Opening sequence codes and conventions

Opening sequences have certain things that they always involve within it. One of these things is the title sequence which has a certain order and particular things that need to be involved within it to make them effective to the audience. The traditional order of the title is as follows: Studio Logo, 'Studio'producer presents...', starring(main actors + major actors), title of the film, screenwriter, camera-person,composer/'music by', editor, producer,director. Large and well-known studios often mix these up and add their own twist  on it, it is also normally accompanied by music which is fit to the genre.

The opening sequence itself normally follows the codes and conventions of the genre it is opening to. The producers take into account the representation of the genre, this means that mise en scene has a big involvement, so for example if a film was of the Film Noir genre, the lighting would be a mixture of both dark and light to take advantage of the effect that the black and white theme creates. The costumes are also taken into account as they need to be effective and appropriate to the time the movie is set for example if it was set in 18th century Britain then the actors wouldn't be wearing black skinnie jeans with a band T as it wouldn't be appropriate. Another thing that is taken into perspective when considering mise en scene in a movie is the set and props of a film, they need to be appropriate the the genre and year, for example in the movie When Harry met Sally was set in 1989, in the image below it shows us the way that it was back then with no IPhone in sight and they dressed the way that was appropriate the that era.

Another area that is considered in the opening scene of movies is the clarity, the clarity of the representation of the characters is very important, their personalities and traits can be demonstrated through the dialogue of the film in the opening scene as we then establish what the characters are like and we as the audience make are assumptions on what the character is going to be like and the effect on the story-line. For example if the character speaks in a dark and eery voice then we assume that they are will have a negative effect on the story-line and will be identified as a villain of the movie.Another way to make the opening sequence clear is that the narrative needs to be clear and grasped within the first couple of minuets of the opening sequence, this is so that the audience can be intrigued by a hook or enigma that the opening scene should contain. This enigma could be the interesting and mysterious back-story of the main characters or the character is talking about a topic which makes the audience want to know why they're talking about and want to continue watching it so that they discover that.

Sound is a large part of the opening sequence, this not just being in the title sequence but also the opening while the hook is being presented. It creates an effective mood for the genre. The use of diegetic sound can be used to create a mood instantaneously, either with the use of a stereo, music being played through headphones that has been amplified so the audience can hear it. The use of non-diegetic sound such as an over-voice or sound effects create great impacts at tense moments, which is why sound effects are often used in Horror or Thriller movies.

A key mistake that people can make when making a opening sequence is making it like a trailer, this means there needs to be titles that present the stars, movie title that need to be in a clear and simple style. The pace if editing needs to be smooth and needs to consist of cutting on action and jumps cuts, to create the effect that it is an opening sequence and not a trailer.