The objects of an opening sequence are:• To put across the idea of what the director’s intentions to the audience.
• Establish the mood and visual character (e.g. an air of suspicion in a film noir)
• Putting across clues into what the narrative is going to be based on.
• To handle the major themes of the movie
• Give us an idea of the film’s locations (physical and time)
• Establishment of the film’s style and genre
• To grab and keep a hold of the audience’s attention
The reason for me choosing the openings of these three films is because they contrast one another since they are in very different genres (one thriller, one fantasy and one comedy/war). The other reason I picked these three was that two of them are on a list of the top 10 opening credit sequences in my Empire Film Guide and the second out of general interest.
VERTIGO (1958)
Director – Alfred Hitchcock
Genre – Thriller
Distributor – Paramount Pictures (rights now belong to Universal)
Cast – James Stewart, Kim Novak
Introduction
The opening sequence of this movie is divided into two parts. The first part is a combination of live action and animation created by the popular titles designer Saul Bass who would later collaborate with Alfred Hitchcock again on ‘Psycho’ (1960)). The second part is a live action scene where we’re introduced to Jimmy Stewart’s character and why the film is called ‘Vertigo’.
Part 1
The opening begins with an ECU, from the audience’s point of view of a woman (possibly the character played by Kim Novak) twitching at the mouth and looking behind her thus putting across the themes of anxiety and paranoia in the movie to the audience. The camera then zooms in on her right eye and slowly tints red, as the film’s title comes up, which could convey, to the audience, the impression that the female character is in some sort of danger or is not to be trusted in anyway (red can be used to symbolise evil as well as danger).
The opening credits then go into a series of kaleidoscope-like images (multicoloured geometrical patterns) which possibly represent the layers of the female character’s unstable identity or the various fears within her mind. The non-diagetic music of the opening credits is the work of another Hitchcock contributor Bernard Herrmann and consists mainly of string music ,making the music sound more eerie and disturbing (like Herrmann’s use of strings in ‘Psycho’ (1960)) with brass instruments used for dramatic notes thus causing a shift in the film’s mood.
The geometrical patterns can also symbolise the inner workings of the character’s mind, the feeling of falling since the patterns come right up at the viewer or the feeling of dizziness since the majority of the patterns spin as they approach the screen. The patterns at the start come right out at you also simulating the feeling of falling (as acrophobia is a theme throughout this movie) but during the patterns the titles appear as normal like most films of the 50s and 60s.
The opening begins with an ECU, from the audience’s point of view of a woman (possibly the character played by Kim Novak) twitching at the mouth and looking behind her thus putting across the themes of anxiety and paranoia in the movie to the audience. The camera then zooms in on her right eye and slowly tints red, as the film’s title comes up, which could convey, to the audience, the impression that the female character is in some sort of danger or is not to be trusted in anyway (red can be used to symbolise evil as well as danger).
The opening credits then go into a series of kaleidoscope-like images (multicoloured geometrical patterns) which possibly represent the layers of the female character’s unstable identity or the various fears within her mind. The non-diagetic music of the opening credits is the work of another Hitchcock contributor Bernard Herrmann and consists mainly of string music ,making the music sound more eerie and disturbing (like Herrmann’s use of strings in ‘Psycho’ (1960)) with brass instruments used for dramatic notes thus causing a shift in the film’s mood.
The geometrical patterns can also symbolise the inner workings of the character’s mind, the feeling of falling since the patterns come right up at the viewer or the feeling of dizziness since the majority of the patterns spin as they approach the screen. The patterns at the start come right out at you also simulating the feeling of falling (as acrophobia is a theme throughout this movie) but during the patterns the titles appear as normal like most films of the 50s and 60s.
Part 2
The second half of Vertigo’s opening is in live action and is where we are introduced to our main character, John ‘Scottie’ Ferguson (played by James Stewart). It also vividly demonstrates the movie’s main theme and why the movie has the title it has. It begins with a criminal being pursued by Scottie and a fellow cop across the roofs of a terraced house in (according to the background) 1950s San Francisco. As the criminal jumps over a gap between two houses, Scottie slips and is left hanging off a drainpipe on the edge of the roof which is where we discover his weakness.
