Different Types of Structure of a Film Opening

Opening film structures are very essential when creating any kind of film, There are four different kinds of structures i'll be looking at these are; discrete , narrative , titles over a black screen and stylised openings . The four opening structures are all very different , you can have complicated and really edited structures to very simple ones overall though all of them are used due to it's effectiveness.


The opening of the film SEVEN is an example of a Discrete opening structure , this type of structure is edited alot and often including many images ,effects and blank black screens with titles. What makes it effective is that everything is edited very well and that it creates a spooky vibe which is great for thrillers. And also the audience can catch a glimpse of what the films could be about.

The second opening structure is Narrative opening, this type of opening structure mainly involves the credits and the location , this structure is not as appealing because the credits are very bold and takes away the scary element  that is meant to be in a thriller opening. I watched the opening to the film The Shining and  I could not tell that the film was a thriller. Howevere I got  a hint of danger as the camera was getting closer to the camera.  

Thirdly, credits over screen is a very simple way in which to open a film . During the opening a black screen would appear and then the credits would be placed within the black screen. This is effective because the colour black is associated with danger , darkness and the unknown.

 

Finally the last structure stylised opening , this type of structure is heavily edited and just like the discrete  opening structure it to uses many editing techniques to make the flim look interesting.This clip, The taking of Pelham 123; due to the fast paced edits, transitions and a lot of images of the location of the film it assures the audience that this clip is an action thriller.

Overall all of these film opening structures have something to offer however, the openings which are heavily stylised are the most effective . As a group we decided that we want to do a titles over a blank screen, followed by a narrative opening.