Range of openings

I have looked at 3 different films looking at some of the basic elements of the opening 2 minutes. I have studied:

• The Titles
• The Setting
• The Characters
• The Style
• The Sounds

Happy - Go - Lucky

Happy - Go - Lucky is produced by "Summit Entertainment" which is in a plain font and uses a plain blue and black colour scheme. The rest of the titles are also the same colour and appear along side the opening scene (The character on her bike) on the opposite side of the frame. There are a series of takes of her riding her bike around London. The camera is facing as if the passenger in front of her has turned around. The opening 2 minutes is just her travelling on her bike and just arriving at her destination which makes it hard to determine a genre. However, the music and the colours used perhaps suggests a more femenine based drama or a "Rom-Com". 

Shaun Of The Dead

Shaun Of The Dead opens with a soundtrack which has a spooky sense to it already perhaps putting it into a horror genre. The opening shots are face to face shots of 2 characters (1 being played by Simon Pegg, associated with Comedy films), from each person's point of view. A character played by Nick Frost then enters the scene with a crude line suggesting the film's going to be a typical Pegg and Frost comedy duo. The opening is set in a pub - a familiar setting. This allows the audience to relate with the film and involves them. 

London To Brighton

Unlike the other 2 films, London To Brighton immediately provides instant action - the 2 girls running into the toilets, one bleeding and saying to the other to stay hidden while she's gone. This makes the audience have to invent the previous scene and makes them think about the film a lot more than just a general introduction where the audience are learning at the same pace as the film travelling. In this opening, there's something that the film is hiding from the audience. The shots in the opening scene are also close or very close to the actors. This makes the audience feel the action and fear the characters are experiencing. The feeling is also strengthened by the hand held camera which adds to the panic. From this we can assume the film could be an action/thriller based genre.