Research into opening sequence of a Drama film

           Little Women opening scene 

Released in 2019 by Columbia Pictures, "Little Women" was directed and written by Greta Gerwig, based off the 1868 novel by Louisa May Alcott. The film stars Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson and Florence Pugh among others. The film was produced by Columbia Pictures. 

The opening presents a narrative in which a young girl enters an office that appears to be for a newspaper and requests that a man sitting at the desk might read through a story that she claims a friend has written. From the scene, I believe that the film is attempting to target audiences of all ages, genders and circumstances. One might suggest that since it is following the dream of a young woman that the film has a mainly female target audience. However, I believe that this film would be suitable for everyone as the concept of following one's dream applies to everyone. 

The opening is firmly established as a drama due to it being a plot line that is driven by a character, in this case, a character who clearly wants to have her writing recognised. Moreover, the plot line presents a situation that is easy relate to as it shows a character trying to achieve their goal which is something we all experience is daily life. Additionally, although this is not a convention of all dramas, the opening sequence establishes a time period. The tone of the film seems quite light-hearted and hopeful. 

The opening scene introduces two characters to the audience: a young woman and an older man. Through the use of facial expressions and dialogue, we immediately get the sense that this young woman has big dreams that she is determined to achieve. For example, the young woman makes anxious looks as the man reads through the piece that she wishes to have published. However, through her swift acceptance of the man's offer to pay for her the story, despite being only a small amount suggests to us that she is eager to please the man. The man's relaxed body language and sound-effects of him laughing throughout, makes him seem rather obnoxious but also comfortable in his position.

As the man reads through her work, her facial expressions make it appear that she is anxious to receive a good response. Additionally, she smiles slightly whilst she details different awards that the mystery writer has been awarded. This lets the audience know that it is likely that the young woman is in fact the writer. The man agrees to read through the story and eventually agrees that he will publish it, on the condition that she cuts it down to make it shorter. The man claims that it needs to be shorter because "people want to be entertained, not preached at" and that this this is because "there has just been a war". The characters' dialogue is spoken in American accents and this paired with the mention of the war, places the film most likely in the late 19th century after the Civil War. The young woman's look of slight disappointment at the response to the story hints to the audience that it is her who has written the story, not the friend that she claims did. Even the character clutching onto her bag that once contained the story, suggests to us that the story is something very close to her heart and important to her. However, despite her slight disappointment, she agrees to let her story be published and this suggests to the audience that this is a very determined character. 

The opening scene ends with her running through the street excitedly and her joy is emphasised by the jubilant diegetic soundtrack. From this, we expect that the rest of the film might follow this young woman in pursuing her dream of becoming a writer. 

I believe this to be a successful opening as it leaves the audience wanting to know more about the young woman such as where she has come from, what her background is and to know more about her writing ambitions. It may also leave the audience to know what the young woman's story is about. Therefore, the opening scene gives the audience a reason to continue watching without telling us everything about her character. Moreover, the opening sequence has been crafted to reveal to us that this woman wants to be a writer without ever explicitly stating it, and instead makes use of the character's facial expressions and the setting to show us this. 

Research into opening sequence of a Western film

Western opening scene 

Released by Netflix Overbrook Entertainment, "The Harder They Fall" was released in 2021, directed by The Bullitts. The film's main cast include Chase Dillion, DeWanda Wise, Julia Cesar Cedillo and Jonathan Majors. 

The opening scene presents a narrative in which a family sit down at the table to eat dinner. However, whilst saying grace, they are disturbed by the diegetic sound effect of a horse neighing and a knock at the door, alerting them to the fact that the guest is arrived. The guest arrives and walks inside, before setting two gold guns down on the table. The scene ends with the man holding the two guns towards the mother and scene, leaving the audience on a suspenseful note. From this we might expect the rest of the film to follow the conflict between the family and these individuals and to find out what it is they want from them and how they are connected.

