Research into opening sequence of a Sci-Fi film

        Sci-Fi opening scene 

Released in 1982 by Universal Pictures, "E.T. the Extra Terrestrial" was directed By Steven Spielberg. The main cast includes Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Dee Wallace and Robert MacNaughton.

In the opening sequence, it is night, and a space ship has landed in the middle of a forest. We can hear and see small creatures, whom one can assume are aliens moving about around the space ship. We follow a lone alien through the forest and as he looks to observe the lit-up landscape of a town below him, several cars pull up from which multiple men emerge, led by a man with a large torch. The creatures prepare to escape in the space ship, leaving the lone alone hidden in the bushes who lets out a scream as he runs towards the space ship. However, it leaves and so the creature hides in the bushes again. From this opening sequence, the audience will expect to follow the journey of this creature and how it connects with the household that we are shown at the end of the scene. It appears from the opening sequence that the film is targeting a wide audience, both male and female, and ranging from children to adults. This is because the film seems to have quite a lighthearted tone that seems appropriate for a young audience. It has a fantastical element that is likely to appeal to small children and adults alike. 

The film establishes itself as a Sci-Fi film from the very start. A common convention of the sci-fi genre are extra-terrestrial creatures and a the appearance of objects or activity that would not normally be seen in our normal, day-to-day lives. The opening follows this convention by introducing us to a space ship full of extra terrestrials, making it clear that this is a sci-fi film. We are introduced to several characters. Firstly, we witness a number of extra terrestrials in and around the space ship. We are also introduced to a group of men who search around for the creatures, but we do not gain an insight into their individual characters. However, the opening sequence, focusses largely on one particular extra terrestrial who goes out on his own discovering the forest. This creates the impression that he has a great amount of curiosity and enjoys exploring his surroundings. However, when he is left behind by the space ship we get the sense that this creature is a little inexperienced and foolish. The creature also attempts to steal a small pine tree which suggests that he might be a bit mischievous. The tone of the opening is quite mysterious which is emphasised by the mystical diegetic soundtrack and the dark setting. The shots slowly reveal the setting and the space ship, little by little, rather than revealing everything all at once which also contributes to the mysterious tone. 

The scene opens with a shot of the dark night sky lit up by stars, which pans slowly down to the setting, a forest. This may symbolise that these extra-terrestrial creatures have arrived to earth from somewhere in the sky, emphasising that they are foreign creatures. The space ship is hinted at slowly through a series of tracking shots which circle around it, creating intrigue as to what the glowing object is behind the pine trees in the foreground. After the space ship is revealed, we transition to the inside of the space ship. 

After witnessing several of the extra terrestrials briefly, the scene shifts its focus to one particular creature. We follow him through the woods. The pleonastic sound-effect of the creature grunting reminds us that the creature is from a different planet and it gets louder at certain points which is paired with a low angle shot, creating the impression that we are experiencing the world from the creature's point of view. The trees appear large from the low angle which emphasises the largeness of the human world in comparison to the smaller creature.

The tone of the soundtrack shifts as a group of cars, the first sign of human life, arrive. There is a close-up of the car exhaust and the men's feet as they trudge through the dirt. This is paired with the diegetic pleonastic sound effect of keys. This immediately presents these characters as powerful in comparison to the gentle, non-threatening grumbles that the extra terrestrials make. This creates a suspense, as the audience watches to see if the humans will be able to find the creature. During the chase, the soundtrack picks up pace and the creatures growls quicken while the non-diegetic ambience of rustling bushes can be heard. There is a brief POV shot which helps the audience to feel the creature's panic. The shots are edited in quick succession, adding to the tension.

I believe that this is a successful opening scene as it introduces the setting, characters and the story line without telling us what will happen next. Despite the lack of dialogue, the use of other non-diegetic and diegetic sound, paired with mise-en-scene and a variety of different camera angles and movement make the story line easy to follow. Additionally, by following a number of Sci-Fi conventions, it is made clear to the audience that this is the genre of the film.