Opening sequence Analysis By Joe Turner

Transformers(2007) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dvO7rxp6GY

• The first Transformers film starts with an opening sequence of Optimus Prime`s voice so we know who the main character is straight away. The whole opening sequence is CGI(Computer Generated Imagery) of space and shows how an establishing shot of Earth and a cube which looks like it is heading at very fast speeds to Earth to show vulnerability. The low key light makes the cube stand out so the audience knows what the story is about straight away, it also builds tension in the audience as it is dark and they should be expecting something to happen with also the narrator (Optimus Prime) speaking with a Robotic voice which stands out as it’s a very sharp voice and easy to understand. Even right at the start when the “Paramount” picture comes up it has a robotic sound to get the audience ready and to build tension as that is the only thing we hear at the very start. This is similar to when the companies that made it appear there is a slight tension as there is no sound as we do not know what is going to happen next so the audience are instantly hooked. There is an extreme close up of the cube so we can see exactly the detail and how complicated this is. The CGI really brings and affect to this as it gets everything perfect to show the audience that whatever it is, it is not human. There is a synchronous sound that plays a great deal when the cube is hitting the asteroids on the way as it makes a smashing sound which emphasises how dangerous this is as nothing is even broken on the cube even though the smashing sound makes us think it will be destroyed . Coming towards the end of the opening sequence the Transformers title finally comes up with a metal clashing together sound which emphasises the film name making sure the audience keeps watching. This opening sequence is unique as there is no director names or any of the people who worked on the films names as it is out of space where it is unhuman which builds confusion it is also to make sure the audience is concentrating and not reading other things which may distract them.

Pacific Rim (2013) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGbU_20InKM

• The start of this film is a person speaking over the film so we know the main characters and the protagonists voice instantly when his face comes up during the film, this is non-diegetic. It has CGI right at the first start which is lightening or electricity which insinuates this is not a nice place to go as it looks very dangerous and bright compared to the rest of the environment. This happens again when fire and flames come out the bottom of the sea which connotes death and danger. In the clip after this shows a “Kaiju” (Giant Beast) using CGI destroying a bridge with lots of people on which shows that it is nearly impossible to survive if you were on this bridge which also builds tension and sadness knowing they wont escape from the bridge. It shows a low angle shot of the “Kaiju” which makes it looks absolutely massive compared to the surroundings which shows that it is the antagonist and makes the people on the bridge look vulnerable. An establishing shot is being used which shows all the things that are destroyed or being destroyed to show how much damage this beast has done and what it can do. When the beast is attacking the people a hand-held camera is used to make the audience feel like they are there and to show the vulnerability of these people and how dangerous it really is. A long shot is used to show the reunion of the people all holding hands so we feel sorry for these people as we can see what they are going through. The pleonastic sound of the guns shooting and the explosions really show the genre of the film which is action and adventure as you wouldn’t normally get such exaggerated gunfire in a different genre. The establishing shot of the animal on the war boat infers how massive this beast is and how scary and dangerous they really are which builds vulnerability for the people having these attacks.

Blade 2 (2002)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdUlvsdgWQU

• The text in the opening scene of Blade 2 is very dark writing which symbolises blood and death, this also infers the genre of the film which is martial arts and action. The red font is bold and stands out to the black background. It shows the film productions and who made it which is at the start of most opening scenes. The weapons are very over exaggerated sounds which is pleonastic as is creates excitement and shows his standards as he will be very far up in the ranks as he has very powerful swords which we can see and tell by the sounds and how sharp they are. When the title comes up at the end which says Blade 2 there is a sound of swords clashing together which goes with the genre of the film and matches the action of the title this is called diegetic sound. Throughout the opening scene of Blade 2 it is mostly all close ups which is very mysterious and makes the audience ask questions as we cant really see a clear picture apart from him as a baby being born. Not only this but it is a low key light which builds tension and showing he is a dark person but aren’t sure who the protagonist is yet. The main character “Blade” is talking over and nobody else can hear it but us which is non-diegetic. It has different clips which fade into different ones as he talks about different things. It is synchronous to what he is saying. There is a medium close up when the baby is on the screen with blood that is used to be quite shocking. The soundtrack in the background shows that the person talking is very confident as it is not scary or worried music. There is someone narrating over the whole opening scene who is the main character so we know who it is and what he sounds like when we see him in the film. He has a very calm and easy to understand voice so we can understand him and so he seems more courageous. This is non-diegetic sound.

Spider-Man 2http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Nnr49f3kHs

• At the start of this opening sequence there is the title of the film straight away and it is in a spider web font to show the theme of the movie. The actual theme of the opening sequence is in a comic book theme throughout as the Spiderman trilogy was actually a comic by Marvel. Moreover it the actors and actresses names so we know who is in the film. There are 3 main colours in this opening sequence which is blue, red and white, these stand out the most as we know that they are the main colours of Spiderman. It also has a black colour which represent the webs going across the screen and changing the pictures and scenes. The pictures in the film at the start are the ones that were in the first film so it reminds the audience what happened so they can understand the new one. The soundtrack in the background is very happy and builds relief for the audience, the music also gets higher pitched when Spiderman's face comes up as a picture as we know he is the hero. The music then calms down as we see a dead body and remember what happened in the first film so it builds sympathy for the characters. Throughout the opening sequence there is the similar shot types throughout as it just showing memories of Spiderman and what he has been through. The whole of the opening sequence is CGI to build a comical feel and so we know what it is because of all the spider webs.

Max Payne (2008)http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/max-payne/

• The opening sequence of this film is all the names of the characters and the important people who made the film like the director and main actors in the film. The whole scene is CGI. The CGI is mostly guns and explosions so we can tell what the genre is from the first thing that we see. There is a pleonastic sound of gun shots and explosions every time a new name comes up which catches the attention of the audience to keep watching. There is slow motion editing throughout the scene where the explosions take place and the gun shots so we can see what's happening and to emphasise what is happening. We can tell the genre is action from the soundtrack also as it is a guitar which is playing rock music which connotes action and is going to be a fast paced film. The font of the directors and characters is very bold and is in red and white with a metal film to it which represents the sounds and the genre of the film. Not only this but the title of the film also comes up on its own with nothing in the background so we know what the film is. Furthermore but it is the biggest font out of all the other people so it stands out. There is also a 3D feel to this as the glass smashes you feel that it is going to come out the screen which exaggerates the action genre of this film. We can tell from this is going to be a more male film which we can tell from the weapons and the pleonastic sounds.