Analysing Opening Sequences - 'Dunkirk'

The fourth opening sequence I am going to be looking at is from 'Dunkirk', directed by Christopher Nolan, which is part of the war genre.

This opening sequence contains the following conventions:

• Production company logos (Warner Brothers Pictures and Syncopy)
• The title of the film ('Dunkirk') appears at the beginning over a black screen and there are also exposition titles throughout the opening scene
• Indication of genre (iconography is used to emphasise that the film belongs to the war genre. The military uniform and the rifles are good examples of genre-specific costume and props. Additionally, the use of tense and suspenseful music reinforces the genre of the film
• Introduction to setting (the setting is isolated and abandoned therefore the soldiers are trapped by the enemies)
• Introduction to protagonist (the camera follows one character who is the only one to survive out of the group as he tries to escape and find the allies)
• Enigma is created (the action begins almost instantly after one of the soldiers reads a poster as they fly through the air. It reads “You are trapped” this foreshadows the fighting is about to begin however the audience are unaware of why this is happening and what will happen later on)