Conventions of an Opening Sequence

There are many things that an opening sequence must do for it it be effective, such as set the genre, draw the audience in and show the audience what the show is going to be about, while withholding information as to not spoil what will happen, although these are just a few of the things an opening sequence does. In every opening sequence there must be a production and a distribution company along with titles. This blog will be talking about what conventions are used in an opening sequence and how and why they are used. I will only be talking about a few conventions although there are many that can be used.

Convention - Setting the Tone and Atmosphere

This is used in opening sequence as it allows the audience to prepare themselves  for what is to come next, such as if the film is a thriller it may show blood or use low key lighting at the start so the audience understand that the film is going to be very dark and sad, or if the film is a romantic comedy it may use very upbeat music to set an upbeat mood for the audience.

Example 1 - Forest Gump

The sound in this opening sequence is very effective at setting the mood for the audience. This is done through the use of the low volume and rhythm creating a sense of sadness for the audience, but the piano has a very high pitch which gives off a more positive tone, which therefore shows the viewers that the film is going to be very uplifting but will also have very sad moments in it, which is very true in the film.

Example 2 - Brick

In this image, which is from Brick's opening sequence the audience can see a master shot of a boy crouched down and a girl laying face first in the gutter. This sets the tone for the audience as it the audience will look at the girl and notice that she is dead due to where she is laying and how she is so still. This sets a very negative atmosphere and shows the audience that a key theme in the film will be death and sadness. The shot is also very effective at setting the mood due to the colours used. The shot is very blue which holds connotations of sadness and being mellow which shows the audience that throughout the film it is going to be very upsetting and allows them to prepare for it. The shot also creates a sense of mystery for the audience which again is another key aspect of the film due tot he audience not being able to see any of the characters faces and the audience not knowing what has happened to the girl.

Convention - Making the Audience Ask Questions

Many opening sequences will withhold information from the audience to force them to ask questions, therefore making them watch on to find out the answers. This is very effective as it lures the audience in to the film or show. However the opening sequence can't withhold too much information or else it may become too confusing for the audience and put them off watching it. In many shows the opening sequence tackles this problem by dropping subtle hints as to what is going to happen next without fully explaining it  or directly telling the audience. This allows the audience to know what is happening and think about what is going to happen next without ruining the film.

Example 1 - Wallander

An effective opening sequence for making the audience ask questions is the show, Wallander. This makes the audience ask questions by withholding a great amount of information, by showing the audience two girls walking in the middle of nowhere and not showing there faces for a large part of the sequence. This makes the audience wonder who they are and what they are doing out there. The shot of the two girls is then followed up by a shot of a man in a car filled with blood. This allows the audience to connect the two shots together and know that they were responsible for the man's condition but the audience still doesn't know who they are due to the lack of focus and they don't know why they did it. This will make the audience want to watch on to find out the girl's motives for doing such a violent act and find out who the girl's are.

Example 2 - Memento

                 

Memento's opening sequence is very effective for making the audience ask questions. This is due to it starting right after a murder has taken place. This causes the audience to wonder as to why the man killed the other, and who are the two characters. This is done through the use of a rewind. This makes the audience see the murderer standing above the other man's body, not knowing there relationship and how or why the man died, but as they watch on they see the man come back to life and see the other man shoot him. This makes the audience ask how he died and what is the other man doing there taking a photo but as time goes on they see he has a gun and that he was responsible for his death, creating new questions as what were his motives? This causes the audience to watch the rest of the film to find out who these two characters are and the murderers reasoning for doing such a thing.

Convention - Show the Genre

Setting the genre of a film during an opening sequence is one of the most important things it must do. This is because it allows the audience to know what the film is going to be about and what they can expect to see in the film. If the genre is set to be a comedy they can expect to laugh and the film to be happy, or if it is set as a horror they can expect to see death and bloody violence. Setting the genre allows the audience to know what is coming up and what kind of film they are watching.

Example 1 - Saw

In the horror film saw the titles are very effective for showing the genre, before any of the film has even been shown. One way this is done is through the use of colour. The first title you see uses a very dark green and a black background. These colours together look  very negative and create a very scary tone for the audience, showing them that the film is going to be horrifying. The black background throughout all of the titles hold negative connotations of death and darkness. This shows the audience that it is going to be a horror film as there is going to be a lot of death.

One title that stands out a lot is "Twisted Pictures" title. This title shows a nail slamming down and covering the title in barbed wire and tightening it. This shows the audience that there is going to be very brutal deaths in the film as the idea of barbed wire wrapping around something is very painful and disgusting and may foreshadow that something like that will happen in the film. This immediately shows the audience that it is a horror film as there is going to be a lot of deaths and torture in the film.