Movie Opener Brainstorming and Research

 Rise: Opening

- Background music played as the opening scene plays.

- There is still action occurring while the title of the movie is displayed in large uppercase letters.

- The extreme close up shots match with the beat of the music and show the main character is an actor preparing for something.

- The music used is expected for the type of high action and movement scenes that are being shown and hep the viewer know that this will be a more intense movie, probably action, sports, or drama.

- We see a lot of different angles being used to show the second character viewing the first, and he talks to someone who is off camera. Focusing then back on the first character heightens the idea that this character is very impressive and worth being viewed. 

- The cut off after the extreme close up of the two characters is suspenseful and lets us know that there may be tension between the characters, leaving us wanting to know more.

* From this movie opener, I see that leaving a purposely suspenseful ending may be a better introduction for our movie then trying to leave off somewhere that seems unfinished, since it is just an opener.

Dear Lover: Opening

- Instrumental background music plays, setting the mood, and establishing shots show, showing the setting and time, as the names of the film creators play in the corner.

- After the title, a black screen is played with a voiceover. The voiceover is pulling the viewer into the story before the story begins and setting the story concept in our minds.

- We later cut to a scene that shows that the event took place in the past, and this story will be told through an interview with the main character narrating, and the interviewer prompting it. Love that.

- The close up two shot of the two girls sitting on the shore shows that their conversation is important and the main focus. The overhead of them sitting together and holding hands shows them as a whole and shows that now their actions are important, and to focus on that small gesture. 

- Her telling the interviewer that she needed to start from the beginning before cutting to a black scene was genius. We have context and know that the movie we are seeing is about a past occurrence that we assume ended tragically. Now we can watch the whole event with that in the back of our minds.

* I may actually start with a few establishing shots as well so I won't have to make my characters speak to establish time and setting. 

Dare to Thrill: Opening

- The film instantly starts with a group of teenagers at night, and the font used over the clip is very weird and not typical. It's like a video game font, which may mean something?

- They used language like "That's how it be sometimes" when they speak, which is cringe but shows that they are marketing to youth around their age group.

- At first I lad no idea what they were doing and I thought it was just a bunch of teens goofing off, but one of the girls picks up a set of car keys and they point to its matching car. I think they are doing a scavenger hunt, which would make the video game font make more sense, but I wish they made that a bit more clear in the beginning.

- The several cuts and angles they used while they were speeding around in the car looks amazing and fun. The first few seconds of them driving the car capture the thrill of driving sports model cars accurately. They didn't use turning signals though. 

- I do not like the ending. The idea is amazing. The execution? No.

*I don't think there is anything in this opener I could draw from.

Always Watching: Film Opening

- They use the story-telling method in the same way Dear Lover did, with a therapy session. 

- I like that they showed the boys together, then cut to an interview like scene of the stalker staring and smiling at the camera. I've seen a lot of great horror movies that do something similar if not exactly like that. 

- I question the acting. A lot. It kind of takes me away from the enjoyment of the opener.

- I've watched or heard of several shows and movies with this exact plot. A recent popular example: "Cruel Summer" on Netflix. 

- They also cut the scene a hair of a second too soon. He didn't even get to finish his groaning whine.

* I don't think there is anything I want to take from this either, though I really did like how they cut from the boys walking together to the stalker staring at the camera.

The Blue Boar: Film Opening

- Immediately I notice the clothing is very old fashioned and maiden style, and the lighting is very bright. 

- We first see the nun(?) lady's mouth only as she scolds the girl. We only briefly get to see her actual face, but the rest of the time she is heard scolding the girl, we are watching the girl's reaction to it or only seeing the lady's mouth moving. I like that.

- The choice of background music really helps to reiterate the idea that she is young and curious and earing about herself and the world. SHE'S SINGING?! Loving it, I love musicals.

- The audio quality for her voice is absolutely amazing. I feel like the scene would not be as good if the audio quality was poor because her amazing voice is what highlights the scene.

- The fact that she made a "boar" out if the twigs and plants around her, and then the opening title slide outlined the boar and gave the title of the movie was amazing.

* I might want to hint at the title of the movie somewhere in the opening like she did. Maybe while the last black screen shows I can have a voiceover from earlier in the opener when me or Sasha are yelling at Isaiah not to leave without saying goodbye (the title would be Goodbye or Say Goodbye).

White Coat: Film Opening

- Immediately I love it. 10/10. The blue lighting. The suspenseful music. The closeup of pouring the liquid with the eerie sound. The smoke in the room with the tied up kid. The quick cuts. Love it all.

- Love the closeup of the presumed doctor in his mask. LOVE the drop of red in the water spreading out. Beautiful but creepy. The smoke in the light and the picture on the wall. The music again is just phenomenal for the scene. 

- The bubbling and foaming chemicals and the beakers and testing materials really highlight the setting without having to light up the room to show that it is some kind if lab. 10/10.

* There is nothing I think I can draw from this with my concept, but I absolutely love this!

Stalker.: Film Opening

- The movie starts off very unclimactic and boring as the girl wakes up, opens her window, and brushes her hair.

- Their choice not to use any real sound or music until the flashing of the camera, followed by eerie music, was smart. I appreciate it. 

- She nor the audience actually sees anyone with a camera, but because of the sound we know that there was probably someone behind her at her window, which is empty when she turns to look.

- We are never confronted with the stalker, but she seems to instantly know what is going on as she reads the note.

- I will say, it is extremely bothersome that she literally makes it to her car, gets inside, and is still somehow caught? In every horror movie there are like 5 ways the main character or a character that dies could have been saved a lot sooner. Lock her car door maybe? Turn the car on? DRIVE AWAY??! She literally just sat in her car looking sad when she thinks some crazy stalker is after her. 

* I don't plan on using any additional sound with my film besides the short "DUN" that will play 3 times. I like diegetic sound with sound affects only during crucial or dramatic parts.

Google Drive Video: Film Opening

- They start of the movie is the black screen title slide, with the "production" company in bold.

- They establish setting first with a closeup of the sun shining down on a branch of a tree and then tilting up to the clear blue sky and the sun. 

- I love that they have this painting as a main focus of the story they are trying to tell. The painting itself gets revealed slowly as we first see the setting of a house surrounded by trees and shrubs in the sun. We see the waterfront with a city on its shore and sailboats on the water. It looks like an old Italian city. 

- The grandma is adorable and cutting from her to the painting clearly shows (without having to actually say it) that the painting is reminiscent of her memories and a happy time in her past. She's looking down, remembering the past, and picking at tree branches. It's sad but happy at the same time. He hand over the photos and memorabilia of her past gives the same sad but peaceful feeling, especially with the piano music in the background. 

- The vibes were just stunning, and the grandma smiling at the end to show that she is still happy when she thinks of those years is so beautiful. They then cut to what I'm assuming is her granddaughter wearing almost the exact same thing and standing in front of the same tree/bush.

* This is very far off from my genre, let alone my topic. There is nothing I want to draw from this, but I enjoyed it in the opposite way that I enjoyed the White Coat film opener.