Children of Men opening sequence analysis

Children of Men opening sequence analysis- "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?" “In 2027, in a chaotic world in which humans can no longer procreate, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea, where her child's birth may help scientists save the future of humankind.” An opening sequence's aim is to engage the viewer in a way which makes the viewer want to watch the film in it's entirety, the film 'Children Of Men' jumps straight into the narrative, the viewer is shown a blank screen and hears newscasters broadcasting, this is a rarely used technique to open a film and grab the viewer's attention, the mystery of the plain black screen engages the eye, in suspense awaiting a change and an explanation for it. The viewer knows straight away what the film will be about, this is effective because when the viewer is in suspense, they feel involved in the film, and if a viewer is involved in the film they will enjoy it and want to watch the rest. The opening sequence to Children Of Men is in keeping with the conventions of opening sequences due to this, as most opening sequences aim to entice the viewer into further viewing. The sequence differs from the conventions followed by most opening sequences as it shocks the viewer, there is a large explosion at the end of the clip, the purpose of the explosion is to stun the viewer and make them jump, it straight away establishes the film's genre, an action film, and shows the viewers that the forthcoming film will have more explosions and action. Another thing that differs from conventions is that there is no real establishing of character, we are introduced to a man, we do not learn his name, the only information we can gain from him is that he does not care too much for the breaking news he sees on the television, and that he likes to drink alcohol. The main character, as well as the audience, is shocked by the explosion, if he had no reaction the audience would assume he was responsible for the explosion. This is both a convention and a contrast to the conventions, it introduces the main character straight away, but does not allow the viewer to make a connection with him. The setting of the clip is 2027, there imagery is very futuristic, showing a future London, which, in a way looks more dismal than it is in present day, which sets an enigma, this is a commonly used trait in opening sequences, there are a lot of enigmas started in this clip, why was baby Diego the youngest person on Earth? What caused that explosion? The fact that there are many enigmas is common in opening sequences as it makes viewers want to watch more. The first thing a viewer is faced with is the production company logo, this is the same in every film, however, there is no sound in the first 30 seconds of the film, this is interesting to the viewer, they are fixated on the screen while they await the next thing, this goes against conventions of opening sequences as the viewer is engaged in a different way to which many other films open. The setting of the film is established as soon as the iconography shows it is London, as soon as the character walks out of the cafe and is passed by an iconic big red bus, then in the skyline St. Paul's cathedral can be seen, this is a famous landmark and is important to British history and heritage, it is a world famous building, the viewer can see straight away that the film will be set in London, thereby focusing their attention, as they can relate to the storyline. The main character is played by Clive Owen, a renowned and established actor, the audience can recognize this and think that the film will be similar to films that made him famous, such as 'Inside Man' and 'Sin City', both of which are heavy in violence and action but follow an interesting storyline. The studio that produced the film is 'Universal', a prestigious production company that consumers know and trust, a prospective viewer will feel comfortable in the fact that 'Universal' would not produce a film of bad quality. The fact that the main character takes little notice to the death of 'the youngest person on the planet' shows the audience that he is abnormal, everyone else seen in the shop is fixated on the television set, waiting for more news about baby Diego, the characters in the cafe look like ordinary people, they are intrigued as to what is happening in the news, this accents how abnormal the main character is, the viewer is concerned as to why the character is not affected by the news. The setting is dark, the London seen is very polluted and dirty, the fact that the youngest person on earth is 18 years old and was killed for not signing an autograph shows that the world has changed into a dark place, the viewer is then pulled into the film, wondering why people are not having babies any more. I had an extremely positive response to the opening sequence, it has made me want to watch the film in it's entirety, this has fulfilled the aim of the sequence, so the filmmakers have succeeded. I thought that the opening sequence was great, it showed the me, in the short time that it had, that the film would be full of action, the man who was seen filling up his coffee with alcohol would be the main character, and that he was a somewhat unusual character, who did not care that the world was slowly ending. The effectiveness of the opening sequence can be seen through my response as I plan to go out of my way to purchase the film, giving the stars of the film and the production team what they set out to get. My favourite part of the opening sequence was the newscaster section, it established quickly that it was set in the future, which opens our mind to many different ideas, personally, I made many assumptions, one, that it would be a Science Fiction film and that it would be something like the other Sci-Fi's I have watched. I was pleasantly surprised by the realism of the opening sequence, it was based in the future, but not drastically, so the new things that are included are understandable, there is nothing like flying cars or floating buildings, there are just more advanced technological improvements, such as buildings with television screens on the side, this made me think that I was involved in the fictional world. In conclusion, I think that the opening sequence was extremely effective, and that it was in keeping with the codes and conventions of opening sequences in all genres, Science Fiction specifically.