Why opening scenes are important

Pulp Fiction;

• Quentin Tarentino
• Definition of 'Pulp' in opening scene = relevant. Foreshadows upcoming events, hints at what to expect.
• Mise en Scene:

1. Dinner- Cafe on side of road = cheap
2. Male leans towards female- insisting something upon her
3. Female- Bad haircut, lowerclasss

• Puts alot of sugar in tea= lowerclass
  - An act that wouldn't viewed as idealistic by upperclass
• Swearing= link to certification
  Swearing wouldn't appeal to every age group e.g. elderly
• Light is only on one side of the mans face= sinister look
• Big bold title - yellow and black
• Music and title similar to 'Kill Bill'
• Freeze on characters and then music kicks in
• Impersceptible (title getting smaller)
• Music switches, like someone fiddling with a radio
• Good to have 2 people at start at movie because grabs viewers attention and is realistic.
  Suggets realism - straightforward and story telling
• Boring shots because their just in cafe - more realistic
• Title and information right at the end

LA Confidential

• Non digetic= voice over sound
• Star persona= Danny devito
• Still images= Shots e.g. newspaper, photo of images
• Bold yellow titles
• Titles & intro first
• Old 50's images
• When talking about death an image of champagne is shown= Death is associated with 'style' - Not as hardcore as pulp fiction
• Typewriter with non digetic sound

Road to Perdition

• Silent whilst names are appearing. Tom hanks - Star persona
• Opening shot fades
• Voice over = non digetic
• Zooming in and disappears
• Shots - fades into eachother (impersceptible) 
• Isolated place to a populated place = contrast
• Protagnosists = Chasing him

Brick Lane

• Subtitles
• Bright coloured
• One camera shot
• Fade shot
• Close up
• Non-digetic voice over
• Her journey is shown before the main body of the film
  Why are the opening sequences so important to the film industry? 
  During the opening sequences music, setting and lighting can give away what type of genre it is going to be. Which is one of the main reasons why opening scenes are important as it is best to convey genre right at the beginning and make sure it remains constant throughout the movie to make it a success. Also there are a few usual things that occur in the opening scenes of a movie -
  - Protagonist. Movies either start of with 1 or upto 3 characters.
  - Music, camera angles, shots, lighting and mise en scene typically convey the genre it is to be which is why it is so important to get it right.
  - An invent is likely to happen in the opening scene or perhaps some hints are given of what is to come, this is done to keep viewers engaged.
  -Dialogue is hardly used or to a minimum
  
  
  
  Opening scenes are important as they give the first impressions of a movie. This is why it is significant for the genre to get across so the audience knows what to expect and also it will engage them. Being clear on genre means use of successful music, shots , lighting and locations. Once these are all put together they become an advantage as they easily convey upcoming events and ofcourse, genre. By using the right techniques it sets the tone of the movie as well as the atmosphere as it lures viewers into the plot. By doing so viewers are introduced to the characters and are then in their world.
   
  After doing research on opening scenes it has allowed me to generate ideas on what my group can do in order to achieve similar outcomes to other successful movies. For the opening scene my group has decided to use a maximum of 4 characters , by having more we'd feel like it'd all be too much to take in one go. By using 'Garage Band' a professional music maker, i have made upto 3 different background tunes which are filled with suspense. Using music to manipulate moods is a very clever concept which is what helps hypnotise viewers, so to me this aspect of the clip is very significant. Mesmorising music seems to be most successful to me as it remains in the viewers heads after , hence making the movie a hit. Due to this reason only little dialogue will be used. After watching a variety of opening scenes to form ideas and further understanding of why certain techniques are used i decided to do research into a particular film's opening scene, in which i felt best grabbed attention.
  
  
  The Dark Knight
  The bank robbery that kicked of at the start is what had viewers on the edge of their seats. A great concept used was that there was no opening title just a batman figure in blue fire - keeping viewers curious.Furthermore, the action kicks off straight away ; a window cracks, gunfire, crashing school bus all within the first couple of minutes. Due to all this action the movie is filmed at a fast pace as it switches from scene to scene which undoubtedly has the viewers restraining themselves from blinking. Also, we find out so much about the neighbourhood and the area where its set, Gotham city. A violent moral-less city where crime rates are high, highlighting a dangerous area. 
  
  The joker is a notorious individual yet both insane but addictive. He is one of the main characters of the movie, a man which viewers WANT to see on their screens and to find out more about his past and his motives for being so evil and twisted. This one character is enough to rein in viewers by the masses as we all simply want to know more about this cunnish individul.