Codes and Conventions of a Film Opening

Within film openings there are codes and conventions which can either be conformed to, or subverted. I decided to look at the different codes and conventions so that as a group we could see which ones our film opening conforms to and which ones it subverts.
The codes and conventions are:

• Name and logo of production companies 
• The film title
• Establishes the genre
• Introduction to narrative
• Establishes setting
• Non-diegetic and diegetic soundtracks 
• Enigma
• Chronology

A successful and effective film opening attracts the audience to watch the rest of the film without giving away too much of the plot to spoil the remainder of the film. At the same time, setting and some characters are usually established so that from the very beginning of the film opening, the audience are able to make a prediction about who the protagonists and antagonists are - if this isn't already clear. 

Film openings are the first taste of the film that the audience get. This means that it immediately needs to establish the genre of the film, which enables the audience to find an understanding about what the film is about. This is linked in with the introduction to the narrative. Openings normally introduce some of the main characters in the film, usually the protagonist, as the antagonist remains a mystery.

The film title is an obvious convention which films of all genres conventions conform to. This separates the film opening from the main body of the film and introduces the name of the film. The typography also helps to establish the genre of the film, through the font and colour scheme which makes it easily recognisable.

Film openings are also normally in chronological order, because this means that it is easy to follow and will catch the audiences attention rather than confuse them straight away with what is going on. Chronology is sometimes subverted in film openings of specific genre, such as psychological horror, because this way it establishes the confusion and mind games immediately in the film.

Film openings are normally enigmatic, because this allows some parts of the narrative to be given away and entice the audience without revealing the whole plot. This attracts the audience to continue watching the rest of the film.

It is also conventional for film openings to incorporate both and non-diegetic and diegetic soundtracks. Both are used for different reasons, as the diegetic soundtrack helps to add to the realism of the scene but the non-diegetic adds depth to the narrative and can also be used as a form of creating different emotions, for example in most horror films it is used to create suspense and tension.