Types of Film Openings

Narrative: Set the scene, introduce characters and their situations.

• The Shining: Opens with a journey that is rural and isolated. The music is tense and disturbed. The camera tracks the car on it's journey. These elements give an uneasy feeling about the film, and set the viewer up for what is to follow later on in the film.
• Trainspotting: Characters are introduced with their names in text on the screen. There is a voiceover monologue from the main character. Multiple scenes to give us a sense of the characters, and the scenes are intercut. We get a good sense of who the important characters are and their personalities. We also get a very clear picture of what the film is about.

Discrete Opening: The opening is a separate film in itself.

• Se7en: The editing is very fast-paced and rapidly put together. The footage has a jumpy, distorted effect on it so that it looks like old film. All of the shots are close-up of hands and props, and there are no facial shots. It gives the viewer an uneasy feeling about the film, but as it is separate from the film, it withholds a lot of information from us and makes us want to know more.

Titles Over Blank Screen: Sequence begins with a black screen which has the title on it.

• Donnie Darko: Opens with the sound of thunder after the title exits the screen. The font of the title is gothic. These elements set up the expectations of the film. The introduction of the setting and characters bring in a narrative element to the opening.