How Can Film Openings Attract An Audience

Film openings can be used as an extra narrative to attract the audience and engage them to the movie before it has even started. It instantly immerses us into the world and lore of the movie before it has began.

It can also use sly hidden messages to keep the audience guessing, causing them to become excited to figure out what is going to happen in the film. As well as giving them an “ Aah” moment when the realise the hints given to them before.

- How can a film opening attract an audience? -

Film openings are almost like a prologue of the film you are planning to watch. They are suppose to be eye catching, interesting and exciting to attract an audience. This could be through the use of flashing images, bright colours or sound. If film openings engage the audience then it sets the standards and gives the audience high expectations which all film companies want.

What is the purpose of a film opening? -

What is the purpose of a film opening?

The purpose of a film opening is to give the audience a clear idea of what genre the film will be. This is done by introducing the main characters of the film to set the scene which is enhanced with a soundtrack that reflects the overall tone of the film. Film openings are also made to give the production staff and main actors credits. One common feature that occurs in all film openings are having a few credits at the start, the title and then more credits. Additionally, another common feature is presenting the logo of the production company at the beginning of the opening so that the audience are aware of who orchestrated the film. Here is the opening of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo that I thought showed the common features of most sequences.

What is the purpose of a film opening -

 -3- "What is the purpose of a film opening"

There are many purposes as to why films have a title opening, some of which are:

• To set the mood/tone of the film
• To introduce the main characters of the film
• To give the audience a clear vision of what the genre is
• To give credit to the actors and production crews

Film openings also at times shows the locations of where the most important scenes in the film will take place. This is also used to sometimes foreshadow events of the film.  

What Is The Purpose of A Title Sequence and Film Opening With Grid -

A good title sequence is made to prepare the audience of what they're about to watch. For example title sequences usually include:

- Scene and location introduction
- Genre clues / Introduction
- Music ( to set the tone )
- Voice overs ( to set the scene or plot )
- Character Introduction
- Title
- Opening Credits
- Idents

All of these features combined could both tell a story and set the scene at he same time. A creative and unique title sequence could also further intrigue the audience and whet their appetite to keep them watching further.

the purpose of the title sequence is also to let the audience know the title of the film ( which is usually placed in the middle of the sequence ) as seen in the title sequence bellow.

 

This Opening sequence does a good job at suspending disbeliefe in the viewer and keeping them intrigued by making them feel as though they are in the scene as a pose to watching it. The realism of the scenes used engages the audience by introducing them to the movie with things they can relate to and recognise.

- The purpose of a film opening

The purpose of a title sequence and film opening is to set the expectation for the film itself. A film opening is there to introduce the genre of the film at first using one of the four different types of film opening. A title sequence can also give clues about the plot as well as hinting key points about the storyline without giving to much away. All of this is very important because the audience has to be gripped and feel like they are no where else - they should be fully immersed in the film via the title sequence.

- Find and embed your prelim film and evaluation - 4/10/15 -

During planning and filming our preliminary task, I learned skills that would be useful and that i can use during the making of our real video.
I learned that in order to make a successful and good video, we have to plan it out properly, using things such as storyboards to make sure the steps of the video clear and also to use a script. I think that using the

- Final Prelim Film -

22. PRELIM Kenny Tristen David Thabiti from 283goswell on Vimeo.

- Prelim Video Evaluation -

During the production of my prelim video I developed many skills that I plan to use whilst filming my real video. Some skills that I was particularly good at were my communication, teamwork and leadership skills as I was able to put my point across to my group alongside listening to their ideas. Also, I played a part as the co-director whilst filming and was able to successfully tell my team members what should be taking place at what time. One skill that I didn't do too well in was editing as I was unsure of how to use the software but I plan to familiarise myself with the key aspects of it before I film my next video.

In our prelim video we successfully used a shot reverse shot when Tristen and David were talking about the missing money. Additionally, we used a match cut at the start of our video when Tristen was opening the kitchen door. We also attempted the 180 degree rule however made a few mistakes during the filming that we had to edit out. If I had more time, I would've checked the footage after every few shots so I could check for any mistakes that we could've made whilst filming.

By completing this prelim video I was able to understand the importance of planning before filming using storyboards and shot lists. The storyboards gave us a clear storyline for our film and the shot list made filming our video much easier as we had an idea of what angles and techniques we were planning to use. These two forms of planning were very effective and made the entire filming process more efficient.

- Final Prelim and Evaluationm - 1/10/15 -

22. PRELIM Kenny Tristen David Thabiti from 283goswell on Vimeo.

Things I Learnt
During the Prelim Film coursework, I feel like i have learned many valuable skills that will help me in the future with other media coursework projects as well as working with media in general.

I first learned the importance of making a a clean plan of action and sticking to it. This includes a storyboard ( consisting of shot types, angles and motions) and a script ( containing all dialogue and some stage directions). Completing this planning process made the project feel a lot easier as we were able to record each scene perfectly without having to think on the spot about what camera angles we were going to use and what dialogue out actors will. Completing the storyboard with the group gave me a better understanding of how storyboards are meant to be constructed and the importance of detail.

As i have never written a script before, creating a script for this project made me aware of how much they help during the filming process. It helped our actors stay calm during the whole project as  they weren't being put on the spot and trying to figure out what to say as we went on. Instead they had confidence in the script writing which made the whole performance better.

Planning will help a lot when making big productions because it will prevent both the actors and directors from feeling overwhelmed as they will be able to follow their progress with the plan and always stay a step ahead. It will prevent us from accidentally missing certain steps and scenes and give and overall more polished product.

What I Think I Did Well

During the planning process i think i was successful at thinking up camera angles and shot types. I think we managed to think of angles and idea's that not many people would have been able to think of therefore making our project stand out from the rest.

During the filming section i took the role of camera man and director. I believe i performed these roles successfully as our recorded footage follows all the rules (180 degree rule) and i managed to successfully perform all the camera angles planned on the story board despite the small work space we was given to complete the task in. I managed to successfully blend two different shot types together in one smooth shot giving the final product a more advanced and sophisticated feel.

The group as a whole really managed to pull together and create a great film. With the co-operation of the group we were able to accomplish a lot more as we were all working together to keep mistakes to a minimal. Even when we was interrupted and forced to move to a new location we were able to work together as a group and make that transition as seamless and unnoticeable as possible.

I also took on the role as editor and was able to cut down the footage and meet all the requirements. With the help of the group giving me constant feedback and thoughts as i edited, i was able to perfect the timing and ensure that we used all the best clips and footage effectively.

I believe the best part of the film project is the footage and camera angles that we managed to use in such a small environment. We manages to use angles and camera movement that i think  exceeds what was expected from us. I think the least successful part of the film was the storyboard. Although we managed to fully complete the storyboard from  beginning to end and include everything there was still room for improvement. For example it may have helped if we included the duration of each shot. This would have made the editing process easier as we wouldn't have had to think on the top of our head with how long we would cut down each shot to.

What Changes I Would Make

If i was to complete this project again i would make sure we included shot duration on the storyboard to make the editing process easier. I would also make sure that we chose a better time/place to record ( or record faster) because as time progressed the amount of interruptions from teachers needing to use the kitchen increased, therefore resulting in things being out of place in certain parts of the film and then eventually leading to us having to relocate.  This relocation also resulted in an error being made, we accidentally broke the 180 degree rule after moving. Although we were able to fix this mistake in the editing process it is still noticeable if you pay attention to detail. By the time this mistake was noticed it was too late to change, therefore if we had a second chance at this project this will be the first thing i will fix as i don't like inconsistencies in my work.

- Welcome to Group 22 -

  Group 22

Straight out of London