Analysing 3 Opening Sequences

In class we looked at three different opening sequences from Office Space, Trainspotting and Sweeney Todd. This work is to help us think about opening sequences for our next task.

The first clip we looked at was Office Space.

At the very beginning we are shown the production company (20th Century Fox) and then it goes straight into the opening credits. The writing is quite bubbly and they are accompanied by some upbeat music which leads us to think it is quite a cheery film. We are shown a massive traffic jam and the camera focuses on the main character who we are introduced to straight away. At around 1:00 into the clip, the man realises that an old man with a zimmer frame is moving faster than he is. This shows us that the film is a comedy because when he moves into the moving lane, it stops, and when he moves back to the other lane, that stops too. At roughly 1:50, we are introduced to another character who is rapping in his car. And then at 2:17, we are introduced to another character, who seems quite agitated. Each car has a different personality.
I found this opening quite funny and I think that it would be quite a good film to watch.


The second opening we watched was Trainspotting.
(video is currently unavailable).
This is a very upbeat and busy opening to a film. There's music playing throughout and dialogue too. There is a voice over from the main character who is talking to the audience. Whilst that's going on, when we are introduced to a new character, there is a freeze frame and the name of the character is shown.
I thought that this was a very effective opening to a film; the music and dialogue fit well together and although it's very busy and there's a lot going on, it is a very good way to introduce the audience to the film. The audience can establish what's going on.


The third opening we watched was from Sweeney Todd.www.artofthetitle.com/2008/10/10/morrison-on-morrison

This opening was my favourite because it was completely different from the other two.
It is an animated opening with a continuous feel to it, and instead of introducing us to the characters, it focuses on setting the tone and theme of the film. The credits run throughout along with the eerie music, whilst we follow the trail of blood. The opening gives us an idea of what the film is about; you can tell it's a horror.
The opening draws the audience in as soon as the music starts; after watching it you definitely feel like you want to watch the whole film to find out why there's lots of blood and how it happens. It is a very good opening.