Opening sequence conventions

The example I’m going to use to help demonstrate some conventions of opening sequences is the movie Scream (1996) this is because its opening sequence is very effective and fulfills many of the conventions.

An opening sequence needs to create an enigma the film Scream creates this through its use of mise en scene, the film uses lighting very effectively, this is because the house that the character is in is dark, and the lack of lighting throughout the house gives the audience an eerie feeling, it instantaneously makes us assume that she is in danger, the flicks of light, especially outside makes use on edge as we believe someone will be outside therefore us as an audience want to continue to watch the rest of the movie. This is represented in the image below, we anticipate the killer or at the moment the mystery man to be outside look back at the woman, as we expect him to want to get to here so we expect him to take the opportunity while she is by the door.

The opening scene also uses props to its advantage, before the phone rings for the 3^rd time the woman lights the stove, the camera is zoomed in on this part of the scene. This suggests that the gas or the fire, this is because it is typically related to danger, therefore it builds up the tension that the lighting has already started to create. The colour scheme that is used is dark which creates a negative and dangerous effect to the film, it typically suggests death, which could suggest that the girl is going to die soon.

An important part of making sure that an opening scene is effective is that it is clearly an opening scene and not a trailer, this means that the film should go straight into the narrative and it should be clear to the audience so that they are intrigued and will continue to watch the film. The narrative becomes clear to the audience particularly fast, which makes the opening more effective. This is because of the dialogue that is exchanged between the killer and the woman, as it creates the intense atmosphere that the film intends to make, the voice of the characters are also very important in making the film effective and creating the tense environment that they want.

The use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound that is used throughout the opening scene of the film. The diegetic sounds such as the popcorn popping and the sizzling noise that it makes draws the audience’s attention to it and the pressure that is building up inside of it could be being used as foreshadowing the pressure that the woman is going to be under later on in the film, it could also suggest that there is a danger that will soon affect her as the popcorn could explode at any moment just like the killer cause come into the house. The diegetic sound of the dog barking as the woman locks the door also suggests danger, the dog could be barking at a trespasser, which suggests yet another danger to the young woman. The common occurrence of no background sound makes the audience focus on the phone call, to focus on the strange yet eerie voice down the phone, this helps to build up tension as the audience can’t focus on anything else in the film but the mans voice.  The non-diegetic sound that is created when the voice says “I want to know who I’m looking at” helps the film drawback any lost attention that it may have caused through the voice asking questions, it also makes clear that the woman’s emotions have changed, instead of being playful she has now become scared and on edge which makes the audience on edge as we now expect to see the person on the phone to be seen in a way that creates a possible jump scare for the audience.

The mind-map below presents to conventions of opening sequences.

Scream (1996) First five minuets.