Research: Typical features of a film opening

As our coursework is to shoot an opening for a film, we researched what makes a good filming opening, to find the essential things we needed to include in ours.

1. Film titles- there is usually a separate cut of the film title by itself to establish what it's called.
2. Establishing shot- this is important as it is an easy way to tell the audience where the film is set.
3. Voice overs- these are present as it is an effective way to inform the viewer of the situation, without characters having to say it.
4. Lots of cuts- this could be continuous editing or non-continuous and could be because a lot of information is needed to be put across to the audience.
5. Establishing location, era and character- this is important as it avoids confusion later on in the film.
6. Motif- this is where an aspect of the film title or film theme is featured. For example, in 'Back to the Future' the first shot is of a clock.
7.Credits- This can be of actors, the technical team etc. Only the main people as the full list appears. in the credits at the end of a film.
8. Clear finish- there is often a clear finish to the film opening, eg. a fade to black, or showing the film title. This allows the viewer to see that the film has now fully begun, and sets the opening aside from the rest of the film.
9. Music- Often there is minimal dialogue in the film opening, instead there is music, usually that reflects the genre of film.