The film follows several conventions of the western genre, making the genre of the film clear from the start. This is made clear through the guest's costume, which indicates that he is a cowboy. Horses also make an appearance which fulfils the genre as horses are a common convention. Pioneers are also a convention of the genre and this is also fulfilled by the opening as the family wear costumes that resemble those of pioneers. Guns are also featured heavily in the opening, which again adheres to the traditional expectations of a western film. The tone is quite suspenseful as the audience is left waiting to witness the family's fate. Due to it being a western film, we might expect the target audience to be largely male. However, since the film is a more recent release, it might be attempting to target a wider audience. The opening introduces the audience to five main characters. Firstly, the family, consisting of the mother, the father and the son. The father appears to the audience as the one in charge of the family. This is seen through his position at the head of the table as well as the fact that he is the one to answer the door. This also done through his diegetic dialogue in which he calmly reassures his family that "it will be ok". In the way, the mother and son are depicted as being under the protection of the father. We are also introduced to two individuals who enter the house with hats worn to conceal their identity. One of them uses two guns to threaten the family which creates the sense that these are evil individuals. 

The scene first uses an establishing shot to show the barren, desert landscape which is typical of western films. We then enter a household. The meal has just been prepared and the family remind themselves to say grace, which can be heard through diegetic dialogue. This sets up an idyllic portrayal of the family home. The father is placed at the head of the table in the middle of the shot, firmly establishing him as the member of the family who is in charge.

This is then disturbed by a neigh and the pleonastic diegetic sound-effect of a knock at the door, alerting the family to a visitor. a hand held camera shot is used to follow the father easily to the door. He opens the door to reveal one individual in the foreground with several others and their horses in the background. His hat conceals his identity. The father says "no" and a non-diegetic soundtrack begins to play, changing the tone to one of suspense and fear. 

The mystery individual enters the house with steady and spaced out footsteps. He walks slowly and a long drawn out shot creates a sense of anticipation within the audience. The father shakes his head as another individual enters and there is an eyeline match to show him looking at the gun displayed on the wall. This might signify that he feels danger is ahead. The first individual sits at the head of the table and holds two guns to the heads of the mother and son. Close-ups on their terrified faces, help the audience to picture the terror they are experiencing.

I believe that this is a successful opening as it establishes a compelling storyline in a matter of only three minutes. We know nothing about the relationship between the cowboys and the family and yet the audience feels encouraged to watch the rest of it to find out how they are connected. 

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.  

Research into opening sequence of a Horror film

                                                              Horror opening scene

Directed by Steven Spielberg, "Jaws" was released by Universal Pictures in 1975. The film stars Roy Schneider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary and more.  

In the opening sequence, we are introduced to a group of teenagers having a party around a bonfire on the beach. One girl leaves the campfire to go swimming, and a drunken boy chases after her, but is ultimately too drunk and lies at the shore as the girl swims out to sea. The girl is pulled into the water and begins to scream. We assume that the rest of the film will follow the discovery of the girl's death and the impact that this shark has on the other people who swim in the sea, unaware of the danger.

The film begins with an eerie non-diegetic soundtrack that sets a foreboding tone. The opening establishes the film as a horror by following various conventions of the genre. Firstly, the lack of lighting makes the dark setting and the first victim is a young blonde woman, typical of horror films. Additionally, although the scene starts with a group of people the beach appears  desolate and isolated. The young woman leaves the gathering and swims into the dark waters making the audience feel fearful for the young girl. We are introduced to a gathering of young people. They smoke and drink around a campfire which indicates that they are care-free and blissfully unaware of the dark turn that the night is about to take. We are also introduced to a young woman called Chrissie who catches the eye of one of the young man in the group. The young woman appears free-spirited due to her spontaneous idea to go out to sea. The young man's unstable running and diegetic dialogue in which he states: "What's your name again?" suggest that he is foolish as he decides to follow her despite clearly being drunk. 

The scene opens with a group of young people gathered round a campfire drinking, smoking and kissing, indicating that they are relaxed and here to enjoy themselves. There is scant light available as the only source of light is the campfire. This sets a slightly eerie atmosphere. In addition, the diegetic sound effect of harmonicas, guitar and chatter add to the happy and care-free atmosphere. A tracking shot is used to capture the movement in the scene before focussing in one one individual who sits turned away from the group, letting us know he will be important to the narrative. 

In the next key moment, we see the young man follow the young woman as she runs off for the sea. We can now only see the character's silhouettes and the man's drunken state as well as their isolation from the group sets a cautionary tone. A wide angle shot is used to show how small the figures are in amongst the vast beach.

The man struggles to get undressed so he can join Chrissie in the water leaving her swimming out to sea in the complete darkness. It is at this moment that a parallel non-diegetic soundtrack with a sinister tone plays. A low angle shot is used which creates the impression that something lies beneath the waters and the shots are long and drawn-out creating suspense. Suddenly, Chrissie is pulled from the water, confirming the audience's suspicions. She treads the water desperately and through her diegetic dialogue we can hear her screaming, creating a sense of panic. She puts up a fight but is pulled under the water for a final time. These shots are juxtaposed with the next shot where we see the young man lying on the beach blissfully unaware of the horrors that have just occurred. 