From Scottie’s POV, the ground below seems to move further away from him putting across to the viewer that Scottie suffers from acrophobia (or vertigo as most people may think) and making a dramatic point of how far he is off the ground. This is dramatically underlined when Scottie’s weak point allows the criminal to escape (since he used it as an advantage over Scottie and the cop) and his fellow cop to fall to his death when trying to help Scottie back up.
Mise-en-Scene
The mise-en-scene of this scene tells us that the setting is downtown San Francisco which has been cleverly reconstructed in a studio using a mixture of models, projection and painted backdrops. The costume of the characters of the scene consists of the criminal wearing only a shirt and trousers giving the audience the impression that he is not important in this scene whereas Scottie is seen wearing a suit giving the impression that he is well off and has more authority (which contrasts with his personality and crippling acrophobia) and the cop in a policeman’s uniform symbolising power and authority within this situation.
Lighting & Edit
The lighting is low-key which is used to establish the fact this scene is set at night and give the film a dark and edgy atmosphere associated with Alfred Hitchcock’s movies. The editing varies in the two halves of the opening, in the first half the editing is very slow paced which prepares the audience for what is to come next and in the second half of the opening the editing picks up pace in order to create the dramatic situation Scottie finds himself in.
Music
Herrmann’s music in the second half of the opening, like the first half, consists mainly of brass and string instruments only here the score is faster paced to go alongside the editing. Also like the first half, brass instruments are used for dramatic points such as playing at a low pitch when Scottie is looking up but played at a high pitch when he’s looking down (symbolising how fearful he is of falling) and when his fellow cop falls to his death below.
Camera
I notice that in the part of the sequence where the characters are running across the roof, the camera tracks the action from a distance, it is moored on a crane since a dolly or hand-held shot would have been closer to the ground. However for much of the sequence, the camera is stationary and mostly in CU.
Framing
The framing of the opening’s second half only has the things important to the film such as the geometrical shapes, the background showing where the film is set and the main characters that are here to drive the plot taking up most of the space while the unimportant parts of the opening are left out.
Summary
Like in most of his films, Hitchcock positions his audience with his popular use of tension and suspense (he is called the Master of Suspense) most clearly in the part where Scottie is hanging off the drainpipe making it look like a situation of life and death from his perspective
Overall Hitchcock succeeds in setting the film up by putting across the film’s themes of acrophobia and disorientation, shows his intentions of being tense and suspenseful across to the audience and puts across many clues into what the film will be about (a chase, psychological problems etc). Hitch also successfully establishes to the audience that the film itself is set in (at the time present day) 1950s San Francisco and gives us a strong visual character. Hitchcock also successfully sets the film’s mood and genre since he had done countless movies similar to this throughout his career and keeps a firm hold on his audience’s attention.
SUPERMAN (1978)
Director – Richard Donner
Genre – Sci-Fi Fantasy
Distributor – Warner Bros
Cast – Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty
The film’s opening, after the Warner Bros logo and a dedication to the late Geoffrey Unsworth OBE (who did the film’s visual effects) begins with a pair of curtains drawing revealing a screen (obviously mimicking a cinema screen). The screen is playing a film of a young child in 1938 reading a comic book telling us of how even the city of Metropolis could not avoid the Great Depression.
The second half of Vertigo’s opening is in live action and is where we are introduced to our main character, John ‘Scottie’ Ferguson (played by James Stewart). It also vividly demonstrates the movie’s main theme and why the movie has the title it has. It begins with a criminal being pursued by Scottie and a fellow cop across the roofs of a terraced house in (according to the background) 1950s San Francisco. As the criminal jumps over a gap between two houses, Scottie slips and is left hanging off a drainpipe on the edge of the roof which is where we discover his weakness.
