Film opening
A film opening is the first opening scene in a movie. The film opening is used to set the tone and the stage for the rest of the movie. Film openings often contain key conventions that allow us to understand and feel the basis for the rest of the events that are ahead.
Why do we use film openings?
Film openings are key to setting the stage for the rest of the events in the story. Without a dedicated opening shot within a film, we would be essentially walking into the film blindly, not knowing what to expect. Film openings often contain conventions that allow us to tell apart from each genre.
What does a film opening look like?
The first thing we see in an opening scene is called the opening shot:
The opening shot
The opening shot of the film is the most important. This is the very first thing viewers see when turning on the film so it is vital in keeping the viewers hooked. Looking at this example of this opening shot, what can you notice? Anybody can immediately pick up the fact that we are in space, the great unknown. In the first second of the film the opening shot lets us know what we will be watching at a base level. However, if we look even closer we notice how dark everything is with the bright sun, we can deduce that this will be a movie of exploration and adventure.
Opening scene
Film openings often follow a clear path: introduce what is next to come. This is done by things such as tone. The tone of a film allows us to feel the mood of what we are viewing, tone also allows us to set up how we feel about certain characters and things, is it a sad tone? Do I feel bad for this character? An opening scene usually contains the hero or the main focus of the movie, this is done to again introduce us to what is to come in the film. Furthermore, we have the basics such as the setting and lighting which all contribute to how we feel about what we're looking at, maybe we start in a scary setting with low lighting. The main question that is proposed when watching an opening scene is where am I, who am I looking at, and why.
For example, the film "Joker" is a film that follows our main character, Arthur Fleck, as he starts his slow descent into madness. In the opening scene, we can tell there is an internal conflict with our character as he stares at the mirror. This action in films is used to not only show the character's reflection but also for the character to reflect upon themselves. We also get this feeling of insanity through the use of close-up shots to show his expressions which gives the viewers an uneasy feeling. Little individual elements such as this all combine to set the mood for what we will see in the rest of the film just like here where we can tell this character is slowly starting to break mentally.
What do we commonly see in openings?
Film openings often follow the genre that the movie is, however film openings always stick to the conventions by using openings such as Prologues, Day in the lifes, Inciting incident. Although not all films use these opening scenes, we can connect them another way. This way is the use of Mis-En-Scene to create meaning and to set the main premise for the rest of the film.
Following the genre
Following the genre is crucial in the opening scene as it allows the viewers to know what they are watching. In the opening scene of the movie following the genre is immediate as they follow specific genre conventions. There are countless genres and subgenres however, I will break them down into just 3: Action, Comedy, and Fantasy.
Action: Action films openings often use cold opens, inciting action, and many other openings that are used to get the viewers hooked. A cold open in a film is basically giving a viewer a little teaser to what is to come in the movie, we are essentially jumping straight into the film whereas an inciting action is showing the build-up to the upcoming events in the film. Visually, action films are often very different from the other 2 genres as they show high energy to keep the viewers hooked, this is also done by auditory elements such as high octane music that also contributes to the high energy. Action films are very broad however the character and plot introduction is usually the same, this goes for the other genres as well. That first introduction and representation let us know how we should feel about the characters as they move throughout the rest of the film.
Comedy: Comedy films are also connected to the other genres as far as conventions are concerned. The main focus of comedy is to make us laugh, so the opening scene will often use openings such as a day in the life, or a prologue to introduce us to the main cast of characters that we will spend the rest of the film. Unlike action and fantasy, comedy films usually do not contain high-action shots. More often than not, auditorially and visually comedies strive to maintain a more laid-back and less serious tone to keep the humor going. Just like action and fantasy the plot and representation for each genre are very broad, however, immediately we are introduced to the cast and how we should view and feel about them.
Fantasy: Fantasy films go hand in hand with action films as far as conventions. The opening scene of a fantasy film is usually a prologue as their world often follows different rules than our own which need explanation. Through this opening visually, the viewers are often hooked by things that would be viewed as impossible in our world immediately attracting attention. Just like the other genre openings, we are often introduced to our cast or our main problem for the film. The representation that these characters have allowed us to decide how we will feel about them for the story just like comedy and action films.
Sources
http://www.storybreakdown.com/writing-great-opening-scenes/
https://screencraft.org/2017/01/04/5-essential-types-powerful-opening-scenes/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jw_ysaoVlt4
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