Opening Sequence Research

http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/18511/the-importance-of-title-sequences-in-the-movies

Whether we’re watching a movie at home or in the cinema, our experience will almost certainly have been prefaced by a bombardment of adverts or external distractions. A title sequence acts as a bridge between the outside world and the imagined one in the film, and allows the filmmaker to ease the viewer into the rhythm of their movie. In the majority of Cronenberg’s films, this rhythm is methodical, like the slow tick of a metronome, or a scientist clicking through a collection of slides.

Whether they’re loud and aggressive, or quiet and soothing, title sequences are the cinematic equivalent of an opening curtain in a theatre – and, as the films mentioned in this brief celebration hopefully prove, the movies simply wouldn’t be the same without them.

These two quotes from www.denofgeek.com show the importance of an opening sequence in capturing the attention of the audience. As the first quote suggests, it "acts as a bridge" drawing the viewers from all of the distractions from the world around them, in to the world of the film. Henceforth, it is, some would argue, the most important aspect of the film in terms of engaging the audience. For instance, if you were to watch a film from start to end, and then watch another film from approximately half way through to the end, without a doubt you would be most engaged in the first film, simply because you had watched it all, and it had captivated  your attention through the full storyline, as opposed to having to make a guess at what had gone on previously. Henceforth, I think that an opening sequence is especially important as it almost acts as the first section of the film, it establishes the key characters, locations and mood for the film to follow, it does exactly what it aims to and 'sets the scene'. Consequently, as the second quote states "the movies simply wouldn’t be the same without them".