Typical features of film openings

Establishing shots

Many film openings use establishing

shots. It sets the scene and shows the audience the

location of the film.

This establishing shot shows the setting of the scene is a large city

VoiceoverA voiceover is

used to narrate the story or

situation from the point of

view of a character, usually the

main character

SOUND

The voiceover at the beginning of Shrek tells the story of the princess, starting with “Once upon a time…” setting the film up as a fairytale.However, it ends with the character of Shrek laughing at the story, suggesting it is not only a comedy film, but that it is not a typical fairytale.

MusicMusic can determine genre

(eg. High pitched screeching/violins and

heartbeat-like thumping can indicate horror)

It often takes the form of a score or a song.

Music can also be used to create a specific soundtrack, a “theme tune”, such as in

Jaws. The shark is often paralleled with a particular

motif, and can often be used to trick the audience, as the audience expects/associates that particular motif with the

danger of the shark.

SOUND

The James Bond theme has become famous, and is used at the beginning of every Bond film, making it iconic and easily recognisable.

Diegetic Sound

This is sound that occurs naturally in the

environment of the scene, such as footsteps, rain,

doors opening, car horns, dialogue etc. and can help to create atmosphere. This can be done by amplifying a particular diegetic sound (eg. heavy breathing) to

create more tension or fear, making the sound more

prominent and more noticeable to the audience.

SOUND

Sounds such as footsteps and rain are very commonly used diegetic sounds.The sound of rain can also create a sadder, or more mellow atmosphere.

Titles & Credits

The font and transitions of the titles and credits can be used to create

mood, genre and atmosphere.

Often when a movie stars a particularly

famous or well-known actor, their name will be

one of the first to appear. This is because the actor is considered

“bigger” than the actual film.

The opening credits to Monty Python and the Holy Grail create comedy with humorous subtitles and moose references, breaks in the credits and, by the end, a complete change in style. This indicates that the movie is a comedy, and will be spontaneous and confusing

Distinctive Editing

This is where there is a lot of cuts, dissolves or edits within the opening sequence, as this can create a fast-paced start that immediately draws the audience in, or puts them in

the middle of an action scene. Alternatively, there may be

little or no edits in the opening, as this can provide a single viewpoint (such as in

Halloween), creating mystery, confusion or uncertainty.

This opening sequence from Halloween uses only one cut towards the end of the scene. Throughout the scene, the audience sees things from a Point of View perspective, which creates confusion, and also some frustration when a mask is placed over the screen, allowing only a limited view.

EnigmasEnigmas, or mysteries, are

often created in the opening sequence of a film in order to make the audience want to continue watching to find

answers to the questions and mysteries raised at the start.

Now You See Me begins by showing short clips of each character, without providing much information as to who they are, where they are etc.This creates enigmas such as “Who are they?”, “What is the connection between them?” and other such questions, causing the audience to want to continue watching.

Theme & Genre (Mise en

Scene)Theme and genre is usually determined very early on in the film, using the Mise en

Scene (what is actually visible to the audience in a scene)

and iconic features of particular genres to inform the audience as to what to

expect from the film.The first thing the audience is shown in this opening from Star Wars is a view of planets in space, and shows a spaceship flying across the screen. Because of this, the film is immediately identifiable as a Science-Fiction film.