Research into opening sequence of an Action film

                                 Action opening scene 

Released in 2015 by Eon Productions, "Spectre" is directed by Sam Mendes. Its main cast include Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux and Ralph Fiennes.

In the opening sequence, the audience is introduced to the setting in which the scene takes place through a tracking shot and text that follows telling us that it is in Mexico City. The next set of text tells us that it is The Day of the Dead. The diegetic music of drums playing in the streets help to set the scene, which is one of a celebration. In the midst of the crowd, the camera begins following a man and a woman who are romantically involved into an apartment building. However, the man suddenly leaves and walks along the roof of the building to get a close look at one of the window's of the apartment building. Through this window, we see one of the men that we had previously witnessed in the crowd. The main male protagonist fires his gun at the window, presenting a conflict between these two individuals. From this opening, the audience might expect the rest of the film to follow the rest of the conflict between the individuals and to find out what has caused them to be in this conflict. 

The opening follows several conventions of the action genre to make it clear that this is an action film. For example, the opening clearly determines a villain and a hero, the hero being the man dressed in a suit and the man who is first seen in the street and then shot at through the window being the villain. There is also a clear struggle for power between the hero and the villain as after the man dressed in a suit shoots the man, he is shot back at. Although the chase is not fast paced, the element of one person following another also adheres to the convention of a genre. The use of weapons, in this case guns, also makes it clear that this is in action film. The fact that the characters wear a disguise throughout the opening gives it a mysterious tone. In addition, the diegetic soundtrack that plays throughout adds to the suspense. The violent elements of this genre might mean that it is targeting a mature audience. The main characters in the sequence seem to be the supposed hero and villain, but the woman that is first scene walking hand in hand with the apparent hero also makes an appearance. However, she is not given much of a voice and therefore we are not told much about her character. She instead seems to be there to satisfy the male gaze. 

The first key moment is when we are first introduced to the scene with a tracking shot that establishes the setting along with the text edited onto the screen. The opening maintains a sense of mystery as the audience is not yet sure of the significance of the location or what characters are involved. Furthermore, the costumes conceal the identity of all the characters in the scene which maintains a sense of secrecy, causing intrigue in the audience. The tracking shots follow through the crowd until the focus shifts to one particular masked individual, dressed in a white suit. This suggests that this individual will be important to the narrative later on. We then see a man and a woman walking hand in hand which shows us that they are likely to be romantically involved and also suggests that they will have some significance to the narrative. The tracking shots help the audience to feel as if they too are in the crowd, following the protagonist.

Once inside the building, the protagonist looks behind him before entering the room with the woman which creates the impression, that he has a mission that the audience are not yet aware of. As the woman lies on the bed she asks him "Where are you going" and there is a hand help pan shot, marking a change in the plot to the protagonist responding with "I won't be long" before leaving dropping the costume he is wearing on the floor. The man now wears a suit and pulls out a gun as he walks across the roof indicating that he is some sort of spy which is a common convention of the action genre.

Once on the roof, he hides behind a wall through which we can see the individual we saw earlier with several other people. The protagonist takes time before firing at the antagonist through the window, setting off the action.

I believe that this is a successful opening seen as even though there is hardly any dialogue, the filmmaker has still made the narrative clear to the audience. Although, the scene does not jump straight into the action like other action films. The film adheres to other conventions of the action genre to firmly establish it as an action film.