What is an opening sequence?

An opening sequence is the first scene of a film. In a lot of opening sequences this is where the credits are shown, however this is not neccersarily needed. Most opening sequences will show the production company logo as well. We looked at four different opening sequences and wrote about what was in them and what we thought of the clip.

The Bourne Supremacy This is one the opening sequence examples we looked at and its unusual to your typical opening sequence due to it not showing any credits. However it does start with showing the production company - which is universal. The title of the film is then shown in the center of the screen.The clip continues where it jumps straight into the action of what is seen as the main character having a nightmare/flashback of 'random' people and places. We found this opening sequence effective as it intrigues the audience from the very first scene as we're wanting to find out more about the reason behind his flashback.

Red Lights
Red Lights The above link shows you the opening sequence to Red Lights. Within this opening sequence the production company logo is shown. This is followed by the full credits of the film. There is no dialogue in this scene, however audio is used in the background. Throughout this opening sequence various photos, books, x-rays and other items are shown. This gives a hint to the audience about the sort of genre the film is and gives the film a mysterious vibe. During the clip there is random circles of flashing lights that link back to the title of the film. At the end of this clip the credits finish and we see a plane landing. We found this opening sequence interesting and it left us wanting to know more, especially the reason behind showing the plane landing and what the photos and objects are representing. However it was a bit tedious as the credits continued for most of it.
 

The Dark Knight This opening sequence starts with showing the multiple production companies involved with the film. It then jumps straight into the action of the film, this is main part of the opening sequence. The difference between this opening sequence and all the others we looked at was it uses a lot of dialogue and action. However there are no credits throughout this whole scene. We really enjoyed this opening sequence as it caught our attention straight away as the action starts immediately. This made us eager to want to see the rest of the film.

Office Space This opening sequence starts with showing the production company of the film. In this opening sequence it involves credits and an introduction to the characters. The credits run while we are introduced to some of the characters as they are in a scene where they are all siting in traffic. This shows different sides of all the characters, and allows us to make a first impression. The font used for the credits links with the genre of the film which is a comedy. This shows that the producers have taken into account the genre of the film while deciding what font to use. As we are introduced to some of the characters, the camera focuses on the main characters so that they are on the screen for longer. This gives the audience an impression of who is going to play important and main roles within the film. We really liked this opening sequence as we found it had humour within it, which is something we both find really important when watching a film. Also as we both have not seen the film before, after reading the credits of who was in it, this has made us more interested in wanting to see the rest of the film.