Children of men

"How effectively does the opening sequence from 'Children of Men' (2006) use the forms and conventions of film openings? What is your personal response as a member of the audience?"

Children of men, 2006. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón.
A main convention of an opening sequence is the technical codes. This consists of camera movement, framing, sound and editing. This can also include Mise-en-scene, cinematography and light and colour.
‘Children of Men’ use these conventions throughout the opening sequence for example the first thing you see is a blanks screen and you can just hear dialogue. This is the sound of a news broadcast. This is an example of diegetic, off screen sound. By showing a blank screen, it is engaging the audience’s interest and the audience is drawn into listening to what they are saying and ask themselves questions like why? There is a sound bridge into the first scene. You can hear the news broadcast and before it has finished it cuts to the first scene of a London café watching the broadcast.
The film indicates the date and location on the screen, “London, 16th November 2027”. So almost instantly the audience knows the film is set in the future. The film is also set in London. The audience capture this because they key conventions of London are there for example the red buses, police, dirty streets, crowded. Not much has changed just modernised for example the buses have moving images on the side. The costumes were plain, everyday people in plain/neutral clothing.
The camera movement in the opening sequence was quite repetitive. There was steady camera movement and hand held. For example when the explosion happens the camera man runs towards the café in a panic. This makes it look realistic, making the audience believe the situation. There were no interesting edits like dissolves but this is because if there were it wouldn’t fit with the genre. The only editing was the cuts from scene to scene.
There was a big explosion in the café, which caused suspension. As the camera focuses on the main character, a large explosion takes place leaving people running out of the café screaming. The audience can hear screams and glass smashing.

The audience can guess who the main character is because during the café scene while everyone else is standing still listening to the news broadcast, this one man walks in as if nothing has happened, pushes through the crowd to buy a coffee. He is the only character that speaks. He gets his coffee and leaves the shop. We also know he is the main character. The character is played by Clive Owen, who is famous for his roles in action films. He seems different to everyone else. The rest of the place is in a state of shock and panic and he seems very relaxed. The camera follows the main character out of the shop. As he stops we see him put alcohol into his coffee. This creates an enigma about the character, as to why is he drinking so early in the day? Or why isn’t he in a state of shock like the rest of the public?
The narrative of the film starts off with a news broadcast. This gives the audience information about what’s been happening. By hearing stories about the siege and immigration, the audience get a feel that London isn’t a very safe place and is full of terrorism and chaos. We also know this because in the scene a building reads the following notice, “Please report any suspicious activity”.
The main story is a death of a famous person. This person was famous for being the youngest person alive. The youngest person in the world has died at the age of 18. This speculates questions from the audience such as, “why is he the youngest person in the world at the age of 18?” This comes at such a shock to the public as there are no children left in the world.
There is no proper title sequence. The beginning shows the universal logo and the name of the film is shown at the end of the opening sequence. There aren’t any names shown or any music played.
From the opening sequence, the audience is hooked. They are asking questions and looking for answers. To find the answers they will need to watch the rest of the film. Also from the opening sequence the audience knows it is an action / adventure, futuristic drama genre.

I think that the opening sequence of children of men conveys a lot of conventions of an opening sequence. It is an opening that really makes an audience ask questions. This way it hooks the audience and wants them to watch more. A director’s main aim is to attract an audience in the first few minutes. I think children of men has done this really well. I like the fact that the beginning starts on a blank screen and just a voiceover can be heard. This also engages the audience’s interest. By making the screen black the audience has to focus on what is being said because they can’t see anything visually. Also, I like the fact that there isn’t any title sequence and music. The opening sequence seems quite dark and dreary but exciting in a way and putting music in wouldn’t fit the genre. They have added a bit of sad, slow music when they talk about the youngest person alive dying, when showing the broadcast, but it’s relevant to what’s happening. At the end of the sequence they show ‘Children of Men’ and nothing else, this seems appropriate.