Source Code

The film begins with a man on a train, hearing explosions. There is a loud train horn and he suddenly wakens. It is clear to the audience that he does not know where he is. This creates an enigma and a sense of mystery for not only the audience but the character as well. This allows the audience to learn things at the same time as the character (Capt. Colter Stevens). There is an ominous musical soundtrack playing as Colter tries to work out what is happening. Everyone around him remains calm which keeps the focus on him. The scene then calms down and Christina, who appears to be friends with Sean Fentress (the man that everyone else sees Colter Stevens as) tells him that 'everything is going to be ok'. Out of nowhere, there is an explosion and the audience see the train being derailed. Before the explosion, there are a few quick cuts which build the pace of the scene and signify the impending danger. There is a juxtaposition between the pace of the scene and the calm dialogue ('everything is going to be ok').

Casino Royale

Casino Royale Opening Sequence

The opening sequence is black and white, this is used to show that this current scene is set in the past as James Bond earns his 00 status, and to distinguish it from the rest of the film, which is set at a later point when he is well into his 00 career. An enigma is created because we are not aware of the characters background stories, and what sort of part they portray during the film. Suspense is shown during this opening sequence, its shown during the start when its extremely calm and quiet, the man walks to his office unaware of anything about to happen, however with the use of different camera angles, it gives the audience a feeling that something is about to happen. There is ambient sound during the start of the scene, this the makes the scene calm, then in the office we get the dialogue, which gives the audience information such as the fact that the first man has been selling MI6 secrets. There is then a flashback to James killing the man's colleague. The gunshot leads into the music and opening titles. In the scene we are introduced to James Bond and

The Dark Knight

Suspense is built up during the start of the scene, where there is a slow ticking sound, and music over the top, which is quiet but noticeable, and adds to the suspense of what's about to happen. There is a wide range of different camera angles used, to give the audience an insight to what is actually going on, and so that they can get a thorough understanding of the plot. There is a quick introduction to lot's of different characters, however, most of them are quickly killed off as it is revealed that the joker, who they kept referring to and believed to be simply organizing the bank robbery from afar, has ordered each of them to kill another while he takes all of the money. The pace of the scene is very quick as in the space of three minutes, 5 people are killed and we are introduced to The Joker who is the main antagonist of the film. The quick paced action scene is a indicator of what is to come throughout the film. As all of the bank robbers are wearing masks, there is an enigma created. The Joker takes off his mask to reveal that he is wearing makeup similar to the mask anyway.

Quantum of Solace

The opening scene in James Bond Quantum of solace, starts in the middle of the ocean, with the camera then zooming into the hillside, over the top of this, a fast paced, suspense piece of music is played which indicates something is currently happening, or about to happen. The scene then switches to 4 different camera angles of a moving aston martin, giving the audience a first sight of bond, and indicating that some action is about to take place. The shot then quickly changes back to the camera zooming in on the mountain side, and then changes to 4 different camera angles of a moving alfa romeo, giving the audience a sight of James Bond's enemy, this indicates something is obviously about to happen between the two, the camera then switches back to the mountain shot, then back to bond, we see his car again, and for the first time, a glimpse of his face, the camera then switches back to the mountain shot, and the musics pace then suddenly quickens, and starts getting much louder, the mountain shot no longer remains, and it goes straight into James Bond changing gear, and then the enemy firing bullets at him.

Thriller Opening Ideas