In today's video, we'll break down
the creative ways that writers and directors
set the stage for a story
and hook their audience.
And it all starts with the opening scene.
♪ Page To Script - Intro ♪
The first scene is the most valuable
real estate a film has to offer.
"- Congratulations. You got yourself caught.
- Sir? - Now onto the next step of your master plan.
- Crashing this plane."
- It should immediately hook the audience.
Perhaps the most obvious example
of how to hook an audience, well...
"- Calm down, doctor.
Now's not the time for fear."
- ...is to start with a bang...
"-...that comes later..."
Commonly used in the blockbuster action flick
the opening action sequence
is meant to grab you.
And sometimes has very little to do
with the actual plot.
Like in this opening from "The Dark Knight".
It might not move the story in a big way...
"- Where's the alarm guy? - Boss told me when the guy was done
I should take him out.
- One less share, right?
- Funny, he told me something similar.
- He what? No! No!"
- But in five pages,
we have a dynamic action sequence
and a truly memorable introduction to our villain.
"- I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you...
...stranger."
"Skyfall" on the other hand
focuses on the hero.
And it does so with a 10-minute chase sequence.
[Music]
Again, it's a white knuckle sequence
that grabs you with spectacle.
"- I may have a shot.
It's not clean."
- Until our hero falls.
"- Take the shot.
Take the bloody shot."
♪ ♪
- And while we're sure Bond isn't dead
"- 007 reporting for duty."
M. giving the order
informs Bond's character for the rest of the story.
"- What was it you said?
Take the bloody shot?
- I made a judgment call.
- You should have trusted me to finish the job."
This type of opening raises the stakes,
introduces characters and key plot points
while making sure the audience is along for the ride.
Moving on.
"- What I love about Nicole..."
This opening to "Marriage Story"
and its home video aesthetic
tells us so much about the characters.
"- She always knows the right thing to do
when it comes to difficult family sh*t.
- Call him.
- I get stuck in my ways
and she knows when to push me.
And when to leave me alone.
We immediately know who these people are
because we know what they care about.
"- What I love about Charlie...
Charlie is undaunted.
He never lets other people's opinions
or any setbacks keep him from what he wants to do."
In eight and a half pages,
we get a crash course
in Charlie and Nicole's marriage.
Their relationship
It's pitfalls.
"- She is a mother who plays.
Really plays.
Never says it's too much.
And it must be too much some of the time.
- He disappears into his own world.
- Sh*t. This is our stop.
- He and Henry are alike in that way.
- Let's stop right there."
- But on page 9.
"- Who wants to start?"
We find out that it is failing.
"- I'm not going to read this out loud.
- As we mediate your separation
and eventual divorce
things can get quite contentious."
Without this hyper-focused introduction
our sympathy for this couple
would be lacking
and their demise less tragic.
"Uncut Gems" however...
"- I'm a block away. - Where the fuck are you man?"
...a movie about wheeling and dealing in New York...
"- I'm not a f*cking athlete.
This is my f*cking way.
This is how I win.
All right?"
...opens with an excavation scene in Ethiopia.
But why?
Because the movie revolves around the mysterious effects of this gem.
"- Why's it got so many colors in it?
- Man, what is this? - That's the thing.
They say you can see the whole universe in opals.
That's how f*cking old they are.
- Holy snap-- - I've been telling ya."
We need to understand its fascination.
The hope it represents.
This stone, I'm really connecting with this man.
I feel like I'm gonna have 40 or 50 on this man.
You understand that?!"
- And the violence that follows it.
How one men's gain
is another's loss.
The foundation laid in these opening moments
impacts the way we view the gem.
The characters and the power it holds over them.
"- Feel it. Feel it.
Come on, he's got the gem.
He's got the gem. Feel that, f*cking, gem.
Feel it."
Now, let's look at opening scenes
that forego plot and characters
and aim straight for tone.
Let's look at this scene
from "La La Land".
The power of the crowd.
The lyrics.
♪ I'm reaching for the heights, ♪
♪ and chasing all the lights that shine. ♪
The excitement, the vibrant outfits.
And then...
We are suddenly thrown back into reality.
The daily grind of L.A.
And only then introduced to our two leads.
"- Ahh."
- A half-page of script
and a four-minute sequence later,
the juxtaposition of fantasy and reality
we would normally expect from a musical
is established.
La La Land strikes a single consistent note.
In contrast.
"Get Out" blends horror
Comedy.
"- I got hypnotized last night.
- Bruh, I don't care if the b*tch is Iyanla Vanzant, okay?
She can't fix my motherf*ckin' life. You ain't gettin' in my head."
And social commentary.
"- Why us, huh?
Why black people?"
The tone established in the opening scene
prepares us for this hybrid genre.
What we see reminds us of countless horror films.
An isolated character walking through a dark neighborhood.
"- They got me out here in this creepy, confusing ass suburb.
I'm serious though.
I feel like a sore thumb out here."
- Andre jokes about the situation
which lightens the mood.
His assault places us firmly back into a thriller.
But then the soundtrack rises in the mix.
We hear a pop standard from the 40s
with rather ominous lyrics
given the context.
♪ Run, rabbit, run, run, run! ♪
In the original script,
the driver was described
as listening to a french language tutorial.
But the effect is the same.
In four and a half pages,
the mix of comedy and horror
is the perfect setup for a story
that crosses genre.
And prepares us for a complicated
and multi-layered message.
"- Good to see another brother around here."
- Hi. Yes, of course, it is.
- Sink into the floor.
- Wait, wait, wait, wait. - Sink."
Whether it be a whimsical music piece
or a high octane action scene
you really can do anything
in your opening scene.
You can use flashbacks.
"- It began with the forging of the great rings
Three were given to the elves.
Immortal, wisest, and fairest of all beings.
Flash-forwards.
Dreams.
"- I'm sorry, did someone say my name?"
Metaphors.
Bookends.
Red herrings.
"- It didn't make sense that'd be there.
I mean these guys were hardcore hijackers.
But there I was.
Besides, it was fun.
I got to make like I was notorious.
- All right, you all know the drill.
- Give me the f*cking keys, you f*cking c*cksucker.
- Knock it off get back.
Number 3 - step forward.
- "Hand me the keys, you c*cksucker." - In English, please.
Hand me the f*ckin' keys, you c*cksucker. What the f*ck?
- "Hand me the keys you f*cking c*cksucker."
- Or MacGuffins.
"- The rabbit's foot where is it?
- I gave it to you.
Ethan, where's the rabbit's foot?
- Wait.
- What-- what are you saying that wasn't it.
What I gave you.
- I'm gonna count to ten.
You're gonna tell me where the rabbit's foot is.
Or she dies.
- I know where the rabbit's food is.
I could help you."
- What are some of your favorite opening scenes and sequences?
And why?
Tell us in the comments below.
For more examples of iconic opening scenes...
"- You know what this is?
It's the world's smallest violin
playing just for the waitresses."
- ...head over to the StudioBinder blog.
We rank the best opening scenes of all time.
"- I need you to step out of the car, sir."
- So, the next time you dust off your typewriter...
"- How to start..."
- ...just remember a great opening scene
can be more than simply a "Scene 1".
"- Hi, babe."
It is an opportunity to do something truly great.
Whatever you choose make it count.
[Music]
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We'll see you in the next one.
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