The "Watching" Documentary

 In the lesson we watched a documentary on different types and purposes of film openings. We learnt many different styles and effects film makers attempt to have on their audiences.

Thomas Sutcliffe quotes "Films need to seduce their audience into long term commitment. While there are many types of seduction, the temptation to go for instant arousal is almost irresistible."

This quote explains the idea that grabbing the audience in the first 5 seconds of the film is crucial, it makes them have to stay in the cinema to watch the film and 'a great sharp shock' is needed to do so.

A director named Jean Jacques Beineix explained that there are many risks of 'instant arousal.' A problem caused by instantly grabbing their audience full attention means that they take the risk of having to maintain and keep the arousal of the audience in what follows the title sequence and some film makers find that difficult to think of the next step.

It stated, " a good beginning must make the audience feel that it doesn't know nearly enough yet, and at the same time make sure that is doesn't know too little'. This basically means that they want to entice their audience to keep watching and want to find out more about the film, because they have been lead on, not by too much but by enough that will keep them interested and willing to follow.

A 'classic opening' is described as a film beginning with an establishing shot and then a window shot and a character shot, this way the film follows the life of the character and can establish setting instantly. this is in the attempt of leading the audience into the nature of the story, although classic opening suggests long stories/sagas.The title sequence to Se7en was so effective as it wakes everyone up as it is upbeat and briefly tells the story and foreshadows the theme so the audiences are able to expect what type of film it is.

Orson Welles wanted to achieve by his opening a film that goes straight into the film with no titles, however Universal were not happy with this as they still wanted to be recognised.. "A favourite trick of Film Noir' is the idea that the beginning of a movie is then ending where something dramatic happens such as a death which instantly arouses its audience.

Finally, the opening to The Shining creates lots of suspense and the camera remains fixed on one object in a  high helicopter shot and follows the object in a predatory way. this connotes danger, a sense of no belonging and that whoever the character is, they are heading in the wrong way!