The Pupose of an Opening

The purpose of an opening scene is to establish the mood and introduce characters. It gives you a first impression of the film and gives you a decision whether you want to carry on and watch or turn the film off all together. If an opening makes a big impact on the viewer, you tend to remember it, even if the rest of the film fails to measure up. There are different types of openings such as:

• Cold Open; the audience is presented with a short scene before the credits start to roll - used to encourage the viewer into watching the rest of the film but not showing enough to ruin the plot. For example:

• Animated opening; animated opening for live action instead of using actual actors - creates mystery whilst hinting at the plot. For example:

• Montage; lots of scenes put together, not necessarily showing a story (maybe a pre story that won't be shown) - Keeps the audience interested as the scenes are constantly dissolving and  showing something different. For example:

• Titles sequence; shown at the very beginning - informs the audience of who is starring in the film and big names they might want to notice. For example: