Opening Sequences

What is the purpose of opening sequences? 
An opening sequence is shown in the very beginning of a television show or movie. It's time frame is around 2-3 minutes of the beginning of the film and it's purpose is to begin establishing the scene of the movie/TV show. It is inclusive of the title and credits and can often give the audience a broader knowledge of the movie itself. 

A good example of this is in 'Se7en' where the opening sequence is part of the movie itself. We are shown shots of various objects that are foreshadowing events in the film that is about to be displayed. It leaves a feeling of ambiguity to the viewer as they try to piece together the different shots. 

Click here to see the opening sequence of the thriller film 'Se7en' (1995) by Kyle Cooper. 


What is the difference between an opening credits and title sequence?
The title sequence consists of the title and opening credits. It is more focused on the way in which it is presented rather than the information it presents. It exploits the use of sound and visuals to bring the opening sequence to life. There are many different techniques used to present these. For example: diegetic and non-diegetic sound, voiceover, animation, editing techniques and other creative formats. 

The movie 'Juno' has an almost music video like title sequence. It is a combination of real-life and animation shots that are strung together creatively to present the title, cast and key roles of production members involved. The movie itself is about a girl who struggles with growing up and it is clever how the director has incorporated this into the opening sequence. The camera tends to move up and along as the character Juno walks home, which could reference the journey she makes in the film as she travels along the path to adulthood. The mixed-media effect (use of real footage and graphics) creates a double reality that pulls us into the cartoon world of protagonist Juno. This means that we see the world through her eyes. In one way it shows that she is still young and thinks of the world as though it is a cartoon. 

Screen grab from 'Juno'. Shows the composition of graphics that create the opening sequence. 



Opening credits are used in the title sequence. The purpose of these is to present to the audience a list (in order of importance) of the key creative roles in the film. They are informative and used to acknowledge a certain persons contribution to the film. These contributions can include: cast, director, executive production, editing etc. This is important as it gives audience members an idea of what to expect, for example, Michael Cera who is in the film Juno is known for playing and awkward, nerdy guy and that is exactly what we see here. Who makes and stars in a film gives hints to what an audience can expect. For example, Disney is known for making films that are targeted for kids. 

In Juno, when the cast is listed, we can tell that the actress for Juno is Ellen Page. We know this because the her name is displayed during the only close up shot of the character, a shot in which we see a majority of her face. In the other shots, the camera is not directly focussed on her which tells us that that is not her name. But seeing as they are important enough to be on screen in the earliest part of the film, they are obviously going to play significant roles in the movie.

First name in the sequence is the protagonist and main character, Juno, who is played by Ellen Page.


Left: Michael Cera - 2nd main character   Right: Jennifer Garner - Also an important character

Click HERE to view full title sequence of the movie 'Juno' (2007) by Jason Reitman.


Techniques employed in an Opening Sequence: 
As mentioned earlier, there are many different techniques used in an opening sequence that provide audio and visuals that are intriguing to the audience, they're used to creatively capture the audience and bring them into the movie's atmosphere. 

An example of a technique would be diegetic and non-diegetic sound. Diegetic sound relates to the sound in the world of the scene itself. This can include sounds of people (coughs, sneezes, shouting, whispering), animals (barking, chirping, growling, hissing), cars (honking horns, revving engines) etc. The characters are aware of the sounds around them. Diegetic sounds creates a realistic atmosphere that pulls the audience deeper into the movie world. The sounds are all sounds that we hear in every day life, the realistic approach making the film more relatable to its audience. 
Non-diegetic sound is added for special effect and to gain reaction from the audience. For example, an up tempo beat could be added to the beginning of a family film to hype up the eager audience.

A good example of an opening sequence that uses both of these would be Skyfall (2012). It opens with a loud splash noise which is an example of diegetic sound as it would have been heard by the actor (if he was conscious) or surrounding persons. This pulls the audience into the world of the movie, making them feel like they too have just plunged deep into the ocean. It is also accompanied by a backing track of a slow tempo ballad. This is an example of non-diegetic sound as it would not be acknowledged by people in the movie. The effect of the music creates an atmosphere of suspense, evoking a particular fear in audience members who are anticipating what is to come. 

The camera movement is a key area in which creation of the opening sequence stems from. Again using Skyfall as an example, the camera angle begins close and is then distant. A close up and focused camera shot is made on a hand grabbing the hand of the man who had previous plunged into the water and the next clip shows him being grabbed between the thumb and forefinger of a much larger hand as he is being pulled down. This shot is a good example of one that creates suspense and mystery as the audience is left to wonder first of all, where the hand has come from and of course, where the man is being pulled too. The close up shot is used to emphasise this characters emotional state. The petite hand came from nowhere and for some reason, the close up creates ambiguity as we, the viewers, are left to interpret the shot in many different ways. Is he dreaming? Seeing things? Is he being pulled from life? We don't know. But, we want to continue to watch and find out. There is a lot of black space to the right of the screen, creating a sense of mystery and suspense that foreshadows the plot of the film itself.

Screenshot from opening sequence of Bond film, Skyfall. Character is being pulled down by a large hand. 




