WHAT IS A FILM OPENING?

 

Film openings play an important role in an entire film. It introduces us to the characters and sometimes even to the genre and the setting of the film. Openings are usually intended to grab and hold the attention of the receiver of the text. It is mostly seen as a method by which the audience's mood and the tone of the film is set, that certain piece of the film, along with the background soundtrack, sets the scene to the movie and gives the audience a foundation of the movie. It shows the viewer where the movie is based and what roughly is going on in the movie or what has happened before the actual plot has begun.

In media studies, the opening of any film or TV show has to orientate the audience quickly, giving them unambigous signs about such things as:

• Who is the hero and the villian (using realistic or believable characters or 'types' of characters)
• A recognisable setting
• An understandable style

A conventional narrative structure which includes cause-effect motivation.

We can also identify the genre of a specific film, even though in some cases the genre is already known but still it gives a more broader image of how the film is going to be. Example when the film starts with a dark surronding it automatically creates a certain sense of discomfort and mystery in the audience, hence the audience can assume that the genre of the film will be Horror/Thriller.