Film Openings Research

 Hey, I am back Cambridge! Me and my partners decided on a genre and it is going to be.... A SPORTS DRAMA! To gain a better understanding of film openings in this specific genre, I will look at and analyze three film openings.

Film opening #1: The Blind Side (2009)

This film begins with a woman narrating a football play. She breaks it down and analyzes each play, pausing and commenting slowly. This enables the audience to gain a little bit of background information in not only football alone but in a specific position, the defender. Then, the woman asks what position pays the most, and shockingly, the second most paid position is the left tackle. The woman goes on to describe the typical characteristics of these kinds of players, and then the main character is introduced. He walks down a street and he has the same qualities, foreshadowing the film. These techniques work together. to inform and foreshadow the film, engaging the audience. A narrative approach would work well with my idea, and it will allow me to establish a character within two minutes in my film opening, so it might be helpful. 

Here is the film opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMLSd6NSuqs

(put picture for film)

Film opening #2: Rocky (1976)

 The film opens with a boxing match in the 70s. Two men are fighting and they use a mix of long and tight shots. The crowd is cheering as they fight, creating tension. During a time-out, the protagonist sits and his coach gives him advice and calms him down. The main character wins the match and the crowd boos afterwards. The camera techniques and the dim lighting create tension, meanwhile the film opening gives information on what the movie will mainly be about. The shots from the crowd make the audience feel like they are part of the spectators which is a cool technique. It would be a little difficult, however, since a crowd requires a big group of people in a small space, which I cannot really do. I enjoy the vibe and the mood the ring makes so maybe if I play with lighting in some shotsin my film opening it will help create a different tone. In addition, maybe including a coach or mentor would aid in storytelling.

Here is the film opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhs9jl3W9P8

(pictures of the film

Film opening #3: I, Tonya (2017)

The film starts off with people who the main character was close with, such as her mother, coach, etc, being interviewed. The Mise-en-scene is bland, and the characters are represented mainly through costume design. Then, they go back 44 years, when the main character was a little girl. They show her ice skating with her mother and the harsh training she went through. This approach overall establishes the context and background. I think the interviews are neat but it would be a little difficult to get that many people to be interviewed. However, what I do think we could do is a scene of the main actor back then when she was little, doing her sport.

Here is the film opening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGGYfhokQXM

Overall, these film openings inspired me and I will definitely keep these techniques in the back of my mind. Such as the narration, long and close shots, interviews, and going back in time. I like how these techniques will help me build a character or context, for example, the interviews would illustrate what different people think about the main character. (They would be interviewed to tell their story with the protagonist)