The Stregnths And Weaknesses Of Opening Sequences

Research into AS media productions

After watching and reviewing previous AS students Opening sequences I saw a recurring pattern of non-dialogue. This often left me as the viewer slightly disappointed as dialogue is needed not only to help the audience to understand the narrative but also build up particular tones and atmospheres. In certain instances  the non-dialogue was matched with non-diegetic sounds and soundtracks. however the soundtracks didn't always match and left the audience confused about not only the narrative but also the genre. This shows the sequence clearly to be a low level as no clear conventions are shown. therefore In my sequence I should make sure I have clear dialogue which fits the codes and conventions of my chosen genre which is neo-noir.
An example of non-dialogue

Lighting issues also frequently occur in the opening sequences I reviewed, this resulted in the shots being of a lower quality as they are too dark to clearly see. In some circumstances the use of dark shadows can be a good way of adding to a mysterious tone however In the sequences I watched the dark shot were the results of poor lighting. This means that when shooting my sequence I will have to pay close attention to what is being see on camera to make sure that the characters and set are appropriately light with the correct amount of shadowing.
An example of poor lighting

Another problem that frequently occurred was the Breaking of the 360 degree rule, this lead to inconsistencies in the film which results in the audience being unsure as to the direction of action in the shot. This can easily be avoided if the person behind the camera pays attention to the direction of the characters. This problem happened to me when I filmed my preliminary task however with careful editing it was hidden and made less obvious. This shows that I will have to be careful when filming my opening sequence as the 360 degree rule can be broken quite easily.

The final problem that really stood out when watching opening sequences was the tendency of them to begin to look like movie trailers not opening sequences. This can easily happen especially if the narrative is quite jumpy or moves forward to fast. This can also happen if the narrative is too full for the amount of time allowed- for example trying to put to much into the short amount of time. to avoid this the story board should be closely looked at before shooting to ensure it fits the correct spec for an opening sequence.
An example of an opening sequence starting to look like a movie trailer;