The Dark Knight Opening Sequence

Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Released: 2008
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart

The start of this opening shows the back of a man on the corner of a street holding a clown mask at a mid shot low angle.  The main focus is on this mask which immediately shows the audience that clowns are going to be a  main feature throughout this film. This feature then becomes more apparent when a car pulls up and the men inside are all wearing clown masks as well. They're talking about the robbery that is about to take place and mention the name of the head guy, 'the joker', which immediately makes the audience ask who the joker is and how they are going to get away with it. At the same time there is the use of high angles and low angles as other robbers are making their way across the city on a high wire, which also establishes the setting for the film. There are no credits in this opening. The concentration is all on the main bank robbery.
The lighting is mainly natural with only some key lighting within the actual bank. The only colour present in the opening is that of the school buses at the end and the colours on the clown masks which makes them stand out and be the main focus of the film.
At the end, the joker reveals himself, as an extreme close up and we immediately recognise this face and know that this man is going to be a main focus through the rest of the film.

Juno Opening Sequence

Genre: Romantic Comedy
Released: 2007
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Starring: Ellen Page, Michael Cera and Jennifer Garner

The video above of the Juno opening sequence doesn't actually show the start of the opening where the scene for the film is set and important information that the audience need to know will be revealed. We learn that the main character Juno, who is using a voice over to tell us the story, likes a guy at her school and they decide to have sex together. However, we later learn that she has become pregnant which is the bases for the rest of the film. The main part of the opening, which is featured above, is the credits and opening song. If you listen to the lyrics, it fits in with the relationship theme of the film and the fact that the main character only wants this boy; 'All I Want is You'.
The sequence goes from reality into a cartoon strip, where the different frames have been drawn over to create the unusual effect. This helps to establish the audience as being younger, with the childish like drawings and also makes it more fun and interesting for the audience to look at.
The opening follows a girl drinking Sunny D, so we immediately recognise her as the main character and the Sunny D drink is relevant shortly after when she takes a pregnancy test. The credits are also presented throughout the whole opening, not all in one place, which adds variety and keeps the main focus on the actual opening. There are also boys running in the background every now and again throughout the sequence, the colour of their shorts stands out against the dim coloured background and we later learn that these are the group of boys that Junos 'lover' runs with every morning and they feature as a main theme throughout the film.

Cleaner Opening Sequence Analysis

Genre: Crime/Thriller
Released: 2007
Directed by: Renny Harlin
Starring: Samuel.L.Jackson, Eva Mendes, Ed Harris

This film opening shows many narrative functions. It introduces us to the main character and what he does for a living. This is shown through the use of a voice over coming from the main character, which becomes more clear as the opening sequence progresses. He uses the first person narrative, me, I etc, to show he is talking about himself. The credits of the opening appear on the image, they're not placed on a different shot on a plain coloured background, and they aren't all shown all at once, they are spaced out along the sequence, to keep it simple and not throw too much information at the audience in one go.
The use of a sound bridge at the beginning of the opening, makes the production company name less boring to look at on its own and also gives the audience a feel to what might be coming up next in the opening and for the film itself.
There is also an establishing shot that allows the audience to see the setting for the film. It is a modern city and the colour looks as if it has been washed out, suggesting a more dull, dismal city, as opposed to a more lively, vibrant one. The camera mainly stays at lower or higher angles, to get a better perspective on different situations, and also to hide the main characters face until the end of the opening when a close up shot of his face is used to tell the audience that this was the man speaking and this is the face that you need to remember, because he is the main character.
At the beginning the camera follows the characters at a low angle, whilst the sinister music continues to play, suggesting something is about to happen and keeps the suspense building. The music and the short story also help to show the main themes and style of the film. It shows the film is based around death and the music helps to show that it's mysterious and sinister, as if something in the film is not going to be right. The shots are simple and kept in an everyday life flat, with no additional lighting. The only other place the camera moves to is the cleaners van and the street outside, this avoids confusion and doesn't add too much to the film too soon; it spreads it across the film.
However, after the short story introduction, the line, 'death is tragic', different music begins to play, which is more up beat and jazzy, explaining the good sides of death. The music is contrapuntal, as it is a happy song, being played to a sombre situation. This change of music could represent the characters feelings towards his job and also the fact that he isn't ashamed about the way he feels. The lyrics, 'tell me something good', also fit in with the side of the story the voice over is now telling, which is the good side of death and the benefits people get from it. There is also the us of graphic match. In the van, the character lifts up a sheet and shakes it, this then becomes a sheet inside the house that he is shaking down onto a table. This more up beat side to the opening suggests to the audience that it is no longer as sinister as before, but is still a mystery as to why we need to know about this mans job in order to watch the rest of the film.