Common Features of a Film Opening (Task 4)

What is the purpose of a title sequence and film opening?

The purpose of a title sequence is to intrigue the audience and to build a certain mood and tone. There are some conventions in film openings. These are:

• The introduction of a main character or a reference to the main character. 
• The title of the film 
• The introduction to the storyline or plot to inform the audience on what to expect within the film or what genre it is. This would include 'Mis en Scene' and location.
• Institutional information (Idents) to show which production company owns the film. 
• non-diegetic sound (background music) which would add to the mood and genre of the film. 

The best film opening sequence is the 'Sky Fall' James Bond film; the reason for this is it includes many editing techniques. It also initially starts of with a very unusual and enticing setting with the iconic image of James Bond falling trough the sky. It also includes abstract animations with various pre-cursors for the film - for example: The constant reference to guns, dragons and settings which commonly appear throughout the film. Furthermore, the opening uses a popular soundtrack by Adele which adds to the length of it due to synergy. The opening of Sky Fall is an interesting way of introducing the film because it meets the audience's expectations and intrigues them which is the purpose.

The use of the animations makes this film opening the most interesting and the non-diegetic sound does the opposite of suspending disbelief because it allows it to be abstracts through animations.

This is a good example of an interesting and intriguing film opening.