I believe this is a successful opening as it establishes the setting immediately and hints at the narrative in only a matter of minutes. Although we are never told that there is a shark, the filmmaker makes skilful use of camera, mise-en-scene, editing and sound so that by the end of the scene the audience is aware that there is a shark swimming in the dark waters.

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.

Research into opening sequence of a thriller film

Sicario opening scene 

"Sicario" was released in 2015 by Lionsgate. Directed by Denis Villenueve, the film's main cast include Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin and Victor Garber.

 

In this thriller opening sequence, we see a team of FBI agents break into a house in Chandler, Arizona looking for hostages and shoot two individuals to death. In doing so they discover something very sinister; Multiple bodies are hidden inside the walls. The agents continue to search the house before one of the agents finds something that sets off an explosion. The scene ends with shot of a bloody arm without a body attached to it. The opening makes it clear that this is a thriller movie by following several of the conventions of this genre. This includes the fact that there is a very suspenseful tone, which is emphasised by the use of a parallel non-diegetic soundtrack creating a dark tone. Furthermore, the opening follows a group of investigators who are dealing with murder which is a common thriller convention. We expect that the rest of the film will follow an investigation into who is behind these individuals and why this has occurred.

Due to this film being a thriller, we know that the target audience is a mature audience as this is quite intense subject matter for a young audience to view. Due to the representation of both genders in the opening sequence, I believe that this film is attempting to target all genders. We are introduced to a range of characters. Firstly, we are introduced to a large group of FBI investigators. We also witness two individuals inside the house that the FBI team are investigating, but we gain no insight into their characters as they are shot dead almost immediately after the audience first witnesses them. From the opening it appears that the protagonist is a female FBI agent, who appears most often and is captured in a variety of close-up shots which suggest that she is important to the story line. 

One of the key moments is when the agents are inside an unknown vehicle approaching their destination. The characters have serious expressions on their faces which suggests that they are dealing with a serious situation. This is emphasised by the use of a non-diegetic soundtrack with a suspenseful tone and the lack of lighting which creates a fearful tone. This causes the audience to experience high anticipation as to what might happen next. This is disrupted as the vehicle begins to speed up. The pleonastic sound effect of the vehicle crashing through the house, disrupts the anticipation as the FBI agents enter the house which appears to be an abandoned property being temporarily used. This is suggested by the prop of a car seat being used as a chair and the walls which are only partially parted. The man is shot and told to get down on his hands and knees. The tense tone suddenly switches to an action scene. It takes only a minute to do so which is effective as it draws the audience into the plot line before they might potentially lose interest. 

In the next scene, the FBI raid the house. Short shots are edited in quick succession and hand-held camera is used to mirror the action. This is followed by some longer shots that create suspense as the audience wonders what might be found in the next room. Finally, the main female agent enters a room and quickly shoots the man standing in the room dead. Shortly after, a man standing in the back of the room spots a large hole in the whole. At this point, the Diegetic soundtrack plays again and becomes louder. It creates an eerie tone as the camera moves closer with the hole occupying the entire frame. The agents begin tearing the wall apart to reveal dead bodies wrapped in plastic behind it. This pulls in the audience, urging them to continue to watch to find out why these bodies have been put there and who is behind it.

Following the horrific discovery, one of the agents is urged to step outside. Outside, a close up shot shows a man fiddling with a locked trap door with his hands and feet. An eyeline match shows the distressed agent watching this. The soundtrack continues to build up, causing tensions to rise once again and a voice can be heard shouting, alerting others to the trapped door. As the main female agent steps outside to investigate. The shed blows up suddenly and is set on fire which is emphasised by a pleonastic sound effect. This shocks the audience, acting as a jump-scare that makes them anxious to continue watching. The mise-en-scene of a bloody arm lying on the ground adds to the frightening atmosphere. 

I believe this is a successful thriller opening as it creates a suspenseful and compelling storyline without revealing too much. In addition, though we get an insight into the character's job, there is still a lot about the individual characters for the audience to learn. 

Research into opening sequence of a war film

 War opening scene 

Directed by Christopher Nolan, "Dunkirk" was released by Warner Brothers in 2017. Its main cast include Fionn Whitehead, Damien Bonnard, Aneurin Barnard and Lee Armstrong. 

