Conventions of Opening Sequences

Opening sequences have to grab the audience’s attention as they have to make the audience want to watch more of the film. A horror film has to have; low key lighting, tensional music, death, blood, screams, stabbings, isolation and mystery. An opening sequence should tell the audience that the film is a horror film without actually having to tell them.

Opening sequences usually set up enigmas to make the audience interested. It should introduce and establish main characters. The audience will already have expectations of what they want the film to be about so the producers have to fulfil these expectations so that the audience will not be disappointed. They should set up an equilibrium, however horror/thriller films usually start with a disruption as they have flashbacks in them. The opening credits should have text that fits in with the genre so that the audience have an idea of the type of genre they are going to watch.

An opening sequence should establish a place and time so that the audience know where they are. However in a horror film this is not needed as it is a good idea that the audience have no sense to where they are or when it is, this adds to the mystery in a horror/thriller film. All these conventions are needed so that the audience have an idea that it is a horror/thriller film, also because it is what the audience expect of the film.

These conventions gave the producer a guideline to work with as they know that the target audience like these things. We watched opening sequences from; 'Halloween', 'Saw 1', 'See No Evil' and 'Psycho (1998)', to find out what is involved in most opening sequences and also to get ideas of how we could make our opening sequence. We will use these conventions as we will find out that people do expect these things to be in horror/thriller films by doing a questionnaire. If our questionnaire results are what we expect then we will have a clear idea of what we can put in our main opening sequences.
Emma Jopson