Conventions in opening scenes

After researching numerous opening scenes, I have begun to notice a similar pattern, regardless the genre. Although not all opening scenes follow the same conventions, they all follow the same purpose, which is to engage the audience while also establishing tone, whether that is by sound, action or location. Here are some of the main conventions I have found:

- Set the location by use of establishing shot

Establishing shots are used to set the scene and it also informs the audience where the film is taking place. However, as I previously mentioned in other blogs posts, there are exceptions. For example, by keeping the location unknown would disorientate the audience, this could be done in a horror film for example. In every example I looked at, these establishing shots were taken from a subjective perspective (the perspective of the characters) as this allowed for the introduction of characters in the same instant, however I'm conscious that this is not the case in all films, and want to steer clear of any sampling bias.

- Production company logo

Film openings will almost always show logos, these help set up expectations for a film. For example, some production companies only release films of a certain genre. This is also used as a signal to the audience that the film is about to begin (of particular importance in the cinema when films tend to be preceded by adverts)

- Title sequence

The title sequence is a method of giving basic insight into the film, they are designed to notify us of the cast, along with organisations involved within the making of the film. The titles usually follow a conventional order of presenting relevant information and can also be a way of building up suspense and establishing the genre. Even more so than other aspects of the opening scene, the title sequence's primary job is to establish tone, and teach the audience what kind of film they're going to be watching.

- Establishing of characters

Though not every film's opening sequence establishes the main character, it's still an incredibly common convention to introduce the key players in the film's narrative. Main characters are introduced as a signal to the audience that this is who they need to pay attention to. However, in some genres there are other things which are more important to set up, such as theme, tone, setting and exposition. These differences are often determined by genre. 

-Tone-

While different genres prioritised different things in the opening (for example exposition in a sci-fi film) there was one thing that was consistent across all genres. The introduction of tone was of key importance to an opening scene, establishing theme, style and genre and letting the audience know exactly what kind of film they're in for. Though there are cases where a film switches genres halfway through, this is extremely rare, and priming an audience for the film they are about to experience is of the utmost importance.