How much is revealed about the storyline and characters in a film opening?

The opening of a film, in my opinion, should simply make the audience want to watch the rest of the film.

To do this we should meet the main character(s) and understand their role in the film. It doesn't matter how much information we are told about the main characters as they are the basis of the actual film.

Alternatively, I think we should find out little about the storyline itself. There may be a few hints of what the storyline entails but I think that the characters entice the audience to continue watching. Plus, the storyline is needed for the main sequence of the film.

This views can change dependant on the genre of film. For example, horror films may not introduce main characters at the beginning, instead they'd try to produce a certain tension.

Synopsis of Film Opening - first ideas

My film will be based around a boy, called Charlie, who's life has been turned upside down. His family have cast him out and he's all alona and living on the streets.

The film opening will have flashbacks to the "night where everything changed". As well as a narrative ove the majority of scenes.

Different Genres

Action

Films in the action genre will usually include high energy scenes (like fights, escapes or car-chases). An example of this is 'Thor: The Dark World' and 'The Hunger Games'. Both of these films are high-budget and include fights or battles, all these aspects fit into the action genre.

Adventure

Adventure films are a lot like action films as some movies can fit both genres. Like 'Thor: The Dark World' can also fit into the adventure genre. Adventure films are usually exciting stories. Another film that fits this genre is Monster University.

Comedy

Comedies are used to introduce laughter. Films which fall under this genre will contain a lot of comical events. This type of film is likely to mix with other genres, romantic comedies and comic horror for example. An example of this is "We're The Millers", which is about a drug dealer who gets certain people to pretend to be his family in order to succeed in drug smuggling.

Crime

From the genre title it's fairly obvious that Crime films include crime. These may have been committed in the past or present times. Films in this genre can often be linked to 'Action' and 'Adventure' films.

'Dispicable Me: 2' is a child-friendly example of this. In this film Gru and his minions are on a mission to save the world.

Fantasy

Magic or supernatural powers are often present in fantasy films, these are used rather than technological abilities. Examples of fantasy films can be shown in the form of the Harry Potter series, in which witches and wizards have to fight the dark magic attacking them.

Historical

An example of a historical film is 'Schindlers List' which is about the concentration camps set up by Hitler. Films which fall under this genre are factual and tell stories from the past, these are usually significant points in time.

Horror
Horror films create tension and are used to frighten the audience. These films can also be linked to the comedy genre (for example 'Zombieland' and 'Shaun of the Dead'). Films like 'Jaws' are supposed to make the watchers jump and scare them.

Mystery
'The Others' and 'Hot Fuzz' are examples of mystery films. Movies put in this genre often creates a unknowing tension. It's usually the end of the film which uncovers vital information to make everything more understood.

Romance
Films like 'Perks of Being a Wallflower' fall into the romance genre. 'Perks' is about a boy who's had a hard life (abused as a child, best friend committing suicide), but then he meets Sam and falls in love with her. Romance films are usually about two people falling in love.

Sci-Fi
Sci-Fi films usually show fiction fantasies which can't be applied to real life. 'The Worlds End' shows this.. In this film a group of old friends go on a pub crawl but end up fighting of being turned into inky-monstery things. The generic sci-fi film would include extra-terrestrial species,space-crafts and time travel.

Thriller
Films in this genre will often create a feeling of suspense, tension and excitements. These tend to produce a lot of adrenaline. One film which follow these factors is 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire', in this film the tributes are faced with life-threatening factors such as poisonous gas and dangerous monkeys.

War

War films, obvious from the title, are usually based on warfare. They are often historical or fictional. A few films which fall under this title are 'Saving Private Ryan' and '300'.

Western

Usually based on stories from American Old West in the late 19th Century, most western films portray the conquest over the wild. Films which are in this genre include 'The Lone Ranger' and 'Django Unchained'.

Although there are many more film genres i believe these ones to be the most popular and therefore more important to understand.

What is a film opening?

Most movies use a opening sequence to make the aucience want to continue watching. These are used to show opening titles, key production and cast members.

