Brainstorming the Film Opening Approach
Thriller films usually begin with a hook to engage the viewer, which I am trying to incorporate into my opening. I will also try to set the tone with the story and environment of the film with lighting techniques and camera shots. The beginning of the opening is going to have normal contrast and brightness, as well as colors to depict a peaceful and quiet neighborhood. As that is what I'm going for, to show the viewer this perfect and peaceful neighborhood to further support the plot twists of the thriller genre. As the opening continues the tone is going to change into a darker and more colorless picture as the story goes, but how this project will only be 2 minutes long I'll have to figure out how to fit it all.
I have another film opening approach which is inspired by many thriller films, which would be showing a big clue or spoiler in the beginning of the opening scene without the audience figuring it out until they watch the entire film. Some thriller films that have this opening incorporated are -
Inspired Thriller Film Openings
The Thing (1982)
While The Thing is a horror movie first and foremost, it's a thriller too, as the whole movie has audiences trying to deduce which character the parasite is using. However, the opening sequence, which sees a group of Norwegians chasing after a dog, completely spoils an early but huge plot twist that the parasite is inside the cute sled dog.
However, it's only spoiled for people who speak Norwegian. In their native language, one of the Norwegians yells, "Get the hell away! It's not a dog, it's some sort of thing! It's imitating a dog, it isn't real!" That undoubtedly completely ruined the film for any bilingual viewers watching it in 1982.
Fight Club (1999)
Fight Club is a cult classic and one of the most beloved movies of all time, and that is mostly because of the plot twist that nobody sees coming. The 1999 movie has one of the most memorable final shots in cinema, which is followed by the Narrator learning that Tyler doesn't exist and the only way to get rid of him is by shooting himself.
However, in the very opening sequence, the Narrator explains Tyler's plot to blow up five buildings, adding "I know this because Tyler knows this." The character doesn't detail why that's the case, and it totally gives away that they're the same person, but viewers won't put that together until rewatching it. That isn't the only time that the twist was hinted at either, as throughout the film Tyler appears in single frames, usually when the Narrator is discussing his insomnia.
Shutter Island
Shutter Island follows two detectives, Teddy and Chuck, who visit Ashe Cliffe Hospital to investigate a missing person case, only it's revealed at the end that the missing patient is Teddy, and that Chuck is Teddy's doctor. The two are simply playing a role-playing game.
But while the movie might already be pretty predictable, the opening scene heavily hints at the twist too. Before the two "detectives" enter the hospital, they're asked to hand over their guns, and Chuck struggles to remove his holster more than any detective would. This is because he isn't a detective at all, but a doctor.
No comments:
Post a Comment