Codes and Conventions of Film Openings: Key Shot Timeline

Using the same four film openings, we picked out the key shots and drew a timeline of these events

Amelie:

The first film opening, Amelie, only hinted at the genre of the film through the mise-en-scene. This was done by the connotations of red that symbolises love and passion, also, the fact that the film was set in Paris, a city famous for romance, furthers this theme of love. Another key element is the narration, which is typical for a romantic film, as they tend to introduce the protagonist and their backstory in the openings of the film.

Jurassic Park:

Jurassic Park had a number of different shots used to create suspense that we picked out. The colour tone of the opening is quite cold, emphasising the seriousness of the situation, and the hand held filming causes a sense of disorientation as the audience feel more a part of the film. The close up shot-reverse-shot of the man and the dinosaur highlights who is dominant out of the two, which is the dinosaur, as the audience can clearly see terror in the man's eyes.

Hurt Locker:

The suspense was mainly built through the contrast of long and close up shots, as well as the use of slow motion footage. This ensured that the audience could see what was going to happen and evoke a reaction from them. It is typical for an action movie to drop the audience mid action and that is exactly what Hurt Locker has done.

Resident Evil:

This film opening of Resident Evil also has connotations of red, but, in contrast to Amelie, the red symbolises danger and blood, suggesting that they will be a running theme throughout the film. The colours in this film opening is also very cool and this adds to the atmosphere of unease, initially set by the birds eye shot of a busy street in Tokyo with everyone moving, with the exception from one girl in the middle. The fact that the film is about the zombie apocalypse is set in a city, it creates a verisimilitude and an equilibrium for the audience to relate to, which is then broken, setting the audience on edge.