Our task is to film the first two minutes of what would be a full-length film. For the film I made previously, I had to condense a beginning, middle, and ending into a 1-minute timeframe which meant the intro was no longer than a couple of seconds. I didn't really know what I should include in the opening of this fil even after having tons of movies in my life. I never focused on the beginning exclusively as it felt like a small part of a bigger whole but now, that "small part" would have to be my main focus.
To have a better understanding of what should be in those two minutes and how it should look like and play out, I decided to watch some film intros. We decided that our film would be a part of the crime genre, so I wanted the source I studied to best represent that. I decided to watch the intro to Zodiac, a 2007 crime/thriller film, directed by David Fincher.
Opening 5 minutes to Zodiac (2007)
This time period is further explored through mise en scene as the characters and their surroundings are indicative of older times. If the fashion of the characters doesn't give it away, it can be seen in the structures like the food place the pair go to as well as the vehicles the characters are driving. We have no specific plan for a specific era in time, but my core understanding is that the film is expressing major story elements to the audience such as, in this case, when it takes place within the opening.
Shot of the crowded burger place that helps indicate the film is set sometime in the past
Sound plays a key role in making it apparent to the audience that they are watching a thriller. Music starts off soothing which is opposed by the end with a more rock-like track playing right before the first kill of the film. Show that things are going to be calm until something intense and tragic happens. The loud sounds of fireworks are meant to scare and shake viewers as they come suddenly and also lower their guard as they believe the worst of it is over for now. It sets up for the actual high-tension moment of the killer coming later and makes the audience aware of what to expect throughout the film. Moments of low tension followed by moments of high tension that is commonly found in thrillers. A suppressed gunshot reveals details about the killer like they are careful not to get caught and plants from the start the idea that this killer is meticulous and going to provide a challenge for detectives.
Lastly, the cinematography and editing go hand in hand in this opening to create effects of calmness followed by extreme tension. The beginning portion has very little editing until cuts happen as the characters talk from to ends of the car. This continues as the characters go from location to location and have a conversation. it only slightly differs when a cut is made cars that would cause the characters trouble that was followed by quick cuts between the two characters until that trouble is made. the cut foreshadowed the significance of the next car coming up as another form of danger through its rhythmic style. The shots are also slowed down to emphasize the destruction caused by the killer as it can be seen more clearly. Cuts are once again very quickly made to not let the audience focus as it would be hard for the characters in that situation. Shots are kept simple in the beginning with things coming off as normal and mundane until the pair is finally all alone. When the killer is there, things are more clearly seen with a higher zoom and more light to once again show the brutality of the killer. However, even with the light being emitted, the killer is made sure to be kept hidden in shadows with close-ups of only his limbs.
Zodiac Killer surrounded by darkness after opening kill
The main things I learned were the main purpose of film openings and the basic elements that make them up. The opening doesn't have to get into your film's core ideas or big plot elements just yet but should instead grab the audience's attention and create and establish the tone and setting of your film using mise en scene, cinematography, sound, narrative, and most importantly to me, editing. There should be a stronger focus on broad ideas like where your story is taking place and the basic traits of your main character such as the zodiac killer in the clip above being someone that is hard to track down. It also doesn't reveal who they are signifying a mystery element to the film and how it most likely isn't from his perspective. You should have the basic ideas that go with your film's genre like in this case, a crime/thriller film would include moments of suspense and mystery elements that are prevalent within just the first 5 minutes through an early murder scene and dark/mysterious atmosphere. Finally, you should make sure to keep things simple, you can include those high-suspense moments but shoot them in a way that doesn't distract or take away from the film, especially the editing. Scenes were separated by simple straight cuts as we go from location to location with the most cuts occurring during the murder sequence that was mainly there to create tension for a short while. Otherwise, there is no need to go overboard with the editing as it can take away more than it adds and ruin the flow of the events that are new for the viewer. You can let scenes play out through a minimal use of cuts so that a calmer mood is created and when the editing style shifts to have more cuts happening rapidly, it would build suspense and tension for the audience.
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