Opening sequences

The purpose of an opening sequence is to establish the mood and overall setting for the rest of the film. It gives the audience clues as to what the film or movie may be lined with when it comes to the overall plot and storyline. ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ can be used as an example of an opening sequence that uses vivid depictions of conventions in order to describe and portray. Blood/red liquid is used throughout the opening scene relating back to the fact that throughout Sweeney Todd, he is constantly causing bloodshed and ‘murdering’ people with something as innocent as barbering tools. The ‘Blood’ that we see in the beginning is the blood from Sweeney Todd’s victims, all of it amalgamating into one eerie stream of red. This is helping to ‘set the scene’ for the rest of the movie.

The opening credits introduce the most important cast and crew that worked on the film as a whole. These names usually appear alongside different actions or soundtracks. The opening credits can almost act as more of a label as if the cast and crew who produced this movie are being given ‘titles’. The title sequence is a powerful expression that helps to hint to the overall storyline of the movie. It is often portrayed as a motion picture with a strong graphic appeal. They are a prelude to the movie and help to engage the audience and capture people’s attention. A primary function of the title sequence is to set the tone for the rest of the movie whereas the opening credits are just to inform the public eye of any leading/major roles in the movie and or film.

An establishing shot can be used at the start of the movie to allow viewers to get an idea of where this movie may be set or gives a clue into what it may be about. For example an aerial shot may be used over a large city in order to inform the audience that the film may be a bit more posh in how it may not be set in the wilderness and they are most likely not going to have to fend for themselves whilst camping in a raggedy tent. It gives the audience a vivid image of where they are in terms of the film world. Diegetic and non-diegetic sounds can be used to add to the atmosphere of the movie. Most of the time the sound matches the action for example if the shot was of a dusty hallway they could play eerie music in order to build tension, but sometimes the sound can be misleading e.g. playing soft jazz music when there is someone walking around with a knife. Montage editing can often be used in an opening sequence to create the illusion of disfiguration but it also allows you to see a bigger picture where you are seeing more than one thing at a time thus obtaining more information about the film that may be crucial to the overall development.

Vertigo released in 1958, has an opening sequence created by a man named Alfred Hitchcock. Vertigo’s opening sequence starts straight away with fast paced non-diegetic sound playing along with the opening credit title. It immediately evokes tension and suspense from the audience, your heart beat is increased and it almost gives a clue to how this movie may be a bit fast paced and intense at times. Whereas the movie Sweeney Todd, released in 2007, directed by Tom Burton, starts off with a slow and prolonged sound where it slowly increases as more technical elements are introduced this can almost relate to pleonastic sound in the sense that as the opening sequence gets more intense so does the music. Both sequences start off very differently, Sweeney Todd has an “establishing shot” of dull blue with shades of grey picture. This can be interpreted as an emotional reference as the colours represent our main character (Sweeney Todd’s) emotional stability where everything is seen in a meloncholic state. Vertigo has a bland mix of skin tones where the camera is on an extreme close up of someone’s physical feature in this case we are shown a persons lips as an establishing shot. It doesn’t exactly scream fear but instead confusion and curiosity. We are shown a mix of techniques throughout the Vertigo opening but a main symbol that could be placed under iconography is the spirals that are constantly seen spinning in different directions. This is a representation of the movie and how our main character is afraid of heights the spirals and motion of spinning create the illusion that the audience is falling into an abis. This puts emphasis on the stroyline heightening the fear factor that is trying to be brought to life. Sweeney Todd is mainly portrayed through colour and iconography throughly expresses through the use of red liquid imitating the trickling sensation of blood. It is seen to be running down blandly coloured gears and walls before coming to an idle stop in a rush of water. This can be a representation of all the bloodshed that occurs throughout the movie. We are also taken through a journey in the sense that we are shown some parts of what look to be a home/house. The ‘blood’ running through the house could not just be a random coincidence but almost enlightening the audience with the fact that it may be his families blood that is seen running down the walls. It is an indication that he may be doing this not out of a mental illness but in seek of destruction to avenge his loved ones death.