What Defines A Film Opening

 Here is what is necessary to start a film. The first scene of a film is called the Opening Scene;

The Opening Scene is perhaps the most necessary scene to perfect as it sets the first impression and reveals the main idea of the film. The audience can tell what genre the film is just by the opening scene. It establishes location , introduces characters, unfolds the narrative through enigma , and reveals the title of the film. Enigma is what hooks the audience and makes them want to watch the rest of the film with interest. If the first scene of the movie is boring and disappointing, no one would want to watch the rest of it willingly.

Since our foundation portfolio is filming an original opening scene , I must make sure it has all the above factors , so that the viewer would want to know what happens next.

Here are some of my favorite film openings ;

-STAR WARS (1977)

George Lucas's iconic opening puts the audience right in the middle of the movie's plot and excites the viewer into paying attention to what exactly is happening. The calm tilt shot descends on a planet and its moons as a helpless rebel ship enters the scene , followed by a massive malevolent spaceship of the empire. The movie already lives up to its name "Star Wars" as in wars in the stars ! We are clearly shown who the good guys and the bad guys are. Some interesting characters are introduced and their dialogues give us a clear context of how the movie is going to be.

-THE SHINING (1980)

Stanley Kubrick starts this horrifying movie with shots full of irony. Beautiful landscapes of a lake and mountains are rolled on screen , but what adds contrast is the unsettling soundtrack playing with the shots. This makes the audience curious and disturbed about the movie, since the bitter irony of horror and beauty isn't so very common. A lonely car driving along the road adds to the curiosity and pumps the viewers for the rest of the film.

-2001: A SPACE ODESSY (1968)

Another classic Kubrick adaptation that is both visually and creatively stunning. The unmistakable score plays as the moon, earth, and sun are all revealed consecutively , symbolizing the beginning of life , and setting the mood for a space journey , as seen from the title. The simplicity and utterance in the shot leaves the mind of the viewer open to ideas of what is about to happen in the movie.  

-JAWS (1975)

Steven Spielberg has created a movie with a memorable opening scene that immediately glues the viewer to the movie. A woman enjoys herself as she swims in the dimness of the night in the ocean. Underwater shots that are seemingly point of view shots creates a suspicion in the audience of whether there is something in the water. As it gets closer, something grabs the woman, and she screams and cries for help, but no one listens , and is eventually dragged down in the dark of the ocean. This creates tremendous fear among the audience and they are curios to watch what it actually was down there in the blue.