Research And Planning Film Openings

What choices are open to film makers in how they begin their films? What techniques are employed? And what effects are created?

After analyzing various film openings I have found that the options for film makers to begin their film are diverse.
There are a variety of techniques which could be used dependant on the target audience. For example, in ‘Bourne Ultimatum’ the editing creates a rapid fast paced opening. Due to this the target audience for the film would be those that have an interest in action packed films. This is on genre of film that explores a variety of techniques to achieve its potential. The connotation of having a large amount of quick moving scenes and lots of jump cuts gives the feeling of suspense and tension.
Another film that explores a range of techniques that I have studied is: ‘Flags of Our Fathers.’ This explores a range of; narrative devices, sound effects and an exceptional use of mise en scene. The use of flashbacks with muffled sound to create the tension of a dream is exceptional. This effect gives us as an audience a clear view of the character’s perspective; this can then be linked to the mise en scene as it is an unidentified strange landscape. This then links back to the character’s dream and having a wider understanding of his confusion which can lead to the audience feeling his emotion.
‘Sleepy Hollow’ is another film opening that I have studied. We notice that the shot composition shows a series of close ups and extreme close ups throughout the opening sequence. This gives a connotation of suspense and mystery leaving the audience to continue watching the film.
Relating to ‘Flags of Our Fathers’ we see the creators have explored colour in a bland, muted way, they have chosen for the colours to be very monochrome in this particular opening sequence. This gives a connotation of the time period and gives us as an audience an insight to the character’s thoughts and feelings. The colour used throughout the sequence is grey, but explores a variety of shades of grey. The reason the editors have chosen this colour is because it is set in the past, and it is a dull colour, which is reflecting the way the character feels about the situation being presented, which happens to be a dream in this particular sequence.