Three Movie Opening Sequences Compared

The Mistress of Spices (from 0:00 to 4:25) (Drama/Romance)

„The Mistress of Spices“ starts out with a quote reading „India is an ancient land famed for its myths, magic and traditions. But when its people leave to start new lives in the faraway lands of America and Europe, what happens to the magic left behind? This is an immigrants tale about keeping the magic alive...“ - the denotation of this opening quote would be that it's just a quote, however the connotation behind it clearly is that it is giving us an insight into the actual movie. The opening has a subtle sound of waves in the background, which then leads to cultural singing. Around 1:07, the opening sequence then fades into a blurry extreme close-up of flames for a few seconds, before fading into a long shot of the actual bonfire; the mix of the calming indigenous music and the rustling image of the bonfire gives the audience the connotation of something being serenic. It then fades into a extreme long shot of the bonfire, and the people sitting around it, and also showing the setting, which is on a beach at dusk. This leaves the impression that something like a ritual could be going on, as it links with the music very well. Then, showing a mid shot of two of the characters, the first mother and one of the children, it gives the audience a little more intimacy and understanding of how the characters are behaving and feeling during the scene. By seeing their expressions and actions, it is now clear that what is going on in the scene is very important and special to them. Around 1:52, the camera pans into the fire, showing several scenes of different locations in the world, such as Paris, London, or San Francisco. The camera shows another close-up shot of the first mother, giving the audience a better insight of how she is feeling, and gives the audience the ability to understand what the mood of the character is. It then shows a close-up of one of the children, who seems to be the main character introduced in the opening, also giving the audience a better opportunity to relate to the character. By the way she was looking, it gives the audience the feeling that she has a passion for whatever she is going through, or about to do. Then, it showed a close-up of a pile of chili and a piece of jewelry, giving the impression to the audience that the chili and the piece of jewelry have some kind of special connection. Around 2:20, the piece of jewelry is placed around the young girls' waist; the denotation of this would be that she is putting on a piece of jewelry, however the connotation of this means that she is now bound, or “chained” to something – most likely this “chain” has something to do with the chili that the piece of jewelry was picked out of. The close up shot of her waist also shows the audience the importance of the piece of jewelry around her waist, creating the impression that it will be important in the future. After that scene, the camera shot switches to a long shot, in which a fire pit, all the other students, and the first mother can be seen. The overall composition gives the impression of a ritual, showing that walking through hot coals is something that every one of the children have to do to complete said ritual. After that, the camera shots switch to close-ups of spices, sizzling oil and out-of-focus pictures of the setting. It also shows a close-up of the main actresses' waist, around which the jewelry shown at the very beginning of the opening sequence is seen, letting the audience know that the character now is the same one as it was in the beginning.

The opening sequence of “The Mistress of Spices”, a Drama/Romance, is giving insight into how things became the way they are at the current time of when the movie is set, and is also attempting to show what one of the most important things in the movie is. By showing so many close ups as they do, they also build an intimate relationship between the audience and the characters on screen, which can be very important for the rest of the movie. This also creates a little bit of drama as the audience does get a good insight into how the characters are feeling. By having created this opening sequence, it is also trying to let the audience in on the ritual, to let them know what is going on, and how it will make more sense when they continue to watch the rest of the movie. The calmness of the opening sequence gives the scene an overall feel of serenity, just like it should when a ritual is taking place. That way the opening sequence succeeded in letting the audience know what the main theme and factor of the movie is.

The use of close-ups and extreme long shots to create a feeling of calmness and serenity, and also to realise what the scenery looks like.

Mid long shot pan of one of the main characters to show emotion and spirituality.

Close up picture of scenery to feel like the audience is actually there.

Close-ups of the characters to be able to read their expression and realise how important this ritual that is taking place within the scene is for them. This also creates drama.

Close-up of a trinket/piece of jewelry that seems to hold an important value within the opening sequence - it could also possibly become more important throughout the movie.

Another scene where it shows the ritual and overall setting, leaving the feeling of calmness behind.

Close up of spices, similar to the close-up that happened when picking up the trinket, meaning that they must be important.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" (Fantasy)

