Fargo

The opening sequence shows many features of an opening sequence and also has a lot of good ideas. The transition used at the beginning in cross dissolve which give the sense that time is going slower and we are seeing a sped up version. The black titles on the pale blue background are eye-catching and allows the audience to know who is in the film. The surnames of the actors are bigger and more noticeable than their first names as many actors surnames are well known. The beginning shots are mainly composed of establishing shots, extreme long shots and long shots. These shows the audience the setting and lets them become familiar with it. The audience feels slightly uneasy as you can not see everything however this is effective as it makes you want to continue watching the film the find out more.

Once the scene develops we are introduced to the main character. This is done by a close up on the mans face. The two men he meets are both shown together in the frame which suggests that they are as important as each other to the film and that they are together. The main character is also given a lot of dialogue and screen time which makes the audience focus on him and understand he has a main part in the film. He also gets many close ups which shows is facial expressions. There is a lot of dialogue in the opening sequence which establishes the situation the characters are in and the roles they will play within the film. During the conversation they stick to the 180 degree rule and use shot reverse shot as shown in the picture above. During this dialogue the audience is straight away presented with a shocking situation which makes them want to carry on watching to find out how the situation will unravel.