The narrative presented to us is one whereby French and British armies have been driven to the sea by the enemy and are trapped at Dunkirk. The soldiers wander around looking for water and cigarettes when suddenly a shot is fired and they are sent running. All but one of the soldiers is shot dead, and the survivor runs for safety, eventually finding protection with a group of French soldiers behind sand bags. However, he is only here briefly before he leaves and runs to the beach to join large crowds of soldiers there.  From this, we might expect the film to follow the journey of this British and French troops fighting at Dunkirk. Since the opening focusses particularly on one young, British soldier, the audience might expect the opening to focus on his story and whether he is able to survive in the end. 

From the opening, the target audience could be for anyone interested in this battle. However, the subject matter is very dark, meaning that this film is most likely meant for a mature audience, and not for children. The diegetic sound effect of guns and the non-diegetic parallel soundtrack help to create the harrowing tone of the opening. From the very first shot, it is clear that the film can be categorised as a war film. This is made clear by the army uniform costumes worn armed with guns as their props which establishes these characters as soldiers. Throughout the opening, the film follows many of the conventions of a war film. As well as the text that appears on the screen mentioning the British and French armies awaiting their fate, conventions of war films are used in other ways to show that this is a war film. Firstly, multiple gun shots can be seen and heard which cause lots of destruction as we see the soldiers shot dead and the a gate battered from the impact of the shots. It is also very clear that the soldiers are fearful as they can be seen running for safety as gun shots are fired. Furthermore, the young man whose story we follow can be seen panting with worried expressions on his face which shows that the characters are experiencing fear. The audience also witnesses camaraderie when the French soldiers take in the young British soldier, which is another key convention of the war genre

 Although multiple characters are introduced, many of them are killed within the first minute and we mainly follow one character, the young British soldier that finds safety with the French troops. The opening scene establishes this character as someone who is fearful and lacks experience as a soldier. We can see this when he struggles to handle his gun and breathes heavily indicating panic. Additionally, the character displays worried facial expressions throughout, emphasising his fear which suggests he is inexperienced. We are briefly introduced to French soldiers who allow the young British soldier to find safety behind the sand bags. However, their body language and facial expressions appear quite hostile which communicates the level of distrust and suspicion that occurs during a war. 

The first scene focusses on indicating the desperateness of the soldiers. The use of props is important in emphasising that the Germans are currently in the lead. German propaganda showers down from the sky which is followed by a close-up shot of one of the posters which is held in the hands of a soldier and states: "we surround you", suggesting that the soldiers are close to a defeat. The sky appears almost colourless perhaps which connotes dreariness and a lack of joy, perhaps emphasising the mood that the war has brought upon the soldiers. There is then a close up shot of one of the soldiers attempting to drink water from a hose-pipe outside a house in the street. This close-up shot shows that in this moment, the soldiers are so worn-down and desperate that they are struggling even to find the necessity of water. This is emphasised by the use of a close-up shot in which a soldier attempts to use a burnt out cigarette found in ash try by a window. This shows his hopeless state as he is attempting to make use of things that are clearly already used. The hand-held shot used suggests that the state of the war is unsteady just as the movement of the camera is. 

Another key moment is when the young British soldier is granted refuge with a group of French soldiers. Diegetic dialogue is used in which the soldier states: "I'm English, Anglais". This is the only point in which dialogue is used. This emphasises that the atmosphere is very tense and so there is almost no time for conversation. The soldiers must be careful with what they say. Furthermore, the action of him running towards the sand bags shows how there is not a moment to spare or any time to experience relief as he must carry on in his journey for survival.

After briefly finding protection with the French soldiers, they begin firing shots and the young soldier runs at speed and arrives at a beach where large crowds of troops have amassed. A long shot is used to emphasise the dramatic scale, highlighting the quantity of troops needed. A close up. A mid shot is used to focus back again on the young soldier. This is a very dramatic moment as we have just witnessed a snap shot into his tumultuous experience, and we are shown that this is the experience of just one of the masses of soldiers who are sure to have experienced the same fear that he has.

I believe that this is a successful opening as it clearly establishes the genre of the film as a war film. Though just three minutes long, the opening captures the audience interest as to where the soldier's journey will take him, and how the rest of this moment of the war will unfold. It also gives a clear insight into the miserable atmosphere of the war which is sure to have a very moving effect on the audience.