Research: Looking at 'The First Time' opening

CREATION OF ENIGMA:

Enigma is created at the start of 'The First Time' as a party atmosphere is established but the audience does not know whose party it is and what relevance it has to the plot. It establishes a teen environment, and audiences are given an idea of what to expect from the film, but we are not yet introduced to the main characters.
The first thing we see of a character is a close up on his hands and facial features, not quite revealing his full identity. This makes the audience wonder who this character is and what importance he is to the story.

INTRODUCTION TO CHARACTERS:
A medium long shot revels the main character on his own outside the party. It goes from close ups of his face and hands, to longer shots, showing his body and surroundings. When the camera is closer to the character, it feels as if the audience is invading their personal space, and allows a connection with that character as we become familiar with them. The girl is introduced as she comes out of the party and sees the boy talking to himself, and they begin to talk to one another. The diegetic dialogue informs the audience that they are both in high school; the girl is a junior, the guy is a senior. We do not know as much about the female character than we do about the male character, which gives a sense of 'boy meets girl' in the narrative as opposed to two characters meeting a finding each other, so the audience empathizes with the male character.

SETTING UP PLOT:
This automatically helps set up the plot as we know that it is the male character's story, and that the plot will involve a development in their relationship, and it will branch out to others in their close circle, where we will perhaps learn more about them as characters, ans their friends and family. As the guy is shown to be preparing a speech, we can infer that he will try to get the girl he is preparing a speech for. However, due to common storylines in the genre, we can guess that he will end up falling for the girl he meets outside the party.

PACE AND RHYTHM:
The editing between the party scene and the guy alone is fast-paced and often shows quick glances to give the impression that the party is eventful and lively, and everything happens in a blur (possibly due to the effects of alcohol). It slows as we are  introduced to the male character more, and when he meets the girl. This connotes normality as they begin a casual conversation, contrasting to the lively, party atmosphere which emphasizes how they are like outcasts.

MOOD AND TONE:

The party scene is accompanied by upbeat, pop-rock music which sounds youthful and connotes liveliness  and fun, which sets a happier mood, contrasting to the mood created by the main characters. The overall mood and tone we receive from the male characters is that he is unhappy, as the diegetic dialogue gives the impression that he is unhappy and a bit miserable, through a lower and slower tone. As for the female character, she seems less miserable, but a little sarcastic as she has that sort of tone through her dialogue.