Analysing opening sequences..

Pearl Harbour opening sequence

The opening shot of the film presents us with an image of a sunset, the colours are not bright and bold, but rather stricking, this is code for dramatic. The golden hues and soft focus are code for romance. It is an establishing shot of the countryside, the mountains tell us that it is set in America. The land beneath the sun is very dark this gives the sense of mystery. Instantly I can see that the film is aimed at an audience of middle-aged females. The camera stays static and we see the entrance of the plane from the top right corner. This is the first bit of action we have seen this is code for adventure involving pilots. This is a convention of war films, what we expect to see. It brings heartache, pain and death, these are all conventions of war. The slow motion of the movement really allows the audience to think about what they are about to watch, we see a close-up of the plane which allows us to focus on it, the bright red colour of the plane draws attention. The camera switches from a long shot to a close up which is a convention of romantic cinematic films. We then see a fade exit and an image of the sunrise which is a code for romance and is the symbol of Japan. The title of the film fades into this image.
The colours then switch to reveal an aspect of realism. We are then presented with a low-angle, tracking shot of the plane which switches to a side view, tracking shot of the plane as it comes into land. The camera then switches to a high angle shot and we see informative graphics (Tennessee, 1923). The camera then replicates the flight of the plane on a dolly crane. We see a series of establishing shots telling us that the characters live by this barn, on these crop fields. This is a code for farming, lower working-class people. The non-diegetic music is very slow and peaceful this is code for sorrow. But this can also be seen as juxtaposition as the sounds you would espect to hear at war are loud, banging, screaming voices, and explosions, you don't get a peaceful minute. This represents the families still at home carrying on about there normal day.
The camera, in constant movement, then shows us a series of shots. We are then introduced to the first of the characters, two young boys. We can see them playing around, laughing and having fun. This is code for their relationship, for friendship. The fact that they are playing in their dad's plane shows that they look up to him, they have seen him fly and they mimic him. He is there hero, their inspiration.

Brokeback Mountain opening sequence

The first image we see as the audience is an establishing shot of a country landscape, we can see the warm colours of sunrise in the background behind the mountains, this is code for love, friendship and romance. The rest of the image is not in sharp focus, it's slightly blurred making the image softer. There is a blue tint across the image which gives a cold feel. These can be seen as juxtaposition as one represents the character's love for each other and the other, society's view on homosexual relationships. As the camera stays static we see the first piece of movement, a car entering from the bottom right hand corner. We then see an edit and the camera presents us with a close up on the vehicle. The mise-en-scene and old style telegraph poles tell us we are situated in a rural scene. As the vehicle comes into focus we can see that it is a truck which is code for working-class American's. The camera then follows the character in a mid-shot as he jumps out of the vehicle. His costume; boots, jeans, shirt, leather jacket and cowboy hat are all conventions of western films but also code for his character, this tells us he is a cowboy who works on horseback tending to animals on the ranches in north America. We are then presented with informative graphics, telling us that the film is set in Wyoming, North America in 1963. The character then exits to the left of the screen. The next scene shows another establishing shot, of a rural area. The colours of the buildings are very bland compared to the bright colour of the sky which is code for happiness and freedom but also for the feelings he is going to experience later in the film. The next image we see is a wide angle shot where again the mise-en-scene tells us we are in a north American town. The rusty truck, old wooden cabin, battered bin and patches of grass and straw are all conventions of this. The character is standing with relaxed body language, his head lowered and hands in his pockets. He is not tense or worried about anything. The camera stays static as a train rushes past but we can still see the character and he was not fazed at all by this. There is then an edit and the camera shows us a mid shot of the man where we can see he is smoking and he flicks out the cigarette with his finger. We then see a wide angle shot of the landscape which reveals very bright, warm colours, again this is code for happiness, warmth, love and freedom. Although the old style lamp posts, the train and buildings represent the time period the film is set. We can then see another vehicle approaching along the road. The close up we see next is really the first time we get to see his face properly and shows the character turning at the sound of the car this tells us this is what he was waiting for. His facial expressions show the first signs of him feeling a bit nervous. The camera then tracks the cars movement and as it pulls in we can see the this character is also wearing a cowboy hat. As he gets out of the car he slams the door and kicks the back this tells us he is not very calm, the language he uses tells us he is angry and not happy with the situation. As the edit changes to show us the new character from the other side we can see his entire costume and it is very similar to the first man's this is code for his job, his life and the area. From here we see a series of close ups and mid shots of both characters, there is no speech between them and they look away from each other. This tells us that the moment is a bit awkward and most likely unwanted.

A Walk To Remember opening sequence

The very first shot the audience see in a close up of the front light on a sports car, this is code for action and speed. The camera then pans across to the right as we see three teenagers get out of the cars this tells us they must be new drivers, we can hear the diegetic sounds of the car doors slamming shut. The costumes are all very dark, the first bit of colour we see is the bright red of the car entering from the top left corner. We see a mid shot of a couple kissing and the mise-en-scene is very dark, this scene is set in a rural quiet area, these are codes for troublemaking, teenage gangs, and sexualised behaviour. Their body language is relaxed, this tells us that they are comfortable and calm. From the character's accents we can see the film is set in America and the language they use tells us they are not necessarily well spoken, well educated people.

Saving Private Ryan opening sequence

The opening shot of this film presents a close up of an American flag, this tells us that the film is set here and is code for pride and patriotic emotions. The bright white background and sunlight behind the flag are code for freedom, happiness and eternity. The next scene begins with a close up of the back of a man's legs and feet walking away from the camera which tracks and tilts upwards behind him. The next edit then shows a mid shot of six characters walking behind the man. We see a close up of a male character taking a photograph and then we see the same image from the other side which reveals what he is photographing. This is also the first time we really see the male character properly from behind, we can see he is an elderly man. As the camera pans around the trees we see the man's face for the first time, he is looking past the camera towards something we can't yet see. The camera then switches and we see another image of the American flag. This tells us that he could well have fought for his country back in the war. We then see an image of the french flag this represents the battle between these countries in Normandy in 1944.  As the camera follows the man we see for the first time where they really are, the American cemetery in Normandy for the men who fought in the war. The white colour of the stones is code the peace these men are now at. We see a close up of the man's face which reveals the tears in his eyes, when he reaches his destination he drops to the floor and his family run over this shows the love they have for him. His body language and facial expressions are code for his emotions; love, sadness, upset, loss, heartbreak.