Examples of these can be shown in many different film genres.

Todorov

The graph above shows Todorov's theory.

Izetan Todorov proposed that stories and films start with an equilibrium, then they go through a disruption.

The disruption is then resolved so it ends with everything being alright, a restored order. It will then end with a new equilibrium.

This theory can be proved trough a number of films, one of which is 'Toy Story'.

In Toy Story the beginning is a equilibrium, even though Woody is favoured by Andy all the toys are friends and equally played with.

A disruption occurs when Andy gets a new toy for his birthday, Buzz Lightyear, Andy then favours him and all the toys become jealous, especially Woody.

The resolution occurs when Woody and Buzz decide to work as a team to get home, they both realise that they need to be in the car with Andy rather than lost on the streets.

We see the restored order when all the toys are in the moving van and happy around eachother.

The film ends with all the toys being played with in Andys new house, its a new equilibrium.

Run Lola Run

Question: What is the meaning of Lola's screams? Especially the third?

Scream 1: (9:26) The first scream takes place at Lola's flat. It happens when she discovers Manni is in trouble. He says to her "you can't do a thing". We assume that Lola screams to make Manni be quiet and to stop stressing out. 
As her scream increases in volume the camera zooms in on her and the phone. The phone is centre shot which tells us that it is the cause of her distress.
We also see that when she screams she shatters all the glass in the shot other than the bottle closest to her. This is showing us that the things closest to her she tries to keep safe (like Manni, for example).
As she screams a tortoise/turtle walks past her feet, this can be shown to contrast how fast Lola is going to have to be.

Scream 2:(21:12) The next scream takes place in her fathers office after he says that is doesn't matter if Manni dies. The purpose of this film is to silence her father as she doesn't like what is being said. During her scream the glass clock in the background smashes, this insinuates that she is running out of time.

Scream 3:(1:07:38) The final scream takes place in a casino, the purpose of this scream is to increase her luck during the game of roulette. She understands that if she doesn't win the money her life with Manni will be over. Her scream increase in volume until the ball finally stops on her number.
The same theme happens in this scene: the glass in the background smashes but the glasses a man in front of her is wearing remain intact.

Question: Why are all of the scenes with Lola's father shot in video rather than 35mm film?

Money theme: 35mm film is a more expensive method of recording as Lola and Manni are recorded in it we can see that this is done to show the contrast between the amount of money they originally needed and the amount of money they now have within the film.
Video is a cheaper method which can be linked to the fact that Lola's dad refused to give her money. The cheaper recording scheme can be used to contrast his lack of financial help.
The money theme represents the story line.

Quality: 35mm has a higher definition than video, its is also used to show the main characters (Lola and Manni) this could have been done to show the importance of each person in her life.

Video holds a worse recording quality, the characters recorded in this definition are less important to Lola.

Mise En Scene - Kick Ass!

This is a still image from Kick Ass.

As you can see the main light source is the shop positioned in the background of the scene. This can be seen through the shadows of the characters and positioning of the frame.

The setting of the scene is a car park of a small convenience store, this is done so 'Kick Ass' is seen and filmed, resulting in a celebrity status.

The costumes each character is wearing shows their part in this scene. The wanna-be super hero in the centre of the shot is clearly the main character. He's central-shot to show that everyone is focused on him and as his role is as a protector.
The man to the right is a stereotypical 'bad guy'. This is seen through wearing bloody clothes and a hat (used for disguise).
Under the super hero there is an injured man who's laying helplessly. His role in this scene is to be saved.

The positioning of the characters show a hierarchy. With 'Kick Ass' above the other two people in this scene and also being in the centre of the shot, we see that he has more control ands power over everyone else.
The 'bad guy' is laying on the floor which shows that he has been defeated yet still holds more power that the injured man.
The by-standers (those watching the fight) are less visible which indicates they hold less importance.

Overall, this image shows us everything we need to know about the film. It shows us that the film is full of action. This still image also shows us the main character and his part in the film.