Psycho
The non-diegetic sound is fast paced and quickly reveals a set mood to the opening scene. With the use of the fast and booming sound this builds early pressure and tensity which could be foreshadowing a later storyline in the film. The title of the film is then presented to the viewer, this title has an effect that makes it move around in the centre. This could be implying a level of turmoil, excitability and edginess that the viewer may experience as the film goes on. This can also be linked in with the word "Psycho" which is the abbreviation for the term; psychopath referring to "a person suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behaviour" therefore the person whom is a psychopath themselves can create the effect of which the non-diegetic sound and the animation on the title create for the viewers watching. The use of the 'grey bars' flying across the screen can imply the perception of being trapped or locked up. If somebody is locked up this can set in a sense of claustrophobia which can make the person feel anxious or confined; leading to build up of tension and pressure relating back to sound and editing. Bars are also associated with prison; prison with crime and crime with horrific events. With this link there is a strong implication that somebody is going to break the law and cause people to feel unease, this could be why this tension is being built up so early on in the film. 
The sequence then cuts to a high angle, slow panning establishing shot. This allows the audience to have a better understanding of where the film is going to be set, what kind of people may be involved and what events could happen in this location as it is a well known one especially to an American audience (Phoenix, Arizona). From this establishing shot we can also see that it is set in a very built up area, this means that view is limited and comes back into the implication of being trapped and enclosed. Cross fading is then used to focus and change the distance of the shot while maintaining a steady flow throughout the movement. We see that the camera is zooming in on a building so this brings curiosity into the minds of the viewer as to why this particular building in the middle of the city. The shot then cuts to a high angle view of a window on that building. As the camera zooms in it makes the audience out as the bad guy or intruder, this could also be foreshadowing later events in the film as we all know the famous shower scene. Relating to the shower scene later on it could also be implying the audience as the voyeur instead of the actual voyeur. This puts us in his shoes which could add a sense of instability to the audience as they are participating theoretically in something they do not normally do. From the entrance we took as the viewer we are now left to speculate what is happening, as we entered the room in a sneaky devious fashion this implies that the characters are also doing something equally as sneaky and devious. In the next shot the focus is very much on the lady in bed, however we can clearly see a man standing by her side. This can be used to signify a male dominance in the film throughout; which could be seen as foreboding. As males especially at this time (1960's) would be seen as the alpha male in the house and clearly in the bedroom. The female in this scene can be portrayed as being innocent and vulnerable making the male seem like a sexual deviant and antagonist. It is almost as if we are waiting for the protagonist to enter in this scene to save the damsel in distress however this does not happen.From props used on the bedside table it is safe to assume they are in a hotel as there was a tray of food and what appears to be a bottle of wine. This introduces the stereotypically story of two people trying to avoid a husband or wife so they go to a hotel to do their leisurely's. Curiosity is now a strong factor in the opening scene so the mood has been swapped from tensity and anxiousness to curiosity and wonder. Hitchcock then shows by a medium sht that these two are about to make love, this can be unsettling for the audience especially at this time because it was looked down upon in 1960's America to have sexual relations with somebody if you were not married to them. The female then says to the male character that "this is he last time, for this" implying that they have done this many times before and adding to the unease of the audience. She also uses the word "secret" this seems to be a strong factor in the opening scene, linking back to how we are portrayed as the voyeur and how we as the audience entered the room through the window. This could be a repeating aspect of the film.The Birds
Throughout the running time of the credits no music is playing; nothing but the sound of birds screeching and flapping their wings vigorously. The noises seem to be eternal, the sound is agonizing, this forebodes that the birds in this film will not be in it for good reasons but more of that for bad ones. The opening credits also are very disorientating as the birds in the background and the way it is edited to change the camera angle can be confusing. The use of this can also make the audience feel intimidated and outnumbered. Curiosity and mystery dissipates out into uncertainty when the noises become louder and the words 'Alfred Hitchcock' appear on the screen. From the use of a fade it cuts to an everyday scene in San Francisco. As this experienced and confident lady walks down the street into a pet shop we also get a scene of a flock of birds in the sky. This does not seem normal for city life and raises questions in the viewers mind and also the characters. This links in the with opening credit noises as this was to do with a flock of birds and also with the title for obvious reasons. Hitchcock enjoys foreboding and introducing lots of characters in the beginning of his film to bring curiosity into the minds of viewers; this incises them into the storyline and makes them want to know what is going to happen.
Rear Window
The opening to Rear Window is a bit unusual especially for Hitchcock. The non-diegetic music in the beginning is not one of which we would associate with a thriller film; very fasted paced and cheery. From the overlay of what seems like two music tracks this gives the audience a reminder that this is a thriller film however this is very subtle and not all may get the first clues. The two tracks are one of high pitch and one of low pitch, the low pitch track reminds me of Psycho and the impact that had on the audience but then this is confused when overlaid with a jollier and more upbeat track from what seems to be more like one from comedy film. The image we get from the opening scene is one of joy in a closely packed neighbourhood, nobody seems anything but happy even when all you have to do is look out the window to see what someone is doing so privacy is not great. The introduction successfully sets the scene for us but also leads us away from what could happen later on, he subtly foreshadows later events by giving us the opposite viewpoint.He continues with his themes of voyeurism as seen in Psycho, stereotypes also seen in Psycho and The Birds and finally comical extra's that do not appear to happen in the other two films.
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