Understanding The Difference Between An Opening Sequence and A Trailer

There is a very clear difference between an opening sequence of a film, and its trailer; below I am going to explain these differences.

Movie Trailer:
A movie trailer is quite a short piece of footage from a film, and this involves a fast paced montage of scenes; this gives the audience an ‘overview’ of the plot and storyline. The idea of a film trailer is to grab the audience’s attention, and it engages them to encourage them to see the actual film. The trailer mainly features the good action clips within the film, but not all of them. Furthermore, a voice over is very common as this will give the audience an idea about the film, along with which actors are starring in the film. The ending is never given away, due to the fact that no one would go and see the film if it did. Fast paced editing is used within a trailer, and this can be composed of about 70 plus shots. Fundamentally, the whole purpose of a trailer is to make the audience go and watch that movie when it is released.
Opening Sequence:
The opening sequence to a movie is very different to its trailer. The intention of the opening sequence is to engage and grab the audience’s attention; along with establishing the setting and familiarise the audience with the setting. These clips are editing, to give the opening sequence a much slower pace than the movie trailer; even sometimes leading to the narrative. Also, there are shots of the characters so the audience knows who the main characters are, in company with the titles. Sometimes the viewer is able to establish the ‘mood’ or ‘tone’ of the movie, to create an ‘atmosphere’. A soundtrack is sometimes used to assist with creating the ‘mood’ and ‘tone’ of the film. The audience will need to feel curious and anxious, making them want their questions answered, therefore wanting to watch on and discover what happens.