Film Openings (Types)
- zrqai06
- Apr 20, 2024
- 2 min read
Film openings, being a very important part of a film, play an enormous role in how a film is set-up. Because of openings being this crucial, directors use various, ingenious ways to make the audience hooked to the film from the very beginning. These usage of different techniques can also be called types of film openings.
1. A Day In The LifeThis type of film opening basically introduces the audience to the main character showcasing their characteristics and routine before the upcoming events bring about or influence any change.
Fences (2016)
These types of openings also establish the tone and genre of the film, just not in a very impactful or dramatic way. The movie, Fences, starts off by introducing us to two characters who are living a normal day in their lives and showcasing their usual selves. In this particular film, the characters are molded in a way the audience tend to feel sympathy towards them, which is also a way the director ensures the viewers to stay watching and see how it all plays out.
2. Flash Forward
Titanic (1997)
In a “flash forward” film opening, the film kicks off with a scene from the current moment or the “present” in its timeline. After this, it dives right back in the past (in most cases) and then the story usually starts from the beginning. This narrative technique can be in some way captivating, even though it has been used a lot in many films over the years. The opening of “Titanic” is an example of the ‘flash forward’ technique. The film opens portraying a moment set in the present and then it delves into the past, explaining the events that led up to it. The opening scenes using this techniques aren’t set in a chronological manner.
3. Cold Opens
Jurassic Park (1993)
The main objective of a “cold open” is to catch the attention of the viewer from the very first scene and to set the tone before the film transitions to the first act. Usually, this types of openings portray a sequence of events that were held before the introduction of a main character. Basically, cold opens very rarely feature the main character itself, but it provides enough information and context for understanding the narrative. Jurassic Park (1993) is a great example for cold open in the opening scene. The first scene clearly portrays what the movie is about, starting with an action scene, without even showing the main character later to come. Cold opens usually are used to instigate questions into the minds of the viewers which are the main factor why the audience remains intrigued.
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