My initial impressions of opening sequences in films are that opening films were only an introduction to a movie. I did not know of the time and effort put into the launch of each film. For example, in the movie Se7en, Kyle Cooper, a title legend, was said to have “meticulously scratched the celluloid by hand with a needle, adding more edge to already disturbing images...” This is confirmation of the hard work it takes to create an opening sequence. Author Miles Merril states, “the best film typography isn't superfluous or incongruous, but fundamentally helps to tell the story.”
In Saturday Night Fever, red was represented throughout the opening sequence appearing as the color of the title and the protagonist's shoes and shirt. Camera angles draw attention to the man’s outfit to highlight the red contrast. Camera angles also give the appearance that the audience is walking with the main character, Tony. Tony’s name is revealed by the local pizza worker, informing the audience that he is a resident and known around his city. Tony is portrayed as a loose and unrestricted man who values himself over his job. The lively music and easy attitude of Tony foreshadow the dancing seen during this movie.
In the 1975 film, Jaws, the filmmakers choose dramatic music while filming through a peaceful underwater reef. This could be viewed as the shark's point of view, linking the shark with this music to let audience members know the shark has arrived. The dramatic music can foreshadow the dangers that the great white shark poses among the people. Before the shark’s first attack, many young adults can be seen gathered around a campfire, protected by its light. But when the two people separate from the group of young adults, they appear to be covered in shadows and darkness. This could be foreshadowing the young woman's death at night in the ocean. The producers seem to take advantage of the shark's point of view to create suspense and tension in the audience. After clips of screaming and drowning, the scene immediately becomes peaceful and quiet as if nothing happened. This might indicate to the audience how the shark avoids capture and suspicion throughout most of the movie. When the opening sequence of Jaws was first seen, my initial impression was a thriller movie starring a shark as its antagonist. But when further explored, it is a movie made to create suspense in the audience's heart by foreshadowing the attacks of innocent people during this movie.
In the film Pulp Fiction, filmmakers first approach what looks like a pleasant couple having a nice breakfast. Their conversation develops into a plan to rob the restaurant at gunpoint. This dramatic change in the story can foreshadow the filmmaker's style with future plot twists. The stimulating music that plays while the credits roll is used to create excitement within the audience, preparing them for the movie.
In the film Apocalypse Now, a soldier from the Vietnam war battles with PTSD and flashbacks from the war. The producers seemed to layer different clips together to be viewed as memories of battle. This soldier deals with his troubles by abusing alcohol and hard drugs. The filmmakers counteract the destruction of the war by playing peaceful music referencing the end.
In the film Scream, there are traits common in most horror films such as the eerie phone calls or the suspenseful music, but Scream takes this a step further. The film starts as an innocent phone call appearing as a wrongly dialed number. But as the music gets more dramatic the story gets darker. A close-up shot on windowed doors indicates to the audience that it is nighttime. These windowed doors foreshadow the chilling and bloody events soon revealed to the audience. This film will frighten its audience with its camera angles, the camera is sometimes handheld and following the character, making it seem as though you are in the film with the victim.
My current position is to select the magazine rather than the film for my portfolio project based upon class viewings and discussions.
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