The opening sequence of “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” starts with a black screen, and a narrator talking in the background, until, at the first minute, the title of the movie fades in. Then, the first few scenes are close-ups of a fireplace, rings being created, and rings shown on hands until 1:16. Close-ups are used to show things that are important, things that may be important throughout the entirety of the movie, therefore the connotation of those rings shown must be that they may be a sign of being bound to something, or to have risen to power because of these pieces of jewelry. Next, a close-up of three of the characters are shown, one in focus, and the others rather out-of-focus, meaning that one of the characters is more important than the others. After that, a canted angle, zooming out of a close-up into a medium close-up of dwarves is shown, also obviously showing that the rings are important – usually, a canted shot is significant as it shows that something isn't quite right, however I believe that in that shot at 1:22, it was used to make the scene more interesting. The high angle shot used at 1:26 shows that the dwarves mentioned in the video are rather small, and insignificant, however they raise their rings towards the camera, making it seem as if the rings were the most important part of the entire scene. In most of the scenes the rings are either the subject of the shot, or are moved to protrude in the shot (meaning that they are placed closer to the camera), giving the connotation that the rings are probably one of the most important things within the opening sequence, and probably play a larger role within the rest of the movie. After the rings, when the music also gets more intense, and the voice becomes more stern and serious, an extreme long shot of a dark scenery appears, letting the audience know that there is something else, that may disrupt the serenity of the forging of the rings. The audience is then shown an extreme close-up of the antagonist at 1:57; even though the antagonist in this movie has no visible eyes, it makes the audience feel uneasy because they are forced to be close to evil. It then shows a low long shot of the antagonist, making him seem large and overpowering; the audience is forced to feel intimidated by the character. At 2:07, a close-up of another ring is shown, letting the audience know (even though the narrator is already telling the audience), that this ring plays a big part in the movie, and that it is best not to ignore what is going on on screen at that very moment. Next, an array of extreme long shots, long shots, and mid long shots are shown to give the audience an impression of what has been happening because of the ring that plays such an important part in the movie. After that, around 2:26, a long shot of an army are shown, giving the audience the impression of how large the forces against the antagonist are; in contrast to this, close-up shots of the antagonists' army are shown, making the audience feel uneasy again, as they are forced to be close to the antagonist. Many action shots of fighting are shown after this, some being mid shots, others being (extreme) long shots. These shots also help the audience to understand the masses that are fighting against each other, but also what their fighting technique is and how they attempt to resist against each other. Around 3:21, another high shot, showing both the antagonist and the protagonists (or those fighting for the protagonist), creates the impression that the antagonist is larger, more intimidating, and stronger than the others, and is able to wipe them out with one single shot. At 3:43, a close-up shot of one of the main characters is shown, letting the audience read his shocked expression and letting him in on his feelings, letting them build an instant connection with the character. At 3:45, a medium close-up of two of the characters is shown, letting the audience know about the relationship the two have with one another. In the very end, at 4:23, a close-up of the antagonists' mask falling on the floor is shown, signifying that this was an important scene within the opening sequence and must be remembered throughout the movie.

The opening sequence for “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” was attempting to give the audience as much information as possible, however also build tension within. The opening sequence succeeded in giving the audience an insight into important information that the audience required to know in order for the rest of the movie to make sense by using a lot of close-ups, but also succeeded in building tension within the last minute by using a variety of high and low angles to show who has the power in said scene, and who the “weakling” of the scene was. It also managed to build tension by creating the impression that the antagonist was so overpowering that it was impossible to defeat him, and that the audience feared for the fate of the protagonists.

Showing the title first to know what the movie is called.

Close up of rings to show their importance within the movie.

More close-ups of rings and those who possess them.

Use of high angles to create the impression that the dwarves are small; by holding the rings closer to the camera it makes them more important.

Holding rings closer to the camera, or infront of the actual subject, makes the object more important.

Extreme long shot to show the dark realm Mordor.

An extreme long shot of a villain can make the audience feel uneasy.

Low angle shot of the villain to make him seem overpowering and important.

Close-ups of the ring to show it's importance and makes it seem more relevant.

Extreme long shots and long shots to show what is going on within a shot, also, to show the size of masses within a shot.

Another close up of a villain which makes the audience uneasy.

Action shots of long shots and close ups to give a better insight into what the actual fight is like, and how big the troops are.

A high shot where the antagonist is purposely made to look like a giant to make him look overpowering.

Another shot of the ring which carries importance.

Long shot of fight, to see what is happening.

Close up of characters' face to get an insight into what they're feeling and how they are affected by what is going on.

Mid-shot of two characters to show their relationship to one another.

Defeat shot of Sauron's head to rest the tension.

