Conventions in Opening Sequences

The main objective of any opening is to engage and captivate the audience's attention.

They do this by:

• They all try to draw the audience into the narrative straight away.
• They all try to make connections with the characters so the audience can build relationships.
• They all use settings to help develop the narrative.
• Representations are constructed to create effective meanings for the audience.
• A mix of diegetic and non-diegetic sound is used for effect.
• There are also a lot enigma codes used in the first few minutes to keep the audience watching.
• There are often binary oppositions used to move the narrative forward.
• A lot of the film openings tend to follow the typical narrative structure of an equilibrium at the start, though the opening can show the disruption and this convention helps to keep audiences engaged.