How Film Openings Establish Narrative

Most film openings do not relate directly to the plot, but they lead into events that do. They are a way to set contexts for the film, such as where it is set, what year or era, who some of the characters are, or what they may be like. 


Film openings are sometimes a kind of prologue, in which case usually the characters and era of the film are not established, however the general themes could be. For instance if a film is set in space on a nice planet that is soon going to be invaded by nasty aliens, the opening could be some kind of conference held by the nasty aliens, deciding the fate of the nice planet. This would not relate directly to the plot, however it does establish the sci-fi themes in the film, and also the general tone. 


Sometimes film openings almost appear somewhat like anecdotes not entirely relating to the plot, but introducing the main themes and/or characters. For example, the opening to "My Girl" is Veda sitting at the kitchen table while her father makes a sandwich, explaining to the audience how she has so many afflictions and illnesses. She turns to her father and states her concern about one of many illnesses, and her father asks her to "pass me the mayonnaise out of the fridge." This allows the audience to recognise the relationship Veda has with her father, and it also indicates that she is a hypochondriac, thus giving the audience enough information about the main characters and themes of the film, to allow them to make connections and understand the context of the rest of the film. 


In general film openings are a way to quickly introduce the audience to the various aspects of the film. Alot of information has to be coded in a film opening for the audience to recognise and understand.