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| Brian Grazer, producer of 8 Mile. |
- Super Imposed Graphics: These graphics are overlayed on the scenes/shots in an opening sequence. And almost always contain film crew, actors names and production companies.
- Production Company: This tells the audience who made the film, and who supplied the cameras, sets, runners and general things needed to fully make a film. The production company is usually a super imposed graphic at the very start of an opening sequence, as they need to be credited just as much as the distributor logo.
- Producers: The producers of the film control the budget, so how much the production companies aim to spend, and still make a profitable film.
- Director: A director is the join most creative person in film making, they work constantly aside the writer to create what the writer has visioned on paper, and their passion helps the film to become visual. Directors usually get the most credit for a a film.
- Actors: The main actors are introduced by name, usually on a scene where there charachter is being explored. This gives them credit for persuing their charachter role.
- Engaging Music: This draws the audience in to the film, and usually reflects the themes explored in the film.
- Minimal Dialogue: This is used to explore the setting, and charachters in an opening sequence, by not having any dialogue, this helps the audience piece together the storyline with visuals rather than sound.
- Introduce Themes & Ideology: There should be minimal and subtle hints in an opening sequence to explore the film. For example an empty bottle of alcohol is one shot, then the next is a close up of a person, this could explore alcoholism and addiction as themes.
- Introduce Characters: An opening sequence should only establish the main charachters by focusing purely on them and their relationship with each other, whether they are family or in a romantic relationship, or just enemies.
- Introduce Setting: An introduction to setting includes the location, area, and era that the film is set in. This should include establishing shots, and for the era, a colour pallete that illustrates the era, that the audience will notice.
- Introduce Narrative: This introduces the storyline subtly.
- Non-Linear Start: The opening sequence may begin with something that happens later in the film and then is gone back to as the film progresses.
- Smash Mouth Beginning: This is a brutal, rough, and aggressive opening to a film, usually with a loud, quick song, to reinforce the harshness.
- Intrigue/Enigma: Gets the audience's mind to tick by creating questions and they are instantly sucked into the film world.
- Montage: Different scenes cut together to create an interesting opening.
- Establishing Shots: Used to establish key locations and settings in the film
Famous Directors // Left to Right:
Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather), Tim Burton (Edward Scissorhands), John Landis (Oscar)
George Lucas (Star Wars), George A Romero (Day Of The Dead, Stephen Spielberg (E.T.)
Spike Lee (25th Hour), Peter Jackson (Lord Of The Rings), Hayo Miyazaki (My Neighbour Totoro)
My production will include the majority of the conventions i have spoken about, as i do not want to give too much away in the opening sequence to my film, but i want to create as much of an established narrative as i can without giving too much away. I will possibly use a Non-Linear start as i believe this helps create a big impact as it will start with a scene later in the film, and the audience will want to carry on watching the film to see why the film started with that scene as its opening sequence, and what is the back story behind the scene. I also am considering having a smash mouth opening, which will pull the audience in, in the first few seconds, which is the make or break of an opening. A loud, brash song will alert the audience, and engage their attention fully.
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