What Are the Key Conventions of an Opening Sequence?

What is the point of an opening sequence?

The opening sequence of the film is supposed to engage the audience and interest them in the film as well as presenting what the story is about, themes, the genres (E.g. Action, Romance, Western etc.) and perhaps giving the audience and insight into character development. 

What are the titles supposed to do?

The title sequence is supposed to set up a narrative for the audience to follow. This can be done in a number of ways by using the  key conventions of an opening sequence. They are also there to give the audience information about the film such as producers and companies, directors and actors that give the audience an insight as they can almost predict what is going to happen.

What are the key conventions of an Opening Sequence?
here is a link to a presentation I made using the website Prezi in order to show what the key conventions of an opening sequence were.

What Opening Sequences Have I studied? and, How are they good examples of the Key Conventions? Examples:

Kick Ass-

• exposition title sequence of a voiceover telling the audience
• use of ellipsis between time his mother died and months afterwards- nothing had changed at all.
• we learn that it is a superhero movie from the opening shots of flying through the sky as well as the use of a comic book style box at the top of the screen saying '..six months earlier'

Juno-

• we learn that she is an average yet quirky teenager connoted by the use of folky non diegetic music. The song is also about love which gives an indication that romance is one of the genres along with comedy.
• the audience learn of the character Juno who lives in a kind of childish dream world and does not deal with adult issues. This is connoted by the hand drawn element and coloured in pictures. This also reveals another theme of coming of age/ Teen Drama
• It is a perhaps a low budget film because of the handrawn element rather than the use of special effects.
• a state of equilibrium is created as well as setting time and place of an American town during Autumn as we see leaves fall and people wearing American Sportswear.

Napoleon Dynamite-

• there is an Indie Asthetic as the titles or producers, directors, actors etc are hand done on plates, paper and other objects. This also connotes a quirky comedy genre.
• a song is used which is whimsical and odd which indicates the kinds of characters within the film and reveals a childlike nature through this as well the the pictures/titles.

London to Brighton-

• Use of Barthes Enigma- Who is Derrick? What happened to that womans eye?
• it is also a restricted narration as it follows the one woman and the audience learn a limited amount of information