What Do Opening Sequences Do?

Opening sequences set the tone for the entire film, hooking the viewer into the film. The opening sequence does not have to have a specific storyline, as long as it is explained somewhere later in the film, for example Saw 2 has a man awakening in a trap, and if you have not seen Saw, then you still can tell by the shots used that the man is in trouble. The man is called Michael, and the typical thriller/horror camera shots are used here, such as the POV shots, with Michaels heavy breathing in the background. The viewer becomes hooked into the film, as they wonder if it will stay as gruesome all the way through, and enigmas are set in place, such as "who is the killer?". As for titles, there are none in this particular clip, which is rare for an opening sequence.


Michael is told to take out his eye with a scalpel to get a key from behind it, but  he fails to do so and is brutally killed by the trap. There is a standard feeling of claustrophobia in this scene, which many thrillers use.


I like the sounds that are used in this extract, because they make me feel uneasy and slightly scared.
The main character also has to be established in the first sequence, although they do not always live to see the rest of the film.




With our opening sequence, we hope to achieve the same feelings that Saw produces, the need to watch on, and to find out what happens in the film.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIhQ5IrxSPc <<<<<< Link To Saw 2