Deciding the Genre...

The first decision we needed to make was whether our film opening would be for a light hearted film (i.e. a comedy or an animation) or a more serious styled film (i.e. thriller/ action/ horror). To give ourselves an idea of which genre we were more drawn to, we looked at the openings of several films from different genres.

Firstly we looked at the openings from some light-hearted films...

Run Fatboy Run (Comedy Cert. 15) Opening- 3 minutes.
The credits to the film started straight away. The first sign of music is a sudden introduction to an upbeat song, followed by shots of kids running around and adults laughing- these initial shots allow us to assume the film, like the music, is generally upbeat and cheerful. We meet several characters early on who are talking, but when we first meet Dennis (Simon Pegg) its made relatively clear that he is the main character, as we immediately see a close up of his face and the focus is directly on him. Towards the end of the opening, there is a small slow motion section- which is a convention which audiences recognise as a time when something important is happening. The title of the film comes on to the screen as the camera watches Dennis run, linking the title to what is going on in the scene.

We also looked at Hoodwinked, an animated film, to broaden our ideas...
Hoodwinked (Animated Comedy Cert. U) Opening- 2 minutes, 22 seconds.
The opening starts with a black and white view, as well as an old fashioned looking camera. The shot focuses on a still while a narrator introduces the story to us. From the opening 10 seconds, its hard to analyse how the film is going to continue. We then see that the still photo is the cover of a book, which then opens and the camera zooms in as though it is entering the book. This idea that the film is actually a storybook is a typical fairytale opening, but just as we start to think the film is going to be similar to every other fairytale film, the camera is suddenly seen racing through a forest, with serious, suspenseful music playing. The scene between Red and Wolf doesnt really introduce the characters, instead it seems as though we've missed part of the film when Red says 'you again?!', as it turns out we see the day leading up to that scene later on in the film. The scene plays out quite quickly and the title almost jumps onto the screen at the end, with another piece of music starting as it does so. We meet all of the main characters briefly but learn very little about any of them. a tactic used well to keep the audience engaged and wanting to know more.

Then we moved on to looking at the openings of some serious films...

Jaws (Action/Thriller Cert. 12) Opening- 5 minutes.
The credits start straight away, and carry on through the opening scene, while the camera shows us an underwater tracking shot, its hard to tell whether the camera is following something or letting us see through the eyes of the shark. We see alot of people on the beach talking, but we know they are not important characters as the camera glances over them and all of their conversations mix making it impossible to follow a single conversation. Although the man and the woman staring at eachother say nothing to start, we can see they are of more importance as the shot focuses on each of them individually. We dont learn anything about the two characters as they run towards the sea, and the woman is soon on her own in the water. It is at this point the iconic piece of music starts, and along with the shot of the woman from underneath the water we soon catch on to what is inevitably going to happen, and from then on feel anxious and nervous for the woman. We dont actually see the shark, which plays to the fear of not being able to see who or what is there. The parallel editing between the man on the beach and the woman thrashing about and screaming for help gets the audience involved in the film, as we know what the man doesn't, that she needs his help. The opening to Jaws uses the classic convention for a thriller/horror film, where we see an unknown character be killed in the opening scene, instantly letting the audience know the nature of the film.


The Ring (Horror Cert. 15) Opening- 5minutes
The opening starts with a picture of an old house at night. This is a classic setting for a horror scene, and the rian gives a sense of pathetic fallacy. The two girls speak about the tape, which shows that they are aware of the danger, which differs from the obvious horror film where the victim/s are unaware that they are in danger. The beginning of the conversation gives no hints that it's a horror film, and it only becomes clear when Becca starts speaking of the tape. The sound of the phone ringing is used as a trigger for fear, as the two girls both immediately go quiet and stare at the clock- which is dead on 10pm. Later on, the TV turns on on its own, which is when Katie first starts to believe that the story Becca told her is true. However, the opening tricks the audience several times, first with Katie pretending to choke, and then the phone call which turns out to be Katies mother. This leads us to question whether the Tv turning on is just another joke being played on Katie by Becca, as revenge for earlier. The strange things that happen in the house are especially creepy as they occur in an everyday house, leading the audience to believe it could happen in their own house. The white noise used when the TV turns on and at the end of the scene where we see the tape playing- almost killing Katie through the screen- is a clever use of something we've all seen and had happen on our own TV's, suddenly becoming something to fear.

