By Sophie Morton

Film Openings.

The purpose of a film opening to entice the audience straight away so that they will carry on watching the film. The opening should show the genre and introduce the main most important cast. A direction

will decide to do this in many different ways...

A flash back is a scene in which takes the narrative back in time to an event which

perhaps plays a major part to an event which happens later on during the film

... A flashback

At the start of the film Saving Private Ryan, it opens with a flashback to 1944 showing a war scene, which has relevance to scenes later on in the film.

This is used to set the scene and inform the audience of where the film is taking place.

...Establishing shot/Panning of Landscape.

This is the opening shot from Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, and it is an establishing shot of New York, letting the audience know that's where it is set.

Narrations are a very easy and effective way of getting the audience involved straight away.

They are a technique used to give background information on what has been happening or who

the characters are giving the audience and insight so that the rest of the film makes sense.

...Narrations

In the opening to hitch you have the main character

talking directly and rhetorically to the audience

really involving them straight away.

In the opening hot fuzz it has one of the main characters giving you

background information about who they are and what they

have done, again involving the audience

and providing them with facts which relate to the later story line.

Having a fast paced opening to a film attracts the audience straight away and will make

them want to carry on watching. This opening will automatically show the genre of the film.

...Action Scene.

At the start of this film it goes straight into a bit of action by there being a character with a sword and then the main character shooting someone, the audience then wants to know why and how this has happened and so will carry on watching.

Very similar to an action scene these catch the audiences attention too. It involves them as

they will want to see what happens after the chase. The chases are normally intense

weather it is in a car or on foot.

...Chase Scene

At the start of the James Bond film Casino Royale there is a very intense chase, with the characters climbing and jumping over buildings and walls and end up on top of a crane, this entices the audience as they want to know why bond is chasing the other character.

At the start of most films they will always shoe the production or distribution logo’s. If the

film has a high budget the logo will be adapted to reflect the genre and story line of

the film.

...Production logo’s

All films have title scenes too, these show the cast and production team for the films. The

titles can be a way of building up the suspense and can show the genre of the film.

...Title Sequence