Film Openings Research.
Pretty Woman.
- The genre of this film is romantic comedy.
The opening of this film shows where it is set, as there is a panning of the area and in this panning we see the Hollywood sign. This gives us an indication of what type of man Edward and other characters in the film are because they are living and working in Hollywood.
In the opening, the audience is introduced to some of the main characters and they get a first impression of what the characters are like. Edward is shown as wealthy but arrogant man as he ignores what his lawyer says and takes the car. He comes across as not taking relationships very seriously as he talks to one of his ex-girlfriends about whether she talked to his receptionist more than him when they were going out and she replied with the fact that his receptionist was one of her bridesmaids. The audience is introduced to Edward's lawyer. He tends to follow Edward where ever he goes and is always by his side or near to Edward in the opening scene. The fact that Edward ignores him suggests that Edward doesn't particularly take his lawyers opinion into consideration and it shows that Edward has a higher status than the lawyer.
The opening of Pretty Woman goes straight into the first scene giving us a glimpse of what life is like for Edward and his companions. Following that are the brief credits that say the institutions and the main actors and actresses that appear in the film. The audience also gets a introduction to the storyline and who might possibly be involved in the film. At the end of the opening the audience see some prostitutes waiting by the side of the street and talking to the men in the cars which give the audience an indication that the film might involve prostitutes and their business.
Batman - The Dark Knight.
- The genre of this film is thriller/action.
Right at the start of the film, when the audience sees the names of the institutions, the lighting is very dark to suggest a dark storyline or to show the genre of the film. There isn't much music at the start to build tension in the audience although music sounds as we first see a couple of the clowns in one of the rooms in the skyscraper. The music starts properly after the window of the room in the skyscraper that the clowns are in smashes. The music builds tension because it repeats the same beats throughout, which gets louder as more instruments come in and then as the clowns kill more of the other clowns and steal and break into things. No faces are shown as the men are wearing clown masks to hide their identity as this adds to the theme of the film. 
The opening is quite long and uses action shots and goes right into a scene. At the end of that scene, the audience sees one of the main characters, the Joker, shooting one of the clowns that had survived and then driving off in a school bus. The opening has no titles at all, it just goes straight into the film. The Joker is mentioned by all of the clowns like they are narrating because one clown continues on from the clown had said before. 
- The genre of this film is thriller.
The music in the credits shows the genre of the film because it is very dark and has scary music. There is also a quiet ticking noise in the credits and the disturbing images of the carousel and other fair ground rides that are shown throughout the credit, which all adds to the eerie atmosphere and creates tension for the audience. All of the disturbing pictures and noises are involved with the film too. The lighting of the disturbing pictures are very vibrant and the background is very dark which makes the pictures stand out more.
The credits show the names of the institutions involved, directors and the main actors and actresses. The credits are at the same time as the disturbing pictures. At the end of the credits there is a brief scene where the audience gets to see some of the characters that could be involved. This scene also shows one of the characters looking like she knows there is something wrong because she keeps stopping and looking around her with a confused and worried look on her face. The brief scene shows some of the characters on a ride and one of the girls taking and the picture of them. The girl then looks at the picture and is confused about what she sees but the audience don't see what she sees in the picture which builds tension. 
- The genre for this film is dark comedic crime.
There was a opening scene, before the credits, which is in the coffee shop where the audience was introduced to two characters, a male and a female, who are known as Ringo (Pumpkin) and Yolanda (Honey Bunny). The fact that Ringo swears a lot during this first scene shows the age for the appropriate audience is at least a 12. The scene shows what the two characters want to do, while in this coffee shop, because they explain how they want to rob the shop. The simple coffee shop scene contrasts to what they are talking about because the shop makes them seem very innocent and then when they talk about shop lifting it shows them in a different light. It looks like it has been filmed in broad daylight which contrast with the fact that they are robbing the coffee shop. The use of props, two guns, shows that the two characters are not as innocent as the first seemed when the audience first saw them sitting in a booth in the coffee shop. 
After the two characters freeze holding their guns, the music starts to play and is up beat and fast. The credits show the main actors and actresses as well as the names of the institutions involved. The music is a big part of the film and that is why the music director and the team that helped with the music appear in the credits as well.
- The genre for this film is horror.
The credits are appearing as the panning of the landscape is being shown. The credits show the names of the institutions, the title of the film and the main actors and actresses that are involved.
Reservoir Dogs.
- The genre for this film is action.
The conventions used in the film are;The music in the opening is relevant to the movie theme and it sets the genre of the film. There is little speech in the opening though it is mostly music. The lack of conversation adds atmosphere to the opening scene because the audience doesn't know any background information about the characters or scenario. In the picture shown, shows the title of the film above the main characters. The cars and the houses in the background show that the movie is older and the colour quality also shows the age of the film. The title is in a mustard yellow colour with a black outline to show definition to make the title stand out. It is also in a serif font, which suggests that the film will have a darkened theme and storyline due to the sharpness of the title.
There are shots of the men in black suits walking down the street in slow motion to show the characters personalities and importance of their role in the storyline. As a close up of each character appears on the screen, the actor's name is shown below their headshot to inform the audience of the actors role in the movie. The other credits then appear after,showing they are not as important as the main actors that are involved. The car in the background looks old and discoloured, which makes the characters in the foreground look more important as the stand out in black.
Some good comments and detailed analysis of the openings. A bit more on the use of credits and why they were done in that way would benefit this post.
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