Spectre opening sequence set at Day of the Dead festival in Mexico, behind-the-scenes clip reveals

Make-up artists promise 'the most visually-exciting opening to a Bond ever'

Spectre will open during the Day of the Dead festival in Mexico

Mexico's Day of the Dead festival is the setting for the stunning opening sequence of upcoming James Bond movie Spectre, a new behind-the-scenes vlog from director Sam Mendes has revealed.

The annual feast for the eyes will provide the spectacular backdrop to what costume designers and make-up artists believe will be "the most visually-exciting opening to a Bond ever".

Some 1500 extras were dressed and made up within just 75 minutes to shoot the Day of the Dead scenes but it had taken six months to create the hundreds of themed outfits.

"I wanted the audience to be dropped right into the middle of a very, very specific, very heady, rich environment," Mendes says. "It's the Day of the Dead, everywhere you look there's colour and detail and life. We're built floats and maquettes, the costumes are extraordinary and the craftsmanship is amazing."

While details of Spectre's plot remain under wraps, the official synopsis reads: "In Spectre, a cryptic message from Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization.

"While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind Spectre."

Mendes began filming in December after announcing the 24th 007 movie's title and cast. Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Monica Bellucci and Andrew Scott all feature in the hotly-awaited blockbuster, due in UK cinemas on 6 November.

A new full-length trailer is expected to debut in cinemas before Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, as Skyfall's did before The Bourne Legacy in 2012.