Codes and Conventions of a film opening

The purpose of a tile sequence or film opening is to help draw in the viewers attention to make them want to carry on watching. They are used to help establish the genre and characters in only the first few minutes. There are lots of different conventions that are included in an opening sequence such as:

Key credits- production company, main actors & director
Any film openings always start off with the production companies idents which automatically set the standard and exceptions of the film to the audience, as a larger, well known company are more likely to produce a big budget film.This is then followed by a title sequence which include the cast and production team who helped in the making of the film. 

Establishing characters 
It is important to have the key characters shown in the film opening as it shows their importance and role throughout the film. By showing the characters can also help the audience to guess the genre as certain characters are associated with certain genres.  

Enigmas 
Enigmas are usually used to create mystery and tension to keep the audience guessing. It keeps the audience intrigued and makes them want to continue watching as they want their questions answered. Enigmas are one of the most important factors in a film opening as it ensures the audience are hooked. 

Sound 

Sound also plays an important role in an opening sequence as it can help set the atmosphere and the scene. It can also tell the audience what the genre they can expect to see. They can usually include non-diegetic or diegetic sound, however non-diegetic is more common.

Establishing genre 
Throughout a film opening the audience should be able to work out what the genre is, usually done through the conventions suited to that film type, For example in a horror you would usually expect to see low key lighting, eerie music and dark colours like grey and black.