Horror - Child's Play (1988)
The first opening sequence I have decided to analyse is Child's Play (1988). The narrative given to us from this opening sequence is that we will follow the life of Chucky, a doll who has been possessed by a serial killer. At the beginning of the scene, two men are in a gun fight and we can infer that one of them is a police officer and that the other is a criminal. But later on in the opening sequence they both enter a toy store in which they continue to fight. We are introduced to the figure of Chucky in which the criminal casts a spell so he could become Chucky.
As this is a rated-R horror film, the target audience would be from 18-25 year olds. We know this from the opening scene because the sequence starts off with gun violence and some swearing mixed in there, as well as bits of blood when the serial killer gets shot in the toy store. There is also an explosion. We can tell this movie is for younger adults because of the violence that takes over the opening scene.
The genre in the film is set up by the opening scene by introducing Chucky towards the end of it. We see the killer perform a spell and the toy store blow up, which the director does because they want us to infer that the serial killer has now full control of the doll's body.
Only two characters are introduced, as well as Chucky. The director shows us one of them is a police officer and that the other is a killer and has done something wrong. The use of clothing tells us this because the officer is dressed in s very mysteriously like coat. Also, the boy have guns.
In this scene the director used a lot of wide shots of the men to show the area around them. He also frequently used close up shots of Chucky.
The sound used in this opening scene consists of diegetic gun shots because they have guns. It also has the explosion and the men seem to grunt and scream a lot. This shows that they are getting tired of fighting with each other and that it has been a long night.
The editing used in this scene is very fast paced. Since they are fighting and are good at what they are doing, this battle between the two of them goes on for awhile, but due to the editing the editors managed to do a good job at making it interesting.
This was a successful opening scene as it set up a story line for the movie and although it started in the middle of an action scene, it managed to perfectly show us the backstory of the infamous Chucky.
War - American Sniper (2014)
The second opening sequence I have decided to analyse is American Sniper (2014). The narrative given to us is that there is this man who is a really good sniper and we follow his journey through war. From the little information given, we can expect that this movie will be about his career as being an American sniper.
The target audience for this film is people that enjoy watching war movies and movies about guns. We can
tell straight away from the opening scene because the opening scene is heavily focused on war and guns, and the title even suggests that.
tell straight away from the opening scene because the opening scene is heavily focused on war and guns, and the title even suggests that.
Key characters introduced are the sniper and his partner. The only thing we know about the sniper and his friend is that the sniper is a sniper and his friend is a bit of a goofball. We know this about them from the use of mise en scene and sound. The dialogue between the two of them suggests that they are partners and that the sniper's partner is silly and likes to make jokes out of hard situations. The costumes clearly show that the sniper is a sniper based on the fact that he has a sniper.
In the opening of the opening sequence, we hear an array of sounds associated with war. The diegetic sound of a tank suggests that this is a big war because heavy machinery had to be used. Also when a solider kicks open the door and you can hear the sounds of gunshots and faint screams, this illustrates just how gruesome war is. The sound of the mother when her boy gets shot also shows the ugliness of war.
The camera angle mainly used in this opening scene is mid-shots of the sniper and his partner. We also go inside the snipers scope when he is zooming in on the man, woman, and child. This makes the audience see the realization of how hard this mans job is.
I think this was a successful opening scene as it shows us the main character and what he does.
Action - Charlie's Angels (2000)
The third film I have decided to analyse is Charlie's Angels (2000). The narrative given to us in the opening sequence is that this movie will follow these three women and their fight against crime.
The target audience for this film would be 14-30 year olds, as this is an action movie. Also, the idea of having three female leads implies that the director would want young girls to see this film too, as this movie is supposed to empower little girls.
The genre for this film is set up when the man reveals he has a bomb. From this the audience knows that something action-like is about to happen. Also, when the three girls work together to stop it becomes pretty evident that this is an action movie.
The three main characters introduced are Charlie's Angels. We don't learn anything person about them. All we know is that they are a team and work together. The side character introduced is the man with the bomb, who obviously had the intent of blowing the plane up.
When one of the angel's jumps out of the plane with the man, we get a bunch of shots of the scene in the air when they are trying to dismantle the bomb. This shows us that they are in the sky. Also, whenever an angel was introduced on the boat we got a close up of their face. This is to identify each main character and their role in the film.
At the start of the sequence with get a mild elevator-like music. But, as soon as the angel disguised grabs the man with the bomb the non-diegetic music immediately turns fast pace and action like indicating a fight scene. This is to signal a clear change in the direction of the movie and it helps the audience become invested in what is happening.
When the first character is introduced, the movie slows down. This adds significance to her role in the movie and illustrates to the audience that she is of importance.
I think this was a successful opening scene because it helped guide the audience into the direction of what the movie would be about and also did a good job at slightly introducing the three girls.
Thriller - Nerve (2016)
The fourth opening sequence I have decided to analyse is Nerve (2016). The narrative given to us is that Vee, the protagonist, is obsessed with this boy named JP. But she is then introduced to a game called Nerve at the end of the opening scene.
The target audience for this film is young adults. Emma Roberts, the actress playing the main character, is
predominately known among young adults as an iconic actress. Also, with the quick introduction of technology and stalking, something young adults can relate too, this opening sequence couldn't be obvious enough.
Based on the opening sequence you can't really tell what the genre of the film will be. We have romance for sure, but at the end the introduction of Nerve pushes the romance idea to the side.
There are only three characters introduced in this opening sequence. Jp, Vee, and Sydney. We only know of Jp because Vee likes him. We know Vee is going to an expensive art school which tells us that she is a university student. Because Vee is friends with Sydney, we can infer that she is the same
The camera work used in this opening sequence is very different. We are in the perspective of a laptop
screen. This shows us that what was introduced later, Nerve, has something to do with the internet.
screen. This shows us that what was introduced later, Nerve, has something to do with the internet.
In the beginning, there is a mild pop song playing in the background when Vee is on her computer scrolling through emails and stalking Jp. The music stops when Sydney calls her. Then, the Nerve music plays when Vee clicks on the link Sydney sent her. The use of music in the beginning makes what Vee is doing seem like llighthearted fun. The music used in the Nerve promo is very video-game like and makes it out to be a silly game.
I think this opening scene was not that successful. It wasn't that successful because it leaves the audience confused. It presented us with two storylines. The storyline with Jp, and the storyline of the Nerve game itself.
Sci-fi Oblivion (2013)
In the opening sequence of the sci-fi film I chose, Oblivion (2013), the narrative given to us is that due to conflict and mass chaos earth is now uninhabitable. From this, we expect the rest of the film to be about Jack Harper, the main protagonist, completing his mission alongside Vika, his assigned partner.
The target audience for this film are those who are into science and the extra terrestial world. We know from the opening scene because that is what the whole film is about.
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