Film Opening Analysis Comparison

The Theory of Everything & The Invisible Woman

Audiences would be engaged with the opening of The Theory of Everything as it starts with characters that are significantly blurred, which creates enigma because they cannot be identified. The audience may assume that they are a family. This may make the audience interested as to who the characters are and how they ended up in the location that they are in, as they are wearing formal clothes and the child seems quite excitable. The non-diegetic, asynchronous soundtrack accompanying this scene is also quite hopeful and positive which may interest the audience as to why the sound and characters are so cheerful. The camera then uses a high angle shot above a character in a wheelchair, which is spinning around. This could connote going back in time, or possibly that something is going wrong or about to go wrong. The scene then fades to two young men riding their bikes and they seem to be having fun; the date is also shown. 
The audience may wonder whether the med are friends or is they are related to each other. They may also be interested as to what the date is in the very beginning compared to when the date is shown later on. The film’s USP would be that it is about Stephen Hawking's romantic life, which has not been seen before through this media text, so the audience would be intrigued. The films genre is a romantic-drama, which is reinforced by the fact that the opening involves a family, and also the two young men walk into a party after they ride their bikes and as soon as this happens, the two characters that the love story is about automatically have a connection. 

The opening of The Invisible Woman begins with a quote, which already engages the audience because of the dramatic nature that this creates. The quote then fades straight to a clear, blue sky. The camera then tilts down from the sky to a beach and a woman appears to be walking across it wearing a big, black dress. The colour black is significant here because it could connote that she is the antagonist or perhaps that she is a dangerous or angry character. This creates confusion, which may interest the audience because they are interested by the fact that this woman is not wearing suitable clothes to be on a beach. 
The diegetic, synchronous sound of her panting as she walks is also audible; she may have been walking for a long period of time, which could be the reason why she is tired, which may make the reader question how long she has actually been walking. Her face is also not shown straight away, which makes the audience curious to her identity. The woman's face is then shown and she walks into a school. Her name is not said throughout the scene; she is still unfamiliar to the audience. She is shown directing a school play and is quite strict about it being perfect for "Mr Darwin". This suggests that he is an important character because he is not seen; however, characters are still acknowledging him. Additionally, he is referred to as “Mr Darwin”, not “Charles”, which creates a personal barrier between him and the other characters. The film's USP is the fact that it is about Charles Darwin's love affair, which a lot of people, including some of the audience were not aware of. The fact that the woman wants the play to be perfect for Darwin reinforces the genre, as it is a romantic-drama, and the romance is evident. 
Both 

Overall both films are romantic-dramas about real events that have happened to real people. This makes the films relatable, as the audience can sympathise with the people which the films are based on. Audiences may also want to just be informed about events that they have previously heard about. Both films also include the date and location in the opening scenes, since the events in the films are quite popular and historic. The leading female role in both films is also the same (Felicity Jones), which links the films so the fans of The Theory of Everything may therefore watch The Invisible Woman. Both films also start with sound effects or a soundtrack instead of speech, which creates a dramatic effect because none of the characters are established at first. This helps to engage the audiences and make them more interested in the film