Power point presentation looking at the purpose of film opening (based primarily on movies 'Blade 2', 'Dawn Of The Dead', 'Halloween' and 'Zombieland')

1. The purpose of film openings.
Harry Richardson

2. The opening credits.
These are the credits at the start of a film or programme that introduce the
important roles, or in some cases the most famous actor/actress, these noted
roles consist of director, writer and main actors. The opening credits can be
shown in several different ways, but usually they are shown with a
background soundtrack/audio music and an opening of a scene or piece of
the film. This piece of film usually sets the scene to the movie and gives the
audience a foundation of the movie. Although this is the usual traditional way
to show the credits at the start, there are a few movies that have subverted
this tradition and kept the credits for the end of the movie, these movies
consist of: Around the world in 80 days (1956) Apocalypse now (1979) The
Dark Knight (2009) Avatar (2010) and so on. But the first sound film to start
without opening credits was Walt Disney’s fantasia, in 1940. this goes to show
this subverted trend isn’t one that has just come around, its been there for a
long period of time now.

3. The opening credits.
Good examples of film’s that has opening
credits at the start and sets a good foundation
about the film using both diegetic and non-
diegetic audio, ambient sound, good editing
cuts and effects and also camera angles, shots,
movement and positioning is dawn of the dead
(2004) and Blade 2 (2002)

4. Opening credits. (Dawn of the dead)
http://www.artofthetitle.com/2008/06/30/daw
n-of-the-dead/
(source from artofthetitle.com)

5. Opening credits. (Blade 2)
http://www.artofthetitle.com/2008/03/31/blad
e-ii/
(source from artofthetitle.com)

6. Setting the scene
The Film opening is a very important part of the movie because it sets the scene
and shows the viewer where it is based and what roughly is going on in the movie
or what has happened in the build up of the movie (the movies past, and how it
got to where it is now). In some movies, this is first presented as an establishing
shot of the location e.g. in a school based film the opening establishing shot
would be of the school ground. This establishing shot method is used in both
movies and programmes, and is a very popular approach to the setting the scene
as it gives the audience a clear view of where they are so they are not left
confused and unaware of exactly what is happening and where a good film
example of this is Zombieland (2009) and how its opening scene is of the White
House in the United States od America (where the film is set).

7. Setting the scene. (other methods)
There are a few other methods to setting the scene. A popular one is to have a close up on a
character or object that will play a key role in the film. By doing this you are leaving the audience
with this unfilled gap of knowledge about exactly where they are, this then leads to mystery which
builds suspense etc. a good example of this being the movie Fight Club (1999). Fight Club is a good
example of this because of how it builds up to the opening scene involving the characters, it builds
up by a POV (point of view) shot of inside the main character’s (Edward Norton) head and slowly
weaving the camera through his skull until we reach the surface of his skin, while this is happening
the credits are coming up as electrical surges, which represent fear impulses, which shows us that
something bad is going to happen soon (suspense build up). Then the camera moves out of his
head to reveal sweat dripping down from his forehead, the camera shot then moves down
following the sweat to lead onto a barrel of a gun. This then creates more suspense, because you
are on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen to him. Showing the character is in a life
threatening position, but leaving a part of mystery to say if he will live through the event or not
and how it will effect the film later on which forces you to think deeper into the film and its scene
and get more involved, Therefore setting the scene.

8. Showing the Genre.
Although most of the time the genre is known before the opening scene of
the movie, the opening can have a greater influence upon it. Horror films are
a stereotypically perfect example for this, take the movie Halloween (1978)
for example the opening credits is a simple and plain frame, with just bold
orange credits upon a black background with a carved pumpkin situated to
the left of the frame, but just like most horror movies, it adds its fear and
tension through the build up of the non-diegetic audio, this is usually a high
tempo piano audio. Although it doesn’t seem scary it builds tension fast and
shows a sinister edge towards it, when matched with a black background and
a carved pumpkin (which is a object usually represented with horror and evil).

9. Showing the Genre. (dawn of the dead)
Dawn Of the Dead (2004) is another good stereotypical
film of showing genre (horror) because of the audio
sounds used, which most are (non) diegetic and
incidental audio tracks, which add horror and tension
through the sharp noises, screams of others and high
paced soundtracks. This adds fear to the viewer because
it is sounds associated with death and pain and they are
rarely came across in everyday life. This shows the genre
because it is a horror and already by the opening
credits/scene the film has you knowing you are going to
be scared.