Analysing 5 films from the genre I've chosen

I will analyse 5 opening sequences from the sci-fi genre to observe genre conventions.

Star Wars:

• Begins as an on-screen narrative explaining setting and location, with stars in the background. Shows how it is set in space 
• First thing the audience sees after the text is a planet with a spaceship, already sets sci-fi genre.
• Media codes show a range of close up and panned camera shots from a variety of angles, emphasises the genre
• Music is very dramatic and varies between magical sounding and scary sounding, shows the different sides of space
• First actors shown are both robots on a spaceship with people running around holding weapons. 
• Colour is vivid
• Lasers replace bullets
• Very few real humans and the characters that are aren't usual. They wear futuristic costumes and speak differently.

Passengers:

• Empty white noise at the beginning replicates the emptiness of space
• An unknown object which can soon be seen as a spaceship moves towards the camera
• The specific font chosen appears threatening and serious
• Cameras pan around rooms
• Repetitive use of greens and blues show cold colours
• Red and orange used when there is danger and fire 
• Effect of space is created by special effects which show the vast emptiness and darkness of the spaceship's surroundings
• The technology shown on screen after the crash is futuristic
• Music becomes more dramatic with the use of violins similar to Star Wars

Maze Runner:

• Begins in darkness with eery sound effects reflecting something futuristic and dystopian
• Use of a variety of camera angles makes the scene more realistic for the audience
• Sudden contrast of darkness to light raises attention
• Sound effects are limited and repetitive
• Special effects construct images that are not seen in normal life
• Font of film title is bold and in capitals

Blade Runner:

• The pixelated beginning is already futuristic for the time it was made
• Silence and then a sudden loud noise creates contrast and a scary feel
• The font is bold and stands out
• Music also contains violins
• Similar to Star Wars, a narrative appears on the screen and the audience is forced to read it in order to gain an understanding of the setting and plot
• Location is established through the use of famous skyscrapers and also on-screen narrative
• Special effects reflect futuristic buildings and transport mechanisms

Avatar:

• Tribal music 
• The camera pans over trees to show setting
• Character does voiceover, creating a narrative
• Close up camera shot contrasting with wide camera angle shows the audience more of the setting and the dystopian society
• Variety of different characters such as ones with horns and mutations emphasises sci-fi genre
• Certain phrases such as 'you're on the wrong planet'- dramatic irony