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.)
Many openings scenes use similar concepts that fit with the tone they are trying to express to the viewer. For example:
- 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.
Elements of an opening scene:
- 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
Cliche ways to begin opening scenes examples:
- 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
Main features of an opening scene:
- 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
Powerful opening scenes:
- 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)
Key thing for opening scenes:
- 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
All in all, I've learned that film opening are a major part of creating a film even though it can be easily forgotten as the film is moving forward it still can make or break a film. They captivate the viewer and make sure they leave them wanting more. So whether and opening scene is good or not will determin whether the rest of the movie is good or not.
