Opening sequence analysis 1

1. OPENING SEQUENCE ANALYSIS
 Sam Stockwell

2. CASINO ROYALE
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The opening sequence to Casino Royale is all CGI. At the beginning blood starts dripping
from the top of the screen, this informs the audience of the genre, the blood implies that it is
an action film. Also the blood shows that the film is for a higher aged audience. The red
background shows danger, the audience could infer what might happen later on in the
film. A club, heart, diamond and spade symbol appears. These symbols are all from a pack
of cards, this links to the film title Casino Royale. James Bond, the main character, is
introduced into the opening sequence, so the audience know who the film is based around.
They show the antagonists in red to show danger and it also is an easy indicator to the
audience. The credits tell the audience who helped to make the film for example the
executive producer, also they show who the main actors are in the film. The main character
is wearing a suit which shows his professionalism. Towards the end of the opening sequence
there is a close up of the main character. In the close up we can see his seriousness in his
face. This tells the audience what sort of character he is. It also shows the concentration he
has which shows his determined to take on any challenge.

3. TOY STORY
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The film toy story is about toys which come to life when their owner is not around, they use the song ‘You’ve got
a friend in me’ which sets this up very well. This is non diegetic because the characters can’t hear it. The whole
film is CGI. They show the main characters Woody and Andy to prove to the audience who the main focus is
on. When Woody is first introduced the music changes to a heroic tone which suggests he is a hero and again
also shows that he is the main character. The way the title ‘Toy Story’ is presented is related well to the film, the
title looks very easy like a child could have made it. This relates to the target audience because the film is
aimed at children. They use a point of view shot from Woody which makes the audience feel like he is alive and
can see things, this relates to the film because of the toys coming to life. There is a low shot of Andy from the hip
down. In this shot he is playing with Woody. This suggests that the toys are watching them two playing together
and could be a point of view from the other toys. In the opening sequence it shows Mr Potato Head trapped in
a jail which implies how the toys feel when Andy is around, they feel imprisoned and upset that they cant play
with him. Woody and Andy are both wearing cowboy style of clothing which shows how much Andy looks up to
woody like an idol but really woody is just a toy. Right at the end of the opening sequence Andy shouts “Score”
as Woody lands onto the sofa, by doing this it emphasises how much fun he has playing with Woody. In the intro
they show a close up of Woody’s face, this tells the audience his facial expressions, in this case he has a smile so
the audience can tell he is a protagonist character.

4. ZOMBIELAND
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At the start of the opening sequence there is a canted angle which makes the
audience feel lost and disorientated right at the start of the film. This could be
foreshadowing an event later on in the film. There is a POV shot as the man
moves back to orient the audience it suddenly goes into a handheld camera
which makes the audience feel like it is them in the film. The cameraman looks
around and sees weapons, which tells the audience there is could be some
action involved into the film. A zombie is running towards the camera and then
bites the person filming, after the bite the zombie then burps this shows the
audience the film is a comedy and also give the audience an impression of
what they are in for. They use a slow motion effect in the opening sequence
which gives the audience time to think about what is happening, in this shot, a
man is running away from the zombie so the audience can think about how it
must feel to be this person. In the opening sequence they use non diegetic
sound, a voice over of the main character explaining to the audience what
the film is about. They also use ambient sounds, they exaggerate the sound of
explosions at the start and a car braking then crashing into another car, the
exaggeration is used for effect. There is a high angle shot of a man sitting on
the toilet which shows how vulnerable he is to the zombies, this shows how
powerful the zombies are. The blood coming out of the zombies mouth makes
it obvious who the protagonists and antagonists are to the audience. The titles
are red and looks fragile, every title gets smashed as there's a transition to the
next shot. At the end of the opening sequence the song cuts out to a bell
sound, this shows that the war is about to begin.

