Film opening

 I have been researching film openings in my chosen genre in order to create the best possible film that I can create. I have chosen to research three movies Titanic 1997, Joyeux Noel 2005, and Dunkirk 2017. 

Titanic

The Titanic movie opening features shots from the original titanic. This allows the audience to remember that this is a historical event and actually happened. The opening also featured the credits. They were in a basic white font in order not to take away from the shots of the titanic.

The opening transitions to the ocean at night. This allows for a smooth transition into the name of the film. The last part of the opening is a submarine going under the water, this prepares the viewer for the rest of the movie.

Titanic movie title

The music in the movie opening resembles something from a church. Its holy in order to show a theme throughout the rest of the movie. Past the title the submarines fade down into the bottom of the ocean. This indicates the movie opening ending and the actual movie beginning.

Joyeux Noel

The Joyeux Noel movie opening starts off with a French boy narrating how a certain population needs to be wiped out. The further scenes also feature an English and a German boy. All of these boys are talking about there countries military projects. The children may indicate how the military is being childish. 

The transition from the German boy to the ocean is very creative. This movie opening displays 3 sides of conflict.  This is followed by an abrupt transition to the harsh realities of the battlefield, immersing the audience in the impersonal nature of World War I while setting the stage for the film’s central theme of shared humanity.

Dunkirk

The movie starts off with the main character and his troopmates walking along the streets with flyers coming from the sky. They seem calm for the most part. There are scenes of black with text to show the context. The main character picks up a flyer that shows they are being surrounded. Then they start getting shot at and all of his troopmates die except him. He runs away and eventually meets some English soldiers. Then he heads to the beach and sees military camped there.

The reason that this way of opening the movie is effective because it showcases where its happening, what is happening and how it is happening. The cinematography is done well and the shots cut slowly during the less intense parts and more during the more intense parts they cut faster.

The lack of dialogue and intense sound effects make the audience feel the fear and chaos of war.

Results

Historical genre movies often use their openings to set the time period and key themes of the story. They may include realistic settings, costumes, and props to make the audience feel like they are in the past. Some films start with action or dramatic events to immediately grab attention. The others use narration, text, or historical footage to provide background information. The music and cinematography also help create the right mood. These openings prepare viewers for the historical world they are about to experience.