The document discusses what makes an effective opening sequence in films. It provides examples from several films and analyzes how their opening sequences accomplished specific goals such as arousing audience interest, establishing genre/theme, introducing characters, setting the scene, foreshadowing events, including encoded signifiers, setting tone, and creating suspense/enigma. For instance, the opening of Saw 1 arouses interest by showing a violent and mysterious scene that leaves viewers with questions. The Exorcist establishes its horror genre through use of red/black colors and ominous props during its credits.

1. WHAT MAKES AN EFFECTIVE
OPENING SEQUENCE?
Karen O’Neil

2. AROUSES THE INTEREST OF THE
AUDIENCE IMMEDIATELY
The film Saw 1 effectively arouses the interest of the audience by immediately
showing violent action during the opening sequence. The audience see a male
begin drowned in a mysterious setting with low-key lighting which straight
away creates enigma and bemusement for the audience as they’re unable to
completely see and interrupt what’s going on. The audience are left to wonder
who this character is, where is he, why’s he being drowned and by who. These
questions encourage the audience to continue watching in order to find the
answers out. This technique successfully foreshadows the pace of the film.
The opening sequence continues to arouse the interest of the audience by the
way the antagonist’s introduced. The audience are only able to hear the
antagonist’s deep voice which intrigues the audience and creates mystery as
they’re unable to see him/her.

3. ESTABLISH THE FILM’S GENRE
AND THEME
The film The Exorcist effectively establishes the genre and theme of the film
by straight away using the colours black and red to display the credits. The
colour red connotes blood, danger and anger whereas the colour black’s used
to signify death, mystery and evilness. These are themes most commonly
associated with horror films and immediately show the audience the genre of
the film. The opening sequence also consists of dangerous props such as a
pick-axe that foreshadows the violence within the film . The pick-axe’s being
used to dig through sand which represents the ancient theme of discovery
within the storyline. The use of sound within the opening sequence
establishes the genre as it varies in tempo and pitches. This is commonly used
to emphasis the different emotions and pace within a horror film.

4. INTRODUCE KEY CHARACTERS
The film Dark Water introduces the key character of Dahlia during the
opening sequence by demonstrating her day to day life to the audience and
informing them about her current situation. During the opening scenes the
audience learn she’s recently been divorced, jobless and homeless which
contributes towards portraying her as venerable and an easy target for the
antagonist. Throughout the first scenes Dahlia wears dark colours such as
black, grey and brown which signifies depression, solidity and dullness. She
also at times has the colour pink hidden within her clothing which shows the
audience she’s still a compassionate, loving and feminine character. This
techniques effective as the audience feel sympathy for Dahlia straight away
which encourages the audience to continue watching in order to find out what
happens to her. The antagonist’s introduced in a discreet way which creates
suspense for the audience as they’re unaware of what he/she looks like and
why they’re victim is Dahlia.

5. ESTABLISH THE SETTING OF THE
FILM
The film Insidious effectively establishes the setting of the film through the
use of long and medium shots. The majority of the opening sequence is in
low-key lighting and contains a lot of objects related to fire such as candles,
fireplaces and lamps. This shows the audience where the majority of the
action in the film will take place and foreshadows the ending of the film. The
shots within the opening sequence are edited in black and white to show the
good versus bad themes within the storyline. The credits within the opening
sequence fade off the screen in a grey font and move in a swirly motion
similar to smoke already showing the audience the house is possibly haunted.
The close up shots within the opening sequence highlights the objects within
the bedroom’s of specific characters showing the audience the characters the
antagonist’s after.

6. FORESHADOWS KEY EVENTS
The film Silent Hill effectively foreshadows the key events within the film.
The opening sequence first introduces the audience to the main character
Sharon and shows her sleeping walking over a cliff as she shouts the words
“Silent Hill”. This straight away foreshadows the key setting of the film to the
audience and highlights the main issue within the storyline (Sharon’s sleep
walking). The opening sequence begins with Sharon’s parents walking round
looking for her because they’ve assumed she’s gone missing. This also
foreshadows a key event within the storyline as Sharon goes missing as the
storyline progresses and the characters are in the town Silent Hill.

7. ENCODED SIGNIFIERS
The film Se7en consists of encoded signifiers which appear later on in film.
The opening sequence contains weapons such as knives, blades and axes
which all appear later on within the film. The use of these props sets a
dangerous and eerie atmosphere for the audience and also connotes death,
pain and blood. These props appear later on within the film and are used by
the antagonist when he kills his victims in a gruesome and violent manner.
The use of encoded signifiers effectively shows the audience the genre and
theme of the play straight away. The audience are able to learn that the film’s a
horror and will contain some violence by these props. The use of close up
shots and the screen time of maximum 4 seconds per prop shows the
audience the importance's of these props during the film. The long screen
time also makes it more likely for the audience to remember these props later
on when the storyline’s progressed further.

8. SET THE TONE OF THE FILM
The opening sequence of The Cabin In The Woods sets the tone of the film
by using low-key lighting and having close up shots of blood and fire. The
close up shots effectively creates enigma and mystery as the audience are
unable to identify what the close up shot’s of. Already the audience learn the
film will be dark and contain the theme of violence and death due to the
constant use of the colours black and red. The font of credit’s are also
displayed in a red font which foreshadows to the audience there may be a lot
of bloody scenes within the film. The use of music contributes towards
setting the tone of the film as it’s slow and deep and varies in tempo and
speed to represent the different paces the film moves at throughout. The
opening sequence of the film ends with the music suddenly cutting off and a
quick shot transitions to a naturalistic setting and lighting which possibly
indicates to the audience the contrast between the protagonists and
antagonist’s lifestyle as well as the fast pace of the film.

9. CREATE THE ELEMENT OF
SUSPENSE AND ENIGMA
The film Scream creates the element of suspense and enigma immediately by
having the sound of high pitched screaming at the start of the opening sequence.
This straight away grabs the audience’s attention as they’re left to wonder who is
screaming and why. The opening scene continues to show the main character
receiving constant phone calls from a mysterious number and character with a
deep voice. The suspense is built up during this scene as the audience are unaware
of the appearance of this character and the reasoning behind the constant phone
calls. The enigma during the first scene gradually increases as the lighting becomes
darker and the conversation between the main character and mysterious character
on the phone develops. The opening sequence concludes with the dialogue “Why
do you want to know my name?” and the response “because I want to know who
I’m looking at”. Deep instrumentals begin to play in the background which builds
up tension and suspense for the audience as the scene ends. The audience are left
to wonder what’s going to happen next which encourages them to continue
watching in order to find out.