In the opening sequence of "Children of Men" various forms and conventions are used in order to enhance the murky atmosphere of London 2027 and give us a little insight into the nature and context of what is to follow.
From the opening sequence we learn the narrative functions of "Children of Men". We are introduced to the character played by Clive Owen, the star of the production and the reluctant hero of the story. He doesn't stand out in the sense of dressing in a different fashion as compared to the extras, for example in the cafe, but in terms of his actions. He doesn't simply stand in silence and watch the broadcast; he does just for a little while, as though filling the gap with something whilst waiting for his coffee. He only does what he went in to do and does not stand in ewe. He also pours alcohol into his coffee so he isn't exactly your typical hero.
The sequence manages to obtain and maintain the audience’s attention. It does this straight away with the use of the blank screen and voiceover. The voiceover - in the news broadcast form - immediately captures the audience’s attention as the blank screen forces them to focus on the voice and so they are paying attention and show interest as to what is being stated. This is also present as to enhance the importance of the words and the relevance they have to later on in the film, accompanied by the context that the words contain, which allows us to make expectations of the remainder of the film. As well as this, the simple use of black and white credits assists when capturing the audience's interest. This is as it varies from the norm of action sequence being used along with loud and distinctive music. The difference of plain black and white credits means that the audience are automatically interested as they have discovered something varying from the norm and so are drawn to learn these new/recently brought about things. Also as the audience wish to know what the film is about and, in this case who the voice belongs to as well as its significance to the remainder of the production. It intrigues the audience due to an element of mystery and makes them want to continue watching.
As we use a sound bridge to jump into the first actual scene, the silent and still cafe, the audience’s interest is still maintained as we only see bleak and morbid expressions of the mourning community. As we, as an audience, are still unsure of where the voice comes from, the shot cuts to one of the news broadcast on the TV screen. Their interest is remains as the mystery behind Clive Owen's character is explicit and as a result we find that he is unlike the others in regards to his actions. This means that we are automatically drawn to him. His actions, as well as the fact that he stands out, make us want to follow him and find out who he is and why such a tragic event that has affected the entire community (which is reflected in the police force, as they have stopped to watch the broadcast in the cafe instead of getting on with their jobs and, the fact that the "Please report suspicious activity" sign on one of the buildings portrays to us that London 2027 is a dangerous place and, as the police are not doing their job, the importance and tragedy of the death of baby Diego is shown.) has not affected Clive Owen's character. The various tracking shots that are used allow us to follow him and the use of the hand-held camera shots is to make us, as an audience, feel as though we are actually there, although not quite in a point of view form, so the focus remains on Clive Owen.
Emphasising the grim ambience, in the opening sequence, is the use of lighting and colour. The colours that are used are dull, dark and create a sense of doom over 2027 London. Even the use of the typical red London bus is dull and gloomy. This allows us to reflect on the tragedy of the death of the youngest person in the world - who is referred to as a baby even though he is eighteen, so we learn there are no children in the world. Also the fiery yellow of the bomb has been diluted and is watered-down so much that we it manages to convey that the bomb is a familiar existence, implying that the bombings are a regular occurrence. After the bomb goes off the murky grey smoke fills the screen which almost frames the woman missing an arm, this helps to enhance the malevolent event and torture of it and emphasises the pain of her scream.
The costumes used in the sequence are also dark, dull and rather depressing. The use of dark blues, greens and black are used and at no point in this sequence are bright colours used, they all merge into one array of darkness and, once again, create a sense of “dirty London”.
The music in the sequence plays a part in the opening. It allows for emphasis on traumatic events and creates a greater feel of generic conventions. The light-hearted music used over the news-broadcast enhances the tragedy of Diego’s death and denotes the innocence that he possessed. However, the sound in the sequence plays a much larger role. This is as the dialogue from the broadcast, as it lasts for over a minute, appears possess a great importance, and even though halfway through when Clive Owen enters the cafe and orders his coffee, the broadcast continues, meaning that it is the main focus of this scene. The fact that the broadcast and the statement “Coffee. Black.” are the only word uttered, denotes their importance and introduces us to the main character and reluctant hero of the story. The sobbing woman in the cafe also helps to emphasise the tragedy of Diego’s death. As Clive leaves the cafe we hear the diegetic sound of the cars and transport going past. This enhances the sense of realism in this sequence as we associate it with modern life and are familiarised with such sounds. The sound of the explosion and that of the woman’s scream also enhance catastrophic event and depicts the agony and torturous pain that the woman feels and so making us, as an audience, almost feel her pain.
As a member of the audience, I find this opening sequence very successful. This is as it successfully manages to use generic conventions/tropes and core themes. "Children of Men" establishes core themes of horror, tragedy and sci-fi. Horror is portrayed due to the inclusion of the explosion and the woman holding her own blown-off arm, this is emphasised by the high pitched squeal which could be representative of either a scream or the ringing in the ears after the bomb. This also enhances the tragic element in the sequence. The sense of tragedy is also present when we learn of the death of baby Diego, the youngest person in the world, and so the concept of science-fiction is brought about as we learn of a world without children. The generic conventions convey expectations about the remainder of the film to the audience. For example: The bomb implies that it is likely to be a horror/action/thriller and so implies more grim events will occur throughout. Also the use of Diego’s death denotes that the sci-fi element will also occur as there are no children in the world.
The dystopia in London 2027 is a vastly miserable place: The un-emptied bins creates a sense of a "dirty London" feel which is also reflected in the use of greys, dark and murky greens, blues and blacks. The murky and morbid use of colour and lighting also allows for a thriving opening. Also the excitement which is contained within 2:25 minutes allows us to gain an idea that much action is to follow this and so draws us into the realm of the film. For example, at the point where the explosion occurs, the use of the hand-held camera allows us to feel as though we are actually in the scene and so, once again, we are drawn into the film and our attention is captured. The quick paced opening also manages to maintain the audience’s attention as the modern audience is used to seeing a lot of action and so to prevent the audience from boredom, the immense pace allows us to stay alert and engrossed in the film and makes us want to carry on watching.
The opening sequence of “Children of Men” allows us to obtain a rough estimation of what is likely to occur later on in the film through the use of generic tropes. It also allows us to discover the importance of the use of colour and lighting as well as camera techniques to keep the audience interested.
