Opening Sequences

1. Purpose of Opening Sequences

The basic purpose is to present to the audience the key creative roles in the making of a film with some elements of the story or of characters integrated with the credits. The duration is usually around 2-3 minutes long, but can sometimes go for longer. It usually displays the settings of the film, sometimes during the credits, an example being Alfred Hitchcock's North By Northwest. Or there may possibly be a whole scene before the title sequence begins that establishes a setting. A great example of this is the James Bond film Skyfall, which has an action set-piece before the title credits begin. 

2. Difference Between Opening Credits and Title Sequence

The difference is that as the Title Sequence is only the main creative roles in the film, separated from the rest of the film and the story it's telling. However, the term 'opening credits' not only covers the text in the sequence, but also covers the technical aspects of the title sequence, such as audio, video, animation, editing techniques etc. 

3. Techniques in Opening Sequence  

There are various techniques used in an opening sequence. One is the use of an establishing shot of a setting. This helps the tell the audience where the film is set and what environment the characters will be interacting in. A great example of this is the opening credits of Jaws, in which the establishing shot is under the water, showing the audience where a lot of the drama of the film is going to take place. 

Another technique used is a montage of some sort, developing a much more abstract visual presentation than what the film will actually look like. this does not always tell us what the settings are, but can give a hint to the audience what the tone of the film will be, and what the character's personality's are. An example of this is in Edward Scissorhands, where it is simply a montage of different items and statues, but all these hint towards the overall tone of the film and its style.

Modern Thriller: Skyfall

This film uses various techniques to achieve the opening credit's purpose. The film not only presents to us key creative roles in the film, but throughout the opening credits gives us insight into Bond's psyche. 

The shots are usually wides or extreme wides of Bond drifting, especially at the 0:54 and 1:00 marks. This gives the effect of separation and isolation, that now Bond is all alone and will be for a few months. This helps set up where the character is at this stage in the story, after being shot.

The point-of-view shot at the 0:58 mark of the clip of the hole that sucks in Bond gives the audience a sense that maybe it is hopeless for bond, that he will be sucked into the tow of death, no escape from the path he is on. The dolly shots used in the sequence give a feeling of constant movement, reflecting the movement of the water and its flow, this foreshadowing that what the villain, Silva, is planning on doing is completely out of bond's control, sweeping Bond away through his plan.   

The use of non-digetic sounds throughout the opening credits, with only Adele's Skyfall Theme playing, add to the effect of isolation I mentioned before, no sounds from the real world able to be heard, suggesting that Bond is slowly having less of a grasp on the real world. The transition from digetic to non-digetic sound at 0:34 also add to the feeling of a transition from life to death, a swift and seamless exchange. 

Very little editing between shots during the opening credits, mainly use of mise-en-scene to transition from setting to setting. There are a few uses of jump-cuts, for example at 1:15, which adds an abruptness to the scene.

However, there is a lot of symbols in the mise-en-scene. There is the imagery of Bond's childhood home, with Bond's eyes looking out from underneath the the wallpaper of the mansion at 1:46. This is showing the audience that this house is a direct path into why Bond thinks and acts like he does, that his secrets lie in this house. Also, the blood-red artificial light on the trees do give the effect of blood surrounding this house, possibly symbolising that this place is tied directly to his blood, it is part of what made his blood as cold as the blue that fills most of the opening credits. Also, the imagery at 2:49 of chinese dragons foreshadow the importance of the location of Shanghai in the film.

Hitchcock Thriller: Vertigo

Hitchcock used a variety of techniques in his opening sequence for Vertigo. The shots are extreme close-ups of different parts of a woman's face. This gives a sense of claustrophobia and being held tightly in place. The extreme close-up of the woman's mouth with the name of the actor who plays John Ferguson, the character who has vertigo, could suggest that she is a strong link to what happens throughout the rest of the film, that it is her lies that lead to something important happening in the film.

The use of non-digetic sound throughout the whole opening sequence gives the audience the feeling of a rising tension, the use of suddenly rising then slowly falling music adds an uneasiness to the sequence, reflecting the climax of the film which involves climbing up a tower then falling off.

There is a fade in from the eye to the black background with spirals at 1:30 of the clip. This fade adds an uncertainty to the sequence, reflecting the tone of uncertainty and dizziness the main character has.

The use of a woman as most of the background of the sequence shows the audience again that this character is the sole reason for a lot that happens throughout the film, setting up the plot for the audience. 

The different colours of the spirals give a feeling of disorientation, maybe even hypnosis, giving the effect that John is disorientated and has no control over his condition. It could also suggest that there are several shades to the lead woman of the film, different layers of deception. The use of artificial red light on the woman's eye also gives the feeling that there is almost an urgency to the film, but that there is an artificial side to her, adding to this tone of deception.

Contrasting Techniques

With mise-en-scene, the Skyfall opening credits focus much more on the plot of the film than Vertigo, with a series of foreshadowings with symbols and colours, such as the example I gave with the Chinese dragons. Still, it focuses heavily on Bond's psyche using different symbols of his past, such as the example I gave with the mansion before. Vertigo is much more character based in using mise-en-scene, with the artificial red shining on the woman and the different components that are shown of the face giving away more about characters than the story ahead, the most obvious foreshadowing to the story being uses of the different spinning spirals, referencing the story being about a character having a problem with vertigo.

With editing, the both opening sequences don't have a lot of cutting involved (bar the opening action scene before the credits in Skyfall. They both have fades and cross-fades, Skyfall integrating jump-cuts throughout. There are a couple of uses of cross cutting throughout the Bond sequence, but not many.

In terms of audio, the vertigo opening sequence has all non-digetic sound, a slow pace then sudden sting in the theme creating an unsteadiness to the tone. The Skyfall scene has a transition from digetic sound to non-digetic sound, then uses a theme song to carry the rest of the sequence. This is typical of Bond films.

The camera shots used in each sequence are completely different. While Skyfall uses mostly wides and extreme wides of Bond, creating a sense of isolation, Vertigo is all extreme close-ups of the woman's face, giving a very claustrophobic feeling. These different shots create completely opposite tones.