the car’s occupants.

When the man and woman are driving back from a gig, the music playing initially has been added in post-production, while a mid-tracking shot shows the car driving down the road. The music slowly fades to become diegetic and appears to play from the radio as the camera cuts to the couple within the car. This triggers a personal response from the audience because there is a familiarity to a radio playing in the background. The radio cuts out after the couple hit a man with their car and changes back to eerie music, similar to that in the opening scene.

Just before the man who had been hit with the car attacks the driver of the vehicle, there is a close up shot of the man’s teeth. This clearly establishes the man as a vampire. Immediately the audience associates this with the character providing the voice over in the opening scene. 

This high angle zoom on the woman running from her boyfriend's attacker shows the vampire's dominance and strength over the woman. The shot is also from the point of view of the vampire, which shows the vampire quickly gaining speed and catching the woman.

Following the vampire scene, the final shot of the deceased couple's car parked hazardously on the road slowly dissolves into the title credits of the series. This creates a smooth transition between the two scenes. The fade to black once again draws the scene to a close as well as that section of the episode's plot.

An over the shoulder shot is used to show the unknown vampire character, later known as Stefan Salvatore's change in emotion as he speaks in the voice over. The change in focus shows this. It also shows that Stefan is the character the voice over has been coming from, therefore slowly revealing the identity of the unknown character to the audience.

The camera pans around Elena in a circle while she writes in her diary. Although she says nothing throughout the shot, there is a voice over which introduces her and provides character history instantly. The use of the voice over shows her inner thoughts and allows the audience to immediately understand her situation. The voice over explains that Elena's parents passed away, which causes the audience to question how they died.



Elena's bedroom is shown to be very light and airy, which contrasts what she is writing in her diary.

The voice over establish that Elena's parents have passes away very recently. The use of photographs reinforces this and the idea that Elena is not yet over her parents' death as she shows sentimentality towards the photographs, for example, having them stuck around her mirror.

The use of an over the shoulder shot shows Elena's link to the disappearance/murder of the couple from previously in the extract. The shot loses focus on Elena so as to focus on the television screen. It also establishes that Elena may come into contact with vampires, or that she may already have contact with them, or as to whether she is even aware of vampires, therefore increasing interest.

Elena's house is a stereotypical American home, which is relatable to an audience which at the time of the episode airing, would have been primarily American. 

The use of a shot of the street sign clearly introduces the setting of the series, Mystic Falls. This establishes to the audience the characters' whereabouts immediately. The crow sitting on the sign is a connotation of evil and death, which is a theme present within the series. It suggests a link towards the previous events, eg. Elena's parents' death and the murder of the couple. 

An establishing shot is used to show Mystic Falls High School. This shows the age of the characters such as Elena. The lack of leaves on the trees in the shot and the colour of the students uniform suggest that it is autumn, as a connotation of dark red is leaves and autumn. School is relatable to any audience as everyone goes to school. The high school, appearance wise, is a regular American high school, therefore relatable to an American audience.