2.
A film opening is the first few sequences of a film that
introduce the film title, the main cast and crew and give
the audience an idea of what the film is about, leaving
them asking questions to themselves and intriguing them
so much that they want to watch more
3.
Since the early 1980s, the opening credits 9if present at
al), appeared in the opening sequence of a film, mainly
identifying the major actors and
crew, Historically, however, opening credits have been the
only source of crew credits and, largely, the cast, although
over time the tendency to repeat the cast, and perhaps add a
few roles.
In a film, the title and opening credits may be preceded by a
or teaser (opening sequence) such as a brief scene prior to
the main acts which helps to set the stage and feel for film.
Over time, opening credits have been presented over the
opening sequences of a film which can/have varied in length.
Others have a whole separate title sequence. The opening
credits for the 1993 film The Fugitive continued over several
opening scenes, and did not finish until fifteen minutes into
the film. Also, the opening credits for the 1968 film Once Upon
a Time in the West lasted for fourteen minutes
4.
A film opening should immediately portray the genre of
the film and its location/setting.
It gives us an insight into the story line/one of the
storylines to make the audience engaged and make
them keep watching.
Film openings usually involve many techniques including
fast past editing and catchy non-diegetic music.
One of the most important things about a film opening is
the opening leaving the audience with a feeling of
suspense.
5. A successful film opening is when the opening grabs
your attention right from the get go and the opening
frame. It Is a good opening if it leaves you sat on the
edge of your seat in suspense or if it knocks your out of
your seat due to how powerful it is. For a film opening to
achieve its purpose, it needs to memorable, even if the
rest of the film fails to measure up.
6.
Catch Me If You Can, Twilight Saga- Breaking Dawn Part
2, Shaun Of The Dead
Catch Me If You Can- The Opening title sequence for
this crime/comedy drama film is made up of a series of
animations that tell a story. The credits are merged within
the animation so it fits in the with scene. The title of the
film is also animated in to be part of the scene. The use
of the abstract animation makes the audience intrigued.
Also the use of bright colours also grabs the audiences
attention. In every shot of the sequence it shows the
same man disguising himself showing his rapid journey
which relates to the film title and gives the audience a
hint of what the film is about.
7.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2- The Opening
Title Sequence for the film is extremely different to the
abstract Catch Me If You Can film opening. This opening
is extremely elegant and contemporary which
corresponds the romantic/fantasy drama style of film. It
consists of a series of dark landscape shots with the
credits appearing in the centre of each shot. It also has
extreme close up’s of natural living things turning cold
and dying which portrays the story line of the film. The
colour red is used a lot to represent blood which again
portrays the story line ‘vampires’ and alternatively the
theme of love.
8.
Shaun Of The Dead- The Opening Title Sequence for
this comedy horror zombie film goes straight into the
action with a number of shots portraying normality with a
comical/ zombie like twist- The people answering their
phones in sink, the group of boys walking and ‘Shaun’s’
stumbling yawn all convey the comedy horror style as
soon as the film begins, hinting the films story line. The
film title is edited to look almost as if it is actually on the
floor of the shot. The credits appear at the bottom during
the shots being more discrete than the credits in the
Twilight film. The shots are made to be more intriguing
and centre of focus to keep people watching.
9.
Horror films can be about all different things,
ghosts/demons, zombies, monsters etc. This means that
the theme/story line of the specific horror film will be
different to other horror films due to the difference
purpose and story line. Typically, Zombie films tend to
begin with normality, showing every day life before the
out break. However, their tends to be a hint in the
opening sequence portraying something bad is going to
happen. Moreover, paranormal/ghost films again tell the
story of how the strange incidents began. They tend to
again show normality allowing the audience to see the
progression of the paranormal disturbances. With the
credits displayed over the action.
10.
Horror Film Opening’s.
Dawn Of The Dead- the opening sequence for this Zombie
horror immediately portrays the theme of death through the
credits being in a blood like font. In this instance, the film title
is at the begging of the sequence. The credits occur
throughout a variety of shots showing the audience that
something has gone wrong. Most of the shots are ‘news
reports’ giving the audience a clear idea of what the film is
going to be about. The shots give clues about what is going
on. Straight from the start, it is action packed showing masses
of anarchy. There are also shots of ‘zombie’ like things
however you can’t see them clearly, this is to make the
audience question what they are. This keeps the audience on
the edge of their seats wanting to watch more. The shots are
edited at a very quick pace which also adds to making it look
disoriented which intrigues the viewer.
11.
Saw- The opening sequence for this Slasher horror film
starts off with the main credits of the production
company etc. and then the film title and immediately
goes straight into the action of the film. The use of the
minimum amount of credits at the beginning adds to the
suspense of the film opening, making the whole focus on
the scene. As the opening gets straight into the action, it
imminently makes the audience wonder what is going on
and why the men are there. It makes them ask questions
which draws them in making them want to carry on
watching to answer their questions and to see what is
going to happen next.