Conventions of Film Openings

1. Conventions of Film Openings
Dylan Mann-Hazell

2. The Purpose of Film Openings
• The purpose and intention of a film opening is to engage
the audience within a matter of minutes. Many members of
the audience will remember the key points of the film after
viewing it, and the beginning is one of those key points, so
it is up to the producers and directors to make sure this
opening is well done.
• It depends on what genre the film is when coming to how
the audience is going to be engaged within the first few
minutes of the film, and it also depends on what certificate
rating the film has been given (e.g, if it is a children’s film,
the beginning must appeal to children; if it is a 15 rated
film, the beginning must appeal and engage any audience
member aged 15 and over, etc.)

3. Production Logo and Titles
• Regardless of their genre, the majority of films
open with the production logo, and the opening
credits. These give the production team and
actors credit for their work before the film
begins. This is so if you want to watch the film,
you must see who made it first, instead of waiting
until the end (where the majority of people don’t
read the credits). The logo will be large and
obvious and may be accompanied by music or
sound effects to further get the attention of the
audience.

4. Camera Angles/Shot Types
• Many films open with an establishing shot. This
immediately gives the audience of where they
are, whether it’s indoors or outdoors, and in
some cases, what is happening in the scene. This
shot is very important, for if the audience do not
understand much for a prolonged amount of
time, they can eventually lose interest in what is
going on in the story. Other examples of an
opening shot is a panning shot, a tilt shot, a close
up, a high angle, a low angle, etc.

5. Introduction of Characters
• The introduction of characters is important within the
first few scenes of a film. It is vital to allow the
audience to become emotionally connected to the
character, whether it be liking them or disliking them.
Characters can be introduced in a number of ways. The
shot could begin on them, they could be heard off
screen before being shown, and a two shot could be
used if there is more than one character that needs
introducing to the audience. The faster the audience
become emotionally connected, the better the
reaction will be if anything major happens to the
character.

6. Sound
• Films can open with a variety of sounds. If it is an
action film, it is typical for dramatic music and
explosive sounds to be heard. If it is a horror film, soft,
tense music could be played in order to reinforce that
the film is a horror to the audience. Generally music is
played during the beginning scene of a film regardless
of what genre it is, for music is a great way of
determining what genre the film is. Also, dialogue is
extremely important for it allows the audience to
understand what is going on in the film. Without
dialogue, it would be very difficult to see what is
happening throughout the opening and the entirety of
the film.