"The Phantom of the Opera" (Drama/Romance)

„The Phantom of the Opera“ starts out in black and white, giving an old appeal to the overall image. It starts out with a close-up of one of the main characters, which immediately gives the audience an insight into his feelings. It then moves onto an extreme long shot of what looks like an auction centre, letting the audience know where the scene is taking place. It also shows another medium close-up of another character, which gives the audience another impression of that the character is important within this particular scene, or even the rest of the movie. At 0:28, a low angle is used to show a chandelier beneath covers, making the object seem larger; it also gives the object more power, also letting the audience know that this object holds value within at least the opening sequence. Another close-up of the auctioneer is shown, adding drama to the scene, as he seems to be completely calm about what he is talking about, however his words seem eerie and are slightly unsettling. At 0:45, when the covers are lifted off of the chandelier, another low shot is used to once again present the overpowering feeling the object shows towards the audience. Next to the music setting in at around 0:50, the mid shots, or medium close-ups used in the opening sequence build more drama, as the reactions of the characters can be seen. By reading the expressions on the characters faces, the audience can tell that they are fazed by the chandelier being heaved up into thte air and it makes the audience realise that there is more to the chandelier than just being an object. At 1:00, a canted shot is being used whilst the chandelier is being lifted up into the air. This canted shot causes for more drama within the opening sequence, as it signifies that there is something that isn't quite right about what is going on – it signifies to the audience that there is something wrong with the chandelier. The sudden illumination and burst of colour with in the shots also shows the audience that the setting is changing; most likely from a different time into the present. This also adds more drama. At 1:30, another overpowering low angle of the chandelier is shown, really giving the audience the impression that is very important and that it will play a larger role within the rest of the movie later on. At 1:44, an extreme long shot of the overall scenery is shown, letting the audience know where the new setting is taking place. It then pans into the faces of two men, who seem like they would be important later on in the movie, making themselves memorable by being in a medium close-up. At 2:03, there is an array of long shots and medium long shots, as well as medium shots, to show the inside of the theatre that the audience got to see an extreme long shot of only a few seconds earlier. This is to give the audience a better insight into the overall setting and also lets the audience know where most of the movie seems to be taking place. By showing that many shots of one particular setting can only mean that this setting will most likely be one of the main settings within the movie.

The opening sequence of “The Phantom of the Opera” successfully creates the feeling of drama, but also gives off the impression that many objects that some would never suspect as being important, would have such a great influence within the movie. By having that many low angle shots of the chandelier, it made it seem very important and significant, and also made it memorable within the opening sequence. It gives the connotation that there is more to it, and that it isn't only a source of light. It managed to create drama, not only by using dramatic music, but also by using close-ups on characters that show their expressions, and by reading their expressions, the audience knows that there is something going on. The use of canted shots within the opening sequence also let the audience know that there's something that's not quite right; this may also be a factor of drama.

Close up shot of one of the main characters to see his emotions and how he is feeling in that moment.

Extreme long shot to get a glimpse of the scenery and to know where the movie is taking place in that certain scene.

Another close up of a main character to see their feelings. 

A low angle shot of the chandelier to make it seem more important and overpowering.

Another close up of a character to see what his reaction is to that, what he is saying.

Another low angle shot of the chandelier to make it more overpowering.

Mid shot of a shocked expression of one of the main characters.

Canted angle shot of the rising chandelier.

Change of colour within a shot to make it seem like the scenery is changing. 

Another low angle shot to make the chandelier overpowering. This means that the chandelier has a more important role than just sitting there and creating light.

Extreme long shot of Paris to set the new scenery.

Medium close-up of two new characters being introduced into the movie.

Medium long shots and long shots to show the scenery in more depth, giving the audience the impression that the movie wants you to get to know the scenery better because this is where most of the movie will take place.

“The Mistress of Spices and “The Phantom of the Opera” are both set in the genre of drama/romance. In the opening, neither of the movies showed any elements of romance, however did show elements of drama by using a variety of close-up shots, showing the facial expressions of the characters. Various other shots, like long shots, were used to create drama as well – both of the openings showed longer shots of the setting, showing other people, and giving an overall impression of what is going on. In “The Mistress of Spices”, this is done by showing a long shot of the children and the first mother sitting around a bonfire, whereas in “The Phantom of the Opera”, this is shown by portraying the entire auction centre within the theatre, or even by showing the entire theatre and the chandelier.

Example of the (extreme) long shots used within the two movies.

“The Mistress of Spices” and “The Phantom of the Opera” are both in the genre Drama/Romance, whereas “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” is in the fantasy genre. “The Mistress of Spices” and “The Phantom of the Opera” both build drama within their opening sequences by showing a variety of close-ups and long shots, which “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” does as well to build tension and show the size of masses. “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” and the other two movies have another thing in common; they repeatedly show close-ups of objects within the opening sequence that must be remembered within the rest of the movie; the ring, the jewelry and the chandelier.

Even though “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” is a fantasy movie, and “The Mistress of Spices” and “The Phantom of the Opera” are drama/romance movies, they are pretty similar when it comes to camera shots and either building tension or drama. The camera work within the opening sequences are pretty similar because they show what is important with close-ups. Just because the movies are a different genre, the opening scenes still show many similarities. There may be larger differences between the two types of movies and their camera work throughout the actual movie, however the opening scenes are very similar when it comes to this.  

Close-ups of the important items within the three movies, showing their importance and that they will be important throughout the rest of the movie.