In the 'Children Of Men' opening sequence, the films genre being a drama thriller is identified through the lack of non-diegetic music creating an awkward atmosphere, and suggesting that the rest of the film is equally full of suspense. It also establishes dark and mature themes, associated with the drama genre, through the diegetic sound of newsreaders reporting a tragic death, while also giving the audience historical context, which helps them to understand the narrative, considering it's set in the future.
In comparison, the opening sequence to 'Lord Of War' identifies itself as a crime drama by showing the manufacturing process of a bullet, which is stereotypically associated with crime and violence, establishing the genre. Another indicator is the non-diegetic song playing throughout the sequence, referring to guns being pointed and battle lines within the lyrics. Also, the consistency of utilitarian clothing connotes war and aggression, linking back with the themes of violence and crime.
Narrative
The religious references within the news reports of the 'Children Of Men' opening make the premise of the film more relatable and offers cultural significance by putting into perspective how drastic the concept of the world no longer allowing natural birth has become, effecting all areas of society. Religion is a good way to incorporate verisimilitude, to ground the film and, in this case, create a realistic interpretation of the future. Using news reports is also a good way to bring the audience up to speed quickly, efficiently and, critically, from a non-biased perspective. All opening sequences are designed to entice audiences and hook them into the narrative by creating questions that they want answers. In this case there's an unexpected explosion that soon gets cut off by the film title, already making the audience want to continue watching, for the sake of closure.
In terms of narrative, the 'Lord Of War' opening is quite vague, not introducing any of the main characters nor dialogue for that matter. Tracking the life of a bullet could however suggest their profession, or even reflect the narrative when it comes to changes in character dynamic. For example, the bullet starts off in a factory and then soon moves to a contrasting, more exotic and naturalistic, location that consists of heavily armed soldiers. This suggests that changes in location and character types are to be expected within the narrative. Like 'Children Of Men,' this also opens up questions for the audience, such as how do these bullets relate to the narrative and what is significant about the change of locations?
Character
During the visual news report in the 'Children Of Men' opening, the news channel cuts to a clip of a baby using direct mode of address. This creates a sense of sincerity, causing the audience to empathise with the recently deceased, while also displaying his significance within the narrative. The main protagonist of the film is identified when he's introduced into the shot while the camera and everyone in the shot is standing still, making his entrance all the more apparent. The camera then follows his movement out of the café, so that the following explosion is from his view point, continuing the aspect of realism over the more commonly used stylised techniques, to make the explosion more plausible and authentic.
The only characters we're introduced to that stand out with close ups or inconsistently long-lasting mid-shots in the 'Lord Of War' opening are a factory worker, an army general and a criminal. This implies they, are there character types, have some importance in the rest of the film. The fact that they're so wide in variety means there's a clear distinction in both formality and social hierarchy, with the only common element being the bullet, which could symbolise that despite the differences a bullet can kill anyone.
Atmosphere
The 'Children Of Men' opening has quite a depressing tone, with peoples clothing being very dull and vibrant-lacking colours, such as grey and black, both connoting a sense of unimportance and a lack of enthusiasm, hope and ambition. The consistency of these colours throughout the scene suggests this depression effects everyone within the narrative, and that it is therefore one of the key themes of the film. The empathetic facial expressions shown in the scene also establishes an atmosphere of mourning, in context with the death referred to in the news reports, implying he was of some importance to them, generating questions such as why is he so important and how does this effect the main protagonist, who at the time seems oblivious in contrast?
By contrast, the 'Lord Of War' opening begins with a stereotypically boring and mechanically repetitive working day, with the close up of a factory worker conveying a lack of enthusiasm and therefore creating a dull and uneventful atmosphere. This is, however, conflicting with the theme of war, which is usually seen in quite an exciting light, consequently creating a subtle hint of comedic attributes. With the camera following the bullet as it's being crushed and moulded into shape, it makes everything else, including people, appear a lot bigger in comparison, connoting intimidation and solitude.
Themes
The key themes that are apparent in the 'Children Of Men' opening are misery and war. They're established through a combination of the news readers mentioning the death of the world's youngest person, the colour of the clothing of the citizens and the lack of non-diegetic music to create an uneasy tone for the audience. The war aspect, in particular, is visually established through an explosion that occurs at the end of the clip, suggesting that this level of violence can be seen in the rest of the film. Shortly after this, there's a diegetic ringing sound, coupled with the camera then shaking and becoming hand-held, linking back to the use of verisimilitude.
