Opening Sequences

What is the purpose of the opening sequence?

- The purpose of an opening sequence is to establish the characters and to introduce the viewers to the theme of the movie/ TV series and also gives insight to the plot. The opening sequence is when the audience first gets transported into the world of the movie/TV and it is when they shift their mind set into the movie/TV. By watching the opening scene, the audience has a taste of whats to come for the duration of the rest of the movies/TV show. 

What is the difference between opening credits and title sequence?

- The opening credits and the title sequence is commonly confused with each other but the difference between them is that title sequence is a technique that movies and TV shows used to display the title of the movie, the cast members and the key production companies. This is all displayed and combined with sound and graphics that portray the mood the movie/TV show is trying to create. Where the opening credits are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are usually on a static image but sometimes are on an action shot from the movie/ TV show. Music may or may not be playing dependent on the particular movie/TV show.

What techniques can be employed in an opening sequence? 

 - In an opening sequence the produces use a range of techniques that make the opening of the movies/TV series what they are. Traditionally movies started in the beginning and worked chronologically throughout the movie/TV series. But in this modern time movie makers like to mix it up by starting at the end and working back or in the middle and then jumping to the beginning. By using this style it creates diversity between movies and can create confusion within the audience which the movie makers can then correct and bring clarity to. Sound is also a major factor when it comes to the openings, from diegetic sound and non-diegetic sound. Non-diegetic sounds is especially uses in Television series as they most likely have a particular tune that makes them easily identifiable. This put emphases on the feeling and mood that the movie/TV series are trying to achieve and enhances the genre that they are in. Some examples are diegetic sounds would be if an helicopter flew by or a cellphone ringing in the pocket of a character. Furthermore editing is a huge part in what creates the opening sequence but it really depends on the movie and what they want to portray. There are many ways to edit the opening, one is by long drawn out shots or the opposite of jump cuts that create feeling of confusion or actions. 

When it comes to camera shots there are many techniques that producers can use. The shots strongly sets the feeling for the rest of the movie. For example produces can use shots like close ups and extreme close ups if they want to build anticipation, also it leaves the viewers to draw their own conclusions and gets them thinking about what is to come. In the movie The Conjuring (2013) by James wan, there is an extreme close up of an eye which becomes a figure throughout the movie and into its own movie that was released in 2014. Or in the Fault in our stars (2014) by Josh Boone with that extreme close up of the character (Hazel's) eyes. Another way is if there is a shot that sets the sense and reveal to the audience the setting and the time, but also the period of time that the scene is set for example in the movie Titanic (1997) it was based on the era of 1912 and to set that tone of that time the opening is colour graded in a sepia colours with pans of people waving the Titanic off.  Other techniques that produces use to set the scene is by wide shots/ birds eye view over a city to establish the country they are in and also time-lapse can be very effective because they give the viewers a background into the narrative of the movies/ TV series.