Film openings are the scene that is supposed to captivate the viewer and make them want to watch the rest of the film. A lot goes of time and thought goes into these opening because essentially they are what determines whether the viewer will continue watching and enjoy or get bored by the first 2 minutes of the film.
Many techniques are used in film opening to make the viewer interested in what they're watching and what's to come.
- Technique 1- Enter the villain
- Technique 2- Enter the here (introduces main character)
- Technique 3- Establish Relationships (commonly used in dramas)
- Technique 4- Plot Catalyst (introducing key motivation)
- Technique 5- Follow the Genre (establishing tone and introduces main characters)
- Technique 6- Flip Genre/ Hybrid (flashback, flash forward, dream, metaphors, etc.)
- Prologues with and without voice overs- a scene that explains important backstory that took place before the film begins.
- Inciting Incidents- an event that sets the main character on the journey that will occupy them throughout the narrative
- day in the life- the opening scene of a film introduces the main character, and usually reveals their key strength and weakness. It also shows their life before the events of the film change it. (exciting and uneventful)
- cold open- sometimes called a teaser is a section of an episode thats shown before the opening credits.
- flash forward- starts with a scene in the present, then the rest of the movie takes a place in the past leasing to the opening moment.
- introduces the world- if it's a period piece, it's introduced in the first scene. If the world has a geography the viewer needs to know (even if it's just the halls of a high school), sometimes the first scene will deliberately disregard this information
- offers audiences a "before" picture to later compare with the "after"
- presents a "save the cat" moment for the protagonist, even if its very subtle
- tense and suspenseful (opening with a scene of conflict or danger can suck people into your story quickly)
- a surprise or big reversal. character isn't what she seems, character seems like their going to get what they want but then doesn't)
- sets the tone and genre of the film
- main character waking up in bed
- main character having breakfast with their family/ getting the kids off to school
- main character jogging
- a fake out( we think something serious is happening but it turns out to be a dream or a drill or a scene from a movie within the movie
- therapy appointment
- establishing setting- draws the audience in and gives them insight into where the film is set, clues about the plots (can be done with an establishing shot)
- from and audience perspective we get a sense of the authenticity and feel for the film, which all opening scene should obtain
- teaser- generates curiosity by raising so many questions, that makes it almost impossible to not continue watching
- tone- this unconsciously causes an expectation to form in the minds of viewers about how they should view a film
- character- begin setting up the main characters ( allows viewers to get to know the characters even without dialogue)
- backstory- character's relevant history prior to the start of the story (establishes and important context for the protagonist and the story to come while also being a large part of the narrative)
- introduce your protagonist as soon as possible
- make sure to communicate the genre and deliver the core requirement of that genre
- create conflict immediately because conflict is the building block of every scene regardless of the genre