After looking at the openings of a couple of films, both from light hearted films and serious films,
we decided that it was the serious openings that had more of an impact, whereas the openings to the light hearted films had no real impact on the rest of the film. therefore, we chose our opening would be for a serious film, so we looked at some more serious film openings to get a further insight to conventions and setiings ect. to film openings.


Casino Royale (Action Cert.12)
The opening scene is entriely in black and white, with no non-diegetic music playing, which as well as setting a suspenseful scene, it also gives the audience knowledge that the scene is specifically for setting up the rest of the film. We see a gun in the mans drawer, a prop which immediately informs us about the type/genre of the film, the sight of a violent weapon. The altercation we see bbetween Bond and the other man in the office, includes quick flashbacks to a fight scene between Bond and another man, which contrasts the slow pace of the conversation, with quick shots and alot of pace. In the scene we see Bond shoot two men, which is when the film first introduces colour, with red being used for the blood, making the sight of blood more effective as its the only piece of colour in the scene. The music and the credits start at the same time, with a video sequence dedicated completely to the credits, clearly seperating the film and the credits.

The Dark Knight (Action/Thriller Cert.12) Opening- 5 minutes
The opening immediately goes into action, with men in masks and carrying guns. This is a convention of thrillers, when we're unable to see the identity of the villain/s. As we see the bank being robbed, we hear one of the men mention 'the Joker', adding to the anxiousness of waiting to see him, as we hear about him. The bad guys are seen turning on eachother, which confuses the audience as we're under the impression that the 'clowns' are a gang working together. The repetitive beat in the background gives the scene a fast pace, while not taking the focus away from the scene itself. At the end of the scene, we finally see the Joker, giving the scene an effective climax, with the credits then beginning.

The Bourne Ultimatum (Action Cert.12)
The music for the opening scene begins before the actual scene, getting the audience prepared before the start of the movie. The first shot tells us where the scene is taking place, giving the audience some early information about the setting of the film. Straight away we see the main character on the run, explaining that the film is carrying on from the prequel. We see the police are after him, telling us that the film is serious, and the pace of the chase scene tells us more about the genre of the film. The blood on his hands give us and idea of what hes been doing (something violent-probable illegal). The police are speaking Russian, with subtitles at the bottom of the screen. The title of the film comes up at the end of the scene.

Mr & Mrs Smith (Action Cert.15) Opening- 2 minutes 30 seconds
The main characters are immediately introduced, with the shot giving the point of view of the therapist. The scene swithces in and out of a black screen showing the credits. The background is silent giving a sense of a more realistic scene. The scene isn't continuous, with bits missing between parts of the couples conversation. The end of the scene shows a flashback to when the couple first met, giving some background information about the couple. Title of the film is included in the credits, right at the climax of the opening scene. the film doesnt make it clear that its an action film, as it starts out with a slow pace, with lots of dialogue between the characters- unusual for the opening of an action film.

Seven (Thriller Cert.18) Opening- 3 minutes
The opening starts with a man getting ready in the morning. The shots are quite calm, with no music. We see a sense of crime from the beginning, with a shot of a dead body. Theres lots of dialogue in the opening scene, which is quite a typical quality of a thriller opening as we learn most of the background information we need to know. Despite the crime scene, the opening scene has no action. The title sequence takes place in the first few minutes- which could suggest that the real movie hasnt real started yet, and the opening scene was just setting up the real film. both main characters are introduced in the opening scene. the equipment on Morgan Freemans table give us an idea about the character, both of his occupation and his personality. The criome scene is another common scene to see in a thriller. The opening scene includes shots from a number of different settings, the scene on the whole being continuous. The rain could also be a sign of pathetic fallcy.

Looking at these further films gave us the inspiration to do a thriller as our film opening, thrillers tended to have openings which had an effect on the rest of the film, wheras the openings to horrors and thrillers were often just one off scenes which had little link to the rest of the movie.