From Scottie’s POV, the ground below seems to move further away from him putting across to the viewer that Scottie suffers from acrophobia (or vertigo as most people may think) and making a dramatic point of how far he is off the ground. This is dramatically underlined when Scottie’s weak point allows the criminal to escape (since he used it as an advantage over Scottie and the cop) and his fellow cop to fall to his death when trying to help Scottie back up.Mise-en-Scene
The mise-en-scene of this scene tells us that the setting is downtown San Francisco which has been cleverly reconstructed in a studio using a mixture of models, projection and painted backdrops. The costume of the characters of the scene consists of the criminal wearing only a shirt and trousers giving the audience the impression that he is not important in this scene whereas Scottie is seen wearing a suit giving the impression that he is well off and has more authority (which contrasts with his personality and crippling acrophobia) and the cop in a policeman’s uniform symbolising power and authority within this situation.
Lighting & Edit
The lighting is low-key which is used to establish the fact this scene is set at night and give the film a dark and edgy atmosphere associated with Alfred Hitchcock’s movies. The editing varies in the two halves of the opening, in the first half the editing is very slow paced which prepares the audience for what is to come next and in the second half of the opening the editing picks up pace in order to create the dramatic situation Scottie finds himself in.
Music
Herrmann’s music in the second half of the opening, like the first half, consists mainly of brass and string instruments only here the score is faster paced to go alongside the editing. Also like the first half, brass instruments are used for dramatic points such as playing at a low pitch when Scottie is looking up but played at a high pitch when he’s looking down (symbolising how fearful he is of falling) and when his fellow cop falls to his death below.
Camera
I notice that in the part of the sequence where the characters are running across the roof, the camera tracks the action from a distance, it is moored on a crane since a dolly or hand-held shot would have been closer to the ground. However for much of the sequence, the camera is stationary and mostly in CU.
Framing
The framing of the opening’s second half only has the things important to the film such as the geometrical shapes, the background showing where the film is set and the main characters that are here to drive the plot taking up most of the space while the unimportant parts of the opening are left out.
Summary
Like in most of his films, Hitchcock positions his audience with his popular use of tension and suspense (he is called the Master of Suspense) most clearly in the part where Scottie is hanging off the drainpipe making it look like a situation of life and death from his perspective
Overall Hitchcock succeeds in setting the film up by putting across the film’s themes of acrophobia and disorientation, shows his intentions of being tense and suspenseful across to the audience and puts across many clues into what the film will be about (a chase, psychological problems etc). Hitch also successfully establishes to the audience that the film itself is set in (at the time present day) 1950s San Francisco and gives us a strong visual character. Hitchcock also successfully sets the film’s mood and genre since he had done countless movies similar to this throughout his career and keeps a firm hold on his audience’s attention.
SUPERMAN (1978)
Director – Richard Donner
Genre – Sci-Fi Fantasy
Distributor – Warner Bros
Cast – Christopher Reeve, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, Ned Beatty
The film’s opening, after the Warner Bros logo and a dedication to the late Geoffrey Unsworth OBE (who did the film’s visual effects) begins with a pair of curtains drawing revealing a screen (obviously mimicking a cinema screen). The screen is playing a film of a young child in 1938 reading a comic book telling us of how even the city of Metropolis could not avoid the Great Depression.
This anchors the film’s roots in the Great Depression thus giving the film a hard focus (since the opening plays quite close to realism). It also instantly introduces the comic book theme from where Superman originates of course.
The camera then zooms in on a picture of the building housing Metropolis’ newspaper ‘The Daily Planet’ (obviously this will have something to do with the film as well) before panning upwards into the night sky which gives the audience the impression as if they are about to take off. Already we have the sensation of one of Superman’s key attributes, his ability to fly above the mere mortals below.
The camera then zooms in on a picture of the building housing Metropolis’ newspaper ‘The Daily Planet’ (obviously this will have something to do with the film as well) before panning upwards into the night sky which gives the audience the impression as if they are about to take off. Already we have the sensation of one of Superman’s key attributes, his ability to fly above the mere mortals below.