TV shows often use recurring opening sequences that summarise the entire show itself. The editing techniques used in different TV Show sequences (when used correctly) can be vital to the show. When the opening sequence is supposed to transport the viewer into the show every week or whenever an episode is played, it must be edited to perfection. In the editing process, techniques used can include:

•  jump cuts - create a feeling of unsettledness and confusion as one shot instantly cuts to another
• cross-frames - useful for making the sequence of clips flow to allow a smooth viewing experience
• montages - compact images or short clips to create a series of relative images to a subject, can often give nostalgic effects when used as flashback
• tilting and panning - cause disorientation to the audience and therefore add to the viewing experience

An example of an excellently edited opening sequence would be Sherlock, a TV show that began in 2010. There is a montage of different scenes in London that are also mashed together with close ups of faces, hands and words that leave the audience a little mind boggled and disorientated due to the abundance of varying camera angles, camera tilts and flashes of different objects and places. The camera's flashing adds a nostalgic and also mysterious effect to the film and in some ways foreshadows the coming events of the crime show that is meant to have you thinking and at times completely mind boggled. 

An interesting thing to notice about this sequence is that as it progresses, the camera zooms in more and more on the scene. This creates a sleuth-like atmosphere as we delve into a world of mystery where we are made to dig for detail. We start with a wide shot of London itself and we end with a close up, microscopic shot. Again, this tells us that this show will be taking the audience on a journey to find every fine and microscopic detail. The way this is done in the opening sequence shows an audience that throughout the course of the show, they too need to be on the lookout for the small details.

Left: Opening title - London City

Right: Last shot - Microscopic view of a deep red droplets.




Watch the opening sequence to 'Sherlock' HERE

Comparing 2 Thrillers

1. Gone Girl - 2014 
The moment this movie opens, the audio kicks in and we hear what sounds like a pan flute. It's high tones create an eerie atmosphere which is then accompanied by a man's voice. The voice over is used as a narration and begins to tell a story. The man's voice is low in comparison to the high tuned flute. His words however, bring an even more eerie and unsettling feeling to the audience. "... I picture cracking her lovely skull.." His tone is so calm, as if what he is saying isn't out of the ordinary. The effect of his low and slow voice is calming for an audience but the content is so uneasy and this feeling continues to grow when we see the first camera shot which is of a man stroking a woman's head. Considering he had just been speaking of 'unspooling her brains' and the camera is now close up on her head, the audience is left in a state of ambiguity as they try to decipher his intentions. Close up shots are used to show confrontation and it is almost a P.O.V shot but she looks to the right of the camera, making the audience feel queasy as we cannot see the man behind the voice. As mentioned previously, close ups reveal a persons mental state and in this case, though the unsettling audio comes from the man, it is the woman whose head we see who is about to become the biggest issue of mentality. 

Above: Woman rests on male, Camera is pointed down to look at her, getting a P.O.V shots. 

Right: Woman looks up, camera looking down at her as she looks behind the camera.




Before the title is presented, the main actors names are shown in the centre of the screen. They appear and fade before changing. The simplicity itself is what seems to create an even more spooky and apprehensive atmosphere. The dark colours and black space represent a lurking darkness that foreshadows the rest of the movie. The first landscape image is a wide shot of a beach and this is where we first see the title 'Gone Girl'. It fades in and fades out, just like that, it's gone. In blocks of two seconds, there are establishing snapshots of the surrounding setting which helps to build the scene. The opening credits are written on each of these pictures and it isn't until 3/4 of the way through the opening sequence that a focussed action shot takes place. The man is centred on screen and the camera switches positions so that we can see his surroundings. 

Watch the opening sequence to 'Gone Girl' HERE.

2.  Vertigo - 1958
A dramatic soundtrack is heard as soon as the movie begins, it immediately stimulates the audience's brains and pulls them into another world. The repeating sounds create suspense and as the sequence progresses it gets softer then occasionally returns with an even louder blow of the trombone. There is a symphony of different brass instruments that are used to build up a tense atmosphere. The non-diegetic music is paired with close-up shots of a woman's face. Her lips are the first feature that is focussed upon and then her eyes. As each is focussed on, the trombone sounds which would draw in the minds of audience members who had been wandering. The shot zooms in even more and is now directly focussed on the woman's eye and as the music intensifies, a red tint covers the screen and her eye widens, a technique that shows the fear that has been evoked inside of her. Fear of what? We as the audience are unaware as we cannot see behind the camera. The colour red is usually symbolic of fear and danger and this has been utilised by Hitchcock to bring that uneasy feeling to the screen.

Right: Widened eye of woman in Alfred Hitchcocks 'Vertigo' film. 





If you look deep into the eye, you can see a formation of words that is actually the movies title. This is significant and could represent what's to come in the movie. The title's arrival comes after fear is evoked in the woman, implying that the movie is to be centred around fear. 

Comparison: 
In both movies, audio is used as a big building block to set the scene. In Hitchcock's film, a symphony of instruments is used to emphasised key features on a subjects face. It builds to an intense climax that doesn't really come. It continues through the opening credits that are very well presented through a series of spiracle graphics. This differs to 'Gone Girl' where the most memorable part of the audio is a mans voice. The voice over is like a narration and it begins to tell the story. The graphics in 'Gone Girl' are very minimal compared the the camera movement and graphics in 'Vertigo'. Both films are of the thriller genre however they seem to differ in intent. For example, Gone Girl seems to have a somewhat somber tone to it, implying a silent but slow building thrill. Whereas right from the beginning, Vertigo seems intense and alarming. The camera shots in Gone Girl are from far away while Vertigo's tend to be very, very up close and personal. Though over 50 years apart, both films use audio and camera angles respectively to create an intriguing and creative opening sequence.