5. JAMES BOND THE GOLDEN EYE
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The intro to ‘The Golden Eye’ starts halfway down a gun’s chamber following an explosion which is being shot out of the gun. In the
background of this it looks like there is a eye which relates to the title ‘The Golden Eye’. The explosion then blows up as it comes out of
the gun, this tells the audience it is going to be an action film. A bullet is show going straight towards the camera, which looks like a
POV, this will make the audience feel like the bullet is coming towards them which puts them in the character’s shoes. The bullet then
flies off away from the camera, it makes it look like the bullet has flown straight through the audience and out the other side. Then the
title of the film is presented, as it is presented an explosion goes off behind the title, this tells the audience that there will be a great deal
of action and explosions in the film. There is a close up of a woman at an angle, a man sneakily comes across on the bottom of the
screen and shoots a bullet at her, this tells the audience the amount of crime and killing that is going to be involved in the film, also it
shows that the characters could be sly and devious. An extreme close up of an eye is presented and then blinks, as it opens the eye
then fades into a orange background, the eyes link to the title ‘The Golden Eye’. The credits are in a standard font and are coloured
yellow, which helps them stand out over the background. the background changes to red which implies danger and blood, this could
imply that the film is gory, This also links to the film because it is action. There are hooks falling from the sky, this is another weapon which
shows more action and fighting. The music is very different to other opening sequences, every time a shooting or explosions happens it
changes to a more dramatic sound to emphasis what has happened. The weapons used in the opening sequences relate to the Soviet
union, this suggests who Bond’s antagonists are. There is another explosion from a gun shooting which is used as a transition, this relates
to the film being action. There are statues of people in stone, a statue in stone which represents someone who has a high status. One of
the statues fall which could suggest someone with a high status could die. A bright orange explosion then comes out of another statues
eye, which links to the title ‘Golden Eye’. In the background there is a gun that has been enlarged which flies upwards and out of the
screen, this again shows the audience the amount of action involved due to the amount of weapons shown. Near enough everyone in
the opening sequence is a woman, this implies to the audience that women or a woman could be a key part to the film. Right at the
end of the intro, it goes back a big eye in the background. As the eye blinks, the camera goes back through the chamber of a gun, this
suggests its taking you back to the start because at the start we came out of the guns chamber.

6. BUNRAKU
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The opening is CGI. It starts with a voiceover of a man talking about what’s happening to life on Earth. There are people
using Muppets to impersonate prehistoric animals, this implies to the audience that the human race is superior over any
other species. The Muppets are killing each other, this suggests that their will be a lot of violence involved. A meteor
comes flying in at the background and explodes, after this there are no more prehistoric animals involved. This tells the
audience how these prehistoric animals went extinct. There are stickmen chasing buffalos with spears but then turn to
fight each other, this shows that this was thousands of years ago because of how they were trying to get food. The next
shot is a two shot of people fighting, It then progresses and every new character that appears on the opening sequence
is more powerful than the other, this implies to the audience how things have upgraded over time. While the people are
killing each other a red background appears. Red connotes danger, violence and blood. This links perfectly to the film
because this is exactly what this film is about. There is a shot of a war going on. This is obvious to the audience because
of the tanks, guns, buildings on fire and the sound of missiles and guns being fired. The gun sounds emphasise the
fighting. It then shows the world map, colour coordinated in continents. There is a bleeping sound and a little red light
flashes over Africa, the bleep gets faster and faster until it then all blows up. The next shot is a five shot of characters
fighting, it is very similar to the shot of them in the war however there is a giant decrease in people. This suggests to the
audience that most people have been killed from the bomb or the war. A big garbage trucks pulls up in front of the five
people and as it drives off all the people freeze and fall to the floor. The intro then changes so its not in CGI. There is a
man wearing a cape and a hat which is both in black. He is also holding an axe and he walks away from the camera as
the picture turns dark. This suggests that he has a high status because he isn’t wearing a uniform. The last shot splits into
two sides, one with soldiers in red and one with soldiers in a darker colour. This implies that the war still isn't over yet.