At this point, the opening credits begin. The way they are set up was seen as cutting edge back in 1978 as they seem to fly in and out at the audience in an almost 3D sort of way giving them the impression that they are actually flying through space.
The music of the opening is the work of popular composer John Williams and mainly consists of brass instruments giving the theme tune a triumphant sound to it like as if someone has done something deemed heroic. There is a lack of mise-en scene in the opening credits, instead there are various images of space (comets, nebulas etc) which gives us a hint that the film will possibly take place, or have something to do with, time & place beyond Earth. The editing is very much fast-paced, like the music, which could make out that the audience, or the object the audience is representing, is flying very fast through the vacuum of space.
The lighting in the first half of the opening is very low-key giving the opening monologue a sort of film noir look and going well (like the black and white photography) with the Great Depression era in which it’s set.
The mise-en-scene of the opening monologue consists mainly of the curtains on either side of the screen and the comic book the child is reading giving the impression that the story is occurring as the boy is reading the comic. There could also be the use of a POV shot since you only see the child’s hand so you could say that (s)he is looking down at the comic as (s)he reads it.
The framing of the shot is pretty clever since the curtains on the sides of the frame might disorientate the audience into thinking that the screen within a screen is the real thing especially when the credits seem to come out at them in a 3D kind of way.
Overall the opening 5 minutes of the film sets the scene excellently as it;
• Links the film to its comic book origins
• Brings it up to date with use of (at the time) state of the art graphics and into a more realistic genre
• Introduces the root contrast between Clark Kent’s humble post –depression childhood and Kal-El’s extraordinary origins & powers from out of this world.
• Sets the action adventure, storybook genre of the film
• Create the heroic mood of the entire piece.
MASH (1970)
The music of the opening is the work of popular composer John Williams and mainly consists of brass instruments giving the theme tune a triumphant sound to it like as if someone has done something deemed heroic. There is a lack of mise-en scene in the opening credits, instead there are various images of space (comets, nebulas etc) which gives us a hint that the film will possibly take place, or have something to do with, time & place beyond Earth. The editing is very much fast-paced, like the music, which could make out that the audience, or the object the audience is representing, is flying very fast through the vacuum of space.
The lighting in the first half of the opening is very low-key giving the opening monologue a sort of film noir look and going well (like the black and white photography) with the Great Depression era in which it’s set.
The mise-en-scene of the opening monologue consists mainly of the curtains on either side of the screen and the comic book the child is reading giving the impression that the story is occurring as the boy is reading the comic. There could also be the use of a POV shot since you only see the child’s hand so you could say that (s)he is looking down at the comic as (s)he reads it.
The framing of the shot is pretty clever since the curtains on the sides of the frame might disorientate the audience into thinking that the screen within a screen is the real thing especially when the credits seem to come out at them in a 3D kind of way.
Overall the opening 5 minutes of the film sets the scene excellently as it;
• Links the film to its comic book origins
• Brings it up to date with use of (at the time) state of the art graphics and into a more realistic genre
• Introduces the root contrast between Clark Kent’s humble post –depression childhood and Kal-El’s extraordinary origins & powers from out of this world.
• Sets the action adventure, storybook genre of the film
• Create the heroic mood of the entire piece.
MASH (1970)
Director – Robert Altman
Genre – Comedy/War
Distributor – 20th Century Fox
Cast – Donald Sutherland, Elliot Gould, Tom Skerritt, Sally Kellerman, Robert Duvall
The opening of MASH is split into 4 scenes (as part of one sketch since there’s no actual plot to the film); the first part gives the audience an idea of what it’s about, the second part gives the fact the movie is split into two genres and the third and fourth parts introduce the characters and set the tone for the rest of the movie.
Part 1
The opening starts off with an aerial shot of a helicopter flying over what appears to be the countryside of Vietnam (this movie was released during the Vietnam War). What we also see during this shot is that hanging off the helicopter is the arm of a horrifically injured soldier from some sort of battle which would get the audience thinking that this movie is probably some kind of bloody war movie in the light of ‘Platoon’ (1986) or ‘Full Metal Jacket’ (1987). This and the film’s theme song ‘Suicide is Painless’ establish the film’s dark approach though it does contrast with the use of light music adding a satirical element to the film’s genre.
