Opening Sequences

Opening Sequences

Split,2017[panel showing Opening sequence]

Opening sequences of a film are used to establish the mood and tone of the film. Opening sequences also establish the setting and characters and the general direction the film intends to take, however, this may not be as obvious. For example in the 2016 film Split the opening credits are small clips establishing the setting, a long hallway with lights along the concrete wall and a room with a bed in it and somewhere underground, and a little about the characters,a young girl with brown hair and a tall man who we don't see the face of, with cuts to the actual which are big bold and in a white font against a black background.

Vertigo,1958[panel 

The difference between Opening Credits and  Title Sequences is that Opening Credits are merely a list of credits that tend to overlay the beginning scene of a film. They serve the purpose of giving credit to the producers, main actors, and other key people in the production of the film. Title Sequences, however, are separate from the actual film. They tend to show the mood and atmosphere of the film as seen in Hitchcock's Vertigo. It starts with an extreme close up of a female character's lips then pans to her eyes and finally to her right eye. The shot is then covered with a red hue. and the film title covers the eye. The spirals begin to cover the pupil of the eye and then the eye fades away leaving the spiral in the center of the screen. A sequence of spirals begins to appear on the screen fading in and out and changing shape and color. This works well as the meaning of vertigo is a sensation of spinning dizziness. It is not, as many people maintain, a fear of heights. It is often associated with looking down from a great height but can refer to any temporary or ongoing spells of dizziness caused by problems in the inner ear or brain. The spinning spirals elude to the theme of the film, that it might cause 'Vertigo'.

James Bond opening Sequence.

Directors use different techniques in the opening sequence for different effects. A director may choose to do a stylised opening sequence, such as the one in Vertigo or the James Bond series, this technique can easily capture the audience and give a clear indication of the tone of a movie. Sometimes credits over a blank screen, with supporting music, can be enough to portray the desired tone to the audience. Finally, embedding clips of the movie into the opening sequence, such as in the opening sequence of 'Split', can also achieve the same effect. In 'Split' the jump cuts to the film clips were mixed up giving the sense of being split apart.

Each film, 'Vertigo' and 'Split', used a different opening sequence.'Split' used opening credits showing us glimpses of the actual film along with the credits, whilst 'Vertigo' used a title sequence separate to the film its self but both were able to convey their meanings strongly, preparing viewers for the story that was about to unfold.