Film Openings

The opening sequence of film is the most important part, as it has to keep the audiences attention so that they will continue to watch the rest of the film. Within the first five minutes of the film it must introduce an appealing main character and storyline.
In film noir openings the narrative tends to have an enigma to capture the audiences attention, they often use music to create tension and a voice over to form a mysterious atmosphere.
Cinematography is essential as dull shots will lose the audiences attention. Mis-en-scene is used to portray the correct atmosphere, this will be the props, costumes, actors, location and lighting, and lastly the editing helps structure the pace of the sequence, the titles and effects should introduce the film and characters well.
All these factors contribute to how the audience interprets the film.