The location is next to be established (partially) when we get an aerial view of a hospital camp out in a field which we can assume is where the action is going to take place. The film’s approach also contrasts that of the TV series that followed two years later since the film’s opening is more graphic and darker in tone (due to its anti-war message). This scene is held for about 2 minutes and the lighting is very high key which is out of context (high key lighting is normally associated with light hearted comedies) with an opening as dark as this.
Part 2
The film then changes location to the camp area for a short scene (of about 30 seconds) where we are introduced to two of our characters, Colonel Blake and Radar O’Reilly. What’s notable about this sequence is the abrupt shift in tone from dark and, apparently, serious to lightly comic in one scene where the two characters are talking at the same time. The shot used in this is a mid-long shot (the helicopter cutting them off at the torso might confuse the viewer into thinking it’s a mid shot) which may get the audience up close with the characters, even the character in white (Painless) who doesn’t do much in this sequence (a group shot).
Part 3
In the third scene, the location is finally revealed as Korea during the Korean War via a piece of text that says ‘And then there was Korea…’ Originally Robert Altman intended not to state that this movie was set in Korea so that the audience would mistake the setting for Vietnam. Following that is an extract from statements by General Douglas MacArthur and President Eisenhower. The use of a statement by General MacArthur further enforces the anti-war message since MacArthur was very unpopular due to his ego during the war. The satire is also used in this scene too since there is a character wandering around as if lost while heroic music (spoofing the composer Susa) plays in the background making it very out of context. The scene is also where we get a glimpse of the set for the first time, its appearance is dirty and run down which is what you’d expect crudely built Vietnam War Camps to look like.
Part 4
In this sequence we are introduced to two of our main characters, the character that is seen wandering around as if he’s lost during the third scene is revealed to be Captain Hawkeye Pierce (Donald Sutherland). Here he is presented as a sort of rebel-like character in the sense that he doesn’t take the army seriously as he proves by acting all ‘king in the castle’ to the Sergeant who runs this area of the camp. At one point Hawkeye actually removes his ‘Captain’ buttons making it seem to the audience that he is very much an anti-authority figure. The next main character to be introduced in this scene is Captain Duke Forrest (Tom Skerritt); he too is also presented as some kind of rebel character which is further demonstrated when he and Hawkeye steal a jeep to travel to the camp in the distance. The thievery of the jeep results in a fight between the commanding Sergeant and the two MPs which completes the descent of the film’s tone from dark and bleak in the credit sequence to a mixture of farce and slapstick at the end.
There is also a lot of dialogue in this sequence which is basically Hawkeye talking to various characters, this would convey the impression that Hawkeye is acting as the audience thus we get closer to the various characters he speaks to. The rest of the mise-en-scene of the opening consists of army related objects such as helicopters and jeeps; the entire camp is also a big part of the mise-en-scene since it is where all the action is taking place. The costume of the opening is soldier uniforms however, they are not clean and well kept as presented in various other war films, some of them are tattered or missing some of the items of clothing you normally expect in a soldier’s uniform (such as Hawkeye not wearing a proper Captain’s hat) which also reinforces the theme of rebellion since uniform is connected with authority and sensibility.
Overall the opening of MASH succeeds in:
• Setting the location of the film
• Establishing the film’s mixed genre of comedy and parody of war
• Introducing the main characters
• Reflecting on the film’s sketch like characteristics
• Allowing the audience to think freely
• Establishing its anti-war message (and the beginning of the anti-war film)
Genre – Comedy/War
Distributor – 20th Century Fox
Cast – Donald Sutherland, Elliot Gould, Tom Skerritt, Sally Kellerman, Robert Duvall
The opening of MASH is split into 4 scenes (as part of one sketch since there’s no actual plot to the film); the first part gives the audience an idea of what it’s about, the second part gives the fact the movie is split into two genres and the third and fourth parts introduce the characters and set the tone for the rest of the movie.
