Conventions found in opening sequences

Conventions found in opening sequences

• The main purpose of an opening sequence is to engage and connect with their target audience and convince the viewers to stick with it and continue to watch the entire movie.

• Opening scenes generally introduce the location, genre, main characters and overarching theme of the movie.

• There are a number of different styles also used in opening sequences of films. For example, some use montages showing large number of things in quick succession giving a sense of continuity. This can be used to quickly show a long period of time in the space of just a couple of minutes.

• Opening sequences also often have the credits of the main people starring in the production and those who made it layered over the film throughout.

• Opening scenes can all set the time period of a film or give context by jumping either forward or backward in time before the film so that the audience has a greater understanding of what they are watching and what the film is about.

• Opening sequences rarely contain a large amount of dialogue between any of the characters; it is more of a brief introduction. Speech is limited as showing a location it much better and tells the audience much more about the situation than a short conversation.