Similarly, in the 'Lord Of War' opening, some of the themes that are identified are violence, death and loneliness. The element of death is only established at the end of the sequence, when the young boy is killed by the very bullet that has been the key physical aspect of the sequence, possibly referring to the significance of that child or to be a symbol for the unnecessary chaos that war creates. By contrast, the lonely theme is hinted at during the beginning of the clip, in which is slower paced, due to the gradual opening of the non-diegetic music, starting of with a low-pitched and repetitive beat. Another identifier is the long lasting opening establishing shot of the factory, having the camera at a high angle to make the worker seem all the more lonely and insignificant, which could mirror attributes of one of the main characters.
Setting
The setting for the 'Children Of Men' sequence was a café, packed with citizens watching the news report, putting into perspective how important a role that plays in the film's narrative, even it was just for the sake of context. The café represents a sense of regularity, with relatable aesthetics between the present and the near future in which this film is set. This suggests that the film will be set in quite an urban location (which is also apparent in the lack of utilitarian clothing).
In comparison, the 'Lord Of War's location are more varied, however they're also introduced in a more concealed way. Because the sequence follows the life of a bullet, it is seen to be placed in a box after production, and after this happens the box soon gets opened and is found in cargo shipping bay, being examined by a military soldier of high stature; this appeals to the stereotypical association with weapons and the army. Next, the screen goes to black, only for the box to be re-opened in a more tropical location and the bullets to be used by a contrastingly unofficial army that appear to form to the stereotype of black pirates. These numerous locations suggest an equal amount of variation can be seen in the rest of the film's narrative, while conveying different themes and economical implications in the process.
Sound
In terms of diegetic dialogue, in 'Children Of Men,' this opening avoids the stereotype of the male protagonist being very confident and expressive of his emotions. This is seen when all he says, throughout the opening, is he'd like a coffee and even the way he says it so quietly, mumbling and under his breath leads the audience to believe that he is somehow emotionally damaged, and intriguing them as to the cause of it in the process. By contrast, the clarity and consistency of the news reporter leads us to infer that the main focus of the scene isn't the main protagonist but indeed the content of the report, incorporating an element of equality within this constructed community.
The diegetic sound effects that can be herd in the 'Lord Of War' sequence are very metallic and clinical noises made by the machines. An example can be seen when the bullet is first introduced as just a sheet that's quickly stamped and clamped on by a machine, to mould it into shape. Each of these sound effects create quite aggressive and intimidating connotations, elaborating on the power such devices can have, which links back the power a bullet has over people and how different stereotypes within this opening treat such power. When the bullet is in the tropical region there are subtle diegetic sounds of animals that are associated with that region, such as grass hoppers, to create a sense of authentication within the representation of that country. This suggests that the film uses verisimilitude to make the narrative more believable for an intelligent and contemporary audience.
Titles
The 'Children Of Men's opening sequence titles are very limited, so that the audience maintains focus on what's being said, setting the scene for the abnormality of this particular interpretation of the future. The only titles are the mentions of the three film company contributors, Universal, Strike Entertainment and the associated production company Hit and Run, as well as the films title at the end of the sequence. They use a very simplistic colour scheme, black and white, with an equally style-lacking font to imply a low production value for the film, not having the money to invest into a more unique display of the titles. That having been said, the clarity and simplicity of these titles could also connote a link to the society within the film, being similarly average and unimportant, establishing social hierarchy in the process.
In the case of 'Lord Of War' however, there is a long list of cast and crew members, which implies that it has a higher budget than 'Children Of Men,' being able to afford more well-known actors, such as Nicholas Cage and Ethan Hawke. The fact that Nicholas Cage is the only name to appear before the title of the film suggests his importance within the film and that he is therefore most likely the main protagonist. The fact that the 'Lord Of War' title is timed with the introduction of the bullet means that violence is a key theme in the film, and solidifies the significance of the bullet as a product, taking away the humane connotations of it. Nine actors/actresses names then appear before crew credits then begin, identifying what actors are in supporting roles. Within those nine, four appeared on screen in pairs, which implicates a shared amount of screen time and/or importance, in context with the narrative.
These are the two film openings, for visual comparison:
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