Part 1
The opening starts off with an aerial shot of a helicopter flying over what appears to be the countryside of Vietnam (this movie was released during the Vietnam War). What we also see during this shot is that hanging off the helicopter is the arm of a horrifically injured soldier from some sort of battle which would get the audience thinking that this movie is probably some kind of bloody war movie in the light of ‘Platoon’ (1986) or ‘Full Metal Jacket’ (1987). This and the film’s theme song ‘Suicide is Painless’ establish the film’s dark approach though it does contrast with the use of light music adding a satirical element to the film’s genre.
The location is next to be established (partially) when we get an aerial view of a hospital camp out in a field which we can assume is where the action is going to take place. The film’s approach also contrasts that of the TV series that followed two years later since the film’s opening is more graphic and darker in tone (due to its anti-war message). This scene is held for about 2 minutes and the lighting is very high key which is out of context (high key lighting is normally associated with light hearted comedies) with an opening as dark as this.
Part 2
The film then changes location to the camp area for a short scene (of about 30 seconds) where we are introduced to two of our characters, Colonel Blake and Radar O’Reilly. What’s notable about this sequence is the abrupt shift in tone from dark and, apparently, serious to lightly comic in one scene where the two characters are talking at the same time. The shot used in this is a mid-long shot (the helicopter cutting them off at the torso might confuse the viewer into thinking it’s a mid shot) which may get the audience up close with the characters, even the character in white (Painless) who doesn’t do much in this sequence (a group shot).
Part 3
In the third scene, the location is finally revealed as Korea during the Korean War via a piece of text that says ‘And then there was Korea…’ Originally Robert Altman intended not to state that this movie was set in Korea so that the audience would mistake the setting for Vietnam. Following that is an extract from statements by General Douglas MacArthur and President Eisenhower. The use of a statement by General MacArthur further enforces the anti-war message since MacArthur was very unpopular due to his ego during the war. The satire is also used in this scene too since there is a character wandering around as if lost while heroic music (spoofing the composer Susa) plays in the background making it very out of context. The scene is also where we get a glimpse of the set for the first time, its appearance is dirty and run down which is what you’d expect crudely built Vietnam War Camps to look like.Part 4
In this sequence we are introduced to two of our main characters, the character that is seen wandering around as if he’s lost during the third scene is revealed to be Captain Hawkeye Pierce (Donald Sutherland). Here he is presented as a sort of rebel-like character in the sense that he doesn’t take the army seriously as he proves by acting all ‘king in the castle’ to the Sergeant who runs this area of the camp. At one point Hawkeye actually removes his ‘Captain’ buttons making it seem to the audience that he is very much an anti-authority figure. The next main character to be introduced in this scene is Captain Duke Forrest (Tom Skerritt); he too is also presented as some kind of rebel character which is further demonstrated when he and Hawkeye steal a jeep to travel to the camp in the distance. The thievery of the jeep results in a fight between the commanding Sergeant and the two MPs which completes the descent of the film’s tone from dark and bleak in the credit sequence to a mixture of farce and slapstick at the end.
There is also a lot of dialogue in this sequence which is basically Hawkeye talking to various characters, this would convey the impression that Hawkeye is acting as the audience thus we get closer to the various characters he speaks to. The rest of the mise-en-scene of the opening consists of army related objects such as helicopters and jeeps; the entire camp is also a big part of the mise-en-scene since it is where all the action is taking place. The costume of the opening is soldier uniforms however, they are not clean and well kept as presented in various other war films, some of them are tattered or missing some of the items of clothing you normally expect in a soldier’s uniform (such as Hawkeye not wearing a proper Captain’s hat) which also reinforces the theme of rebellion since uniform is connected with authority and sensibility.
Overall the opening of MASH succeeds in:
• Setting the location of the film
• Establishing the film’s mixed genre of comedy and parody of war
• Introducing the main characters
• Reflecting on the film’s sketch like characteristics
• Allowing the audience to think freely
• Establishing its anti-war message (and the beginning of the anti-war film)
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