Film opening reaserch

     So the genre I decided on was family drama, which is just a subgenre of drama that focuses on the conflicts and relationships between family members. For this post I want to focus on the drama genre as a whole because these openings might not have the same content as the story I want to create, but they follow all of the same genre conventions. 

Research: 

    All opening scenes, though varied, have the goal of captivating the audience and giving them some insight into the movie they're watching. They can do this in a variety of ways including developing the characters, establishing the background, and establishing setting. An opening scene should also establish the main conflict, the purpose, and the tone of the film. Though these things are important, they shouldn't be over explained. There should be elements that create mystery to hook the audience and to get them to watch the rest of the movie.

    "Spotlight" (2015) immediately starts out by establishing the setting and the main conflict. The audience is also introduced to a few characters, but the main focus of this opening was to show viewers that there was a crime committed involving this mother, her kids, and the church. This creates mystery and incites the audience to watch more. In this opening the dialogue and mise-en-scene develop the background and setting. These techniques show the audience the information they need to know rather than just telling them.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWC6Abnqwok

    "Encanto" (2021) starts with a focus on a younger version the main character listening to a story. This story establishes the background and setting. This is accomplished by a voiceover which is a different approach than "Spotlight" (2015) had, but still conveys what it wants to, leaving room for mystery. This opening makes the audience mirror Mirabel (the main character) because they are listening to this story along with her and know just as much as she does. This works well with the movie because the audience can not only get an idea of how the magic works, but they also see how close Mirabel is with her grandmother and how family itself works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSnFZtrS6Co 

    "Cheaper by the dozen" (2003) doesn't really get into the conflict that the characters will be facing but it tells the audience who two of the main characters are and establishes the background through a voiceover. This immediately shows the grounded nature of this movie and lets the audience know what the rest of the movie will be about. It also hooks the audience by introducing so many characters in the first two minutes of the film. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0GgRdkpxKs8 

Conclusions:

    After researching it, I want my film opening to show the context rater than a voiceover like in "Spotlight" and to hook the audience with the mystery of the dynamics between characters, like in "Encanto". I also want to showcase a friendly tone like in "Cheaper by the dozen". 

Calum. (n.d.). The art of the opening scene in film. Medium. https://medium.com/@calum.45/the-art-of-the-opening-scene-in-film-3ab33fbb6977

No Film School. (n.d.). Drama genre. https://nofilmschool.com/drama-genre