Conventions of an Opening Scene

In an opening scene, a lot of different effects are used to capture the audiences attention immediately so they will continue watching. The features are essential for a good opening scene as it gives the audience some information about the film, who will be in it, a vague introduction of what the film will be about, who directed it etc. ,so will capture their interest right from the beginning.

• The title of the film is very important for the opening scene as it shows the audience what film they are actually watching and helps to give a tiny glimpse of what the film will be about, the font could also help. For example in a horror movie a cliché title would be red with the letters looking as if they were dripping which could foreshadow the death that will occur in the film.
• Names of the actors and people who worked on the film (e.g. director, producer, production company) are also titles of the film but they may attract the audience for a different reason because somebody may only be watching the film because their favourite actor/actress is included in the movie.
• Sounds used in the opening scene are crucial, whether they are diegetic or non-diegetic as they both help the audience to understand the film. As diegetic is more useful for helping with the actual narrative of the film, non-diegetic is more to aid the development of the atmosphere in the film.
• Perhaps the most essential thing needed in an opening scene is grabbing the audiences attention with the hook. If there is no hook then nobody will want to continue watching as it hasn't got them interested on what will happen.
• Another useful aspect is the shots used during the opening scene as it gives the audience an idea of where the movie is set this would be done with an establishing shot, or who will be the main characters in the film which could be established with close ups.
• An introduction to the main character(s) could also be used as it makes it clear who will be in the film at what their personality is like and just get to know them a little.
• An enigma is also commonly used as it makes the audience question which grips them to the movie as they will want their questions answered as it is an element of mystery.