Components of an opening sequence.

Narrative: Media texts present versions of the world through the 'packaging' of events and characters into stories. Such narratives may be extended and developed, as in film dramas or documentary programmes where the whole 'story' is told. They may also be continuous or serial narratives, such as television news broadcasts or soap operas.

Genre: A media text is said to belong to a genre, as it adopts the codes and conventions of other texts in that genre, and lives up to the same expectations. These genres are: Crime, Soap Opera, Sci-Fi, Comedy, Fiction, Serial and One-Off. These genres can then be split up into sub genres for example Teen Drama, Costume Drama, and Docu-Drama etc.

Target Audience: This is a specific group of people that particular media is aimed at. A target audience can be formed of people of a certain age group, gender, marital status, etc., e.g., teenagers, females, single people, etc. A combination of factors, e.g. men aged 20-30 is a common target audience. The biggest mistake it's possible to make in targeting is trying to reach everybody and ending up appealing to no-one.

Film Language: Film is a language all its own, a way of communicating using images which is understood around the globe. However, like any other language it has rules and conventions which can be deconstructed, and, through deconstruction, understood. But in order to deconstruct, you have to be able to give all the pieces a name.

·         Mise-en-scène: The things in the scene - these are literally the things put in the picture for you to look at. All or some may be significant, but nothing is accidental - remember, this is not reality; it is a re-presentation of it. This will include actors, set, costume, and lighting. You should consider how the mise-en-scène reflects the production values of the movie. Location is an important aspect of mise-en-scène: why was that particular location chosen, and what advantages/restrictions would you associate with filming there?

Mise-en-shot: The process of translating mise-en-scène into moving pictures, into shots, and the relationship between the two. The main parameters are

·         camera position

·         camera movement

·         shot scale (LS/MS/CU etc)

·         duration of the single shot

·         the pace of editing

·         depth of focus

Sound: Sound can be used to create certain emotions in media and is also linked to the genre of that media as well. The different types of sound used can be classified under seperate categories.

·         Diegetic: What the characters can hear. This can be on or off screen but has to be relevant to the scene.

·         Non-Diegetic: Sound that is added in after e.g. soundtrack or narrative.

·         Brass: Can connote royalty or war

·         Strings: Produces sound by means of vibrating strings.

·         Drums: Can connote a heartbeat.

·         Crescendo: Gradual increase in volume.

·         Staccato: Abruptly disconnected notes.

·         Foreboding: A strong inner feeling or notion of future misfortune or evil.

·         Electronic.

·         Fast.

·         Slow.

·         Incidental music: Often background music which adds atmosphere to the action. Maybe a low, ominous tone suggesting an impending startling event or enhance the depiction of a story advancing sequence.

·         Ambient sound: Background sound which is present in a scene or location.

·         Sting: Short musical phrase, primarily used in TV shows and films as a form of punctuation e.g. Eastenders.

Lighting: Lighting can be used in a similar way to sound; it creates a mood for the audience and can be linked to the genre. Different types of lighting are listed below:

·         Ambient Light	The light already present in a scene, before any additional lighting is added.
·         Incident Light	Light seen directly from a light source (lamp, sun, etc).
·         Reflected Light	Light seen after having bounced off a surface.
·         Colour Temperature	A standard of measuring the characteristics of light, measured in Kelvins.
·         Contrast Ratio	The difference in brightness between the brightest white and the darkest black within an image.
·         Key Light	The main light on the subject, providing most of the illumination and contrast.
·         Fill Light	A light placed to the side of the subject to fill out shadows and balance the key light.
·         Back Light	A light placed at the rear of a subject to light from behind.
·         Hard Light	Light directly from a source such as the sun, travelling undisturbed onto the subject being lit.
·         Soft Light	Light which appears to "wrap around" the subject to some degree. Produces less shadows or softer shadows.
·         Spot	A controlled, narrowly-focused beam of light.
·         Flood	A broad beam of light, less directional and intense than a spot.
·         Tungsten	Light from an ordinary light bulb containing a thin coiled tungsten wire that becomes incandescent (emits light) when an electric current is passed along it. Tungsten colour temperature is around 2800K to 3400K. Also known as incandescent light.
·         Halogen	Type of lamp in which a tungsten filament is sealed in a clear capsule filled with a halogen gas.
·         Fresnel	A light which has a lens with raised circular ridges on its outer surface. The Fresnel lens is used to focus the light beam.
·         Incandescent	Incandescent lamps produce heat by heating a wire filament until it glows. The glow is caused by the filament's resistance to the current and is called incandescence.