Common film opening techniques...

Conventions
The ingredients of a media form/ code. The most typical way of doing something.

NOTE! There are conventional ways of creating/ doing/ making 'things'. We must remember this!

opening- typical... conventions

• Setting
• Time period
• Character(s) - protagonist
• Initiates plot/ narrative.                                                                                                        NOTE! If an opening does not 'do' (narrative) this it could be classified as unconventional
• Enigma

Connotation
The non literal meaning we inspect of something, e.g. a box  can connotate feelings of excitement, suspense, anticipation.


Enigma (usually used at the begging of a story production)
What does enigma do...

• Build tension, making the audience wanting to know and understand what is happening. 
• Suspension
• Mysterious (creates mystery)

Creating enigma

• Through the soundscape (diegetic and non-diegetic mix)
• Changes in the sound track (the composed music)
• Ambiguous location
• Ambiguous character (e.g. body in the water in Bourne Identity movie, in the opening scene)
• Time of day/ weather
• Colour and lighting
• Missing part of the story (shrinking time)

Example of Enigma in a film
Bourne Identity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw9DhUhUCeU


McGuffin/ Maguffin 
It is a plot element that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot. The most common type of McGuffin is an object, place, or person; other, more abstract types include money, victory, glory, survival, power, love, or some unexplained driving force.