Film Openings

     To get a better grasp on how to formulate my opening, I decided to watch a few film openings for dramas that focus on family life.

The Blind Side
     This movie, a widely popular sports drama, begins with a clip from a football game.  A woman, who will be one of the main characters of the film, begins a voice over walking through what is going on in the play.  She then goes on to explain the importance of one position, and one player (Lawrence Taylor), as pictures show his body parts.  Right after, a clip is shown of Lawrence walking in slow motion towards the camera.  This opening serves to establish the sports element, and also introduce the main character.  By the way she speaks about the boy and about herself, it is clear that she is a traditional motherly figure who holds a lot of love for the boy.  The opening very clearly shows that the film will be about football, and the narrator's relationship to the boy spoken about.


Wonder
     Wonder starts with a cute shot of an astronaut floating, before moving to show that it is a child wearing a helmet.  A narration then begins of the boy talking about himself, explaining what he's good at, what he isn't, and what he likes.  At the same time, clips are showing examples, but the face of the boy is not shown.  He then goes in to explain how his birth was a roller coaster, and then it cuts to a clip of his parents arguing about the kid attending school.  After, it goes back to narration, as the kid says he is going to start attending school, and his face is shown.  Through this opening, the man character was shown and his backstory was developed.  At the same time, we get a glimpse at the side story, which is how his parents are affected by the boy's life.  It foreshadows the issues that the parents are going to have, and that all of their relationships are about to drastically change.


Waves
     The opening for this film starts with all diegetic sound, as heavy breathing is heard and a girl is shown slowly biking through a street.  It then fades into a loud car of two teenagers singing and driving on the highway.  Close ups show the characters acting careless and light.  It then transitions to a teenage sports practice, with a coach yelling, before showing a school campus and the same boy from the car in different parts of the school.  As the clips continue, differing adult figures are heard, all of which are giving some sort of inspiration to a younger audience. This opening serves to show the setting that the main character is in, showing that they are a high school student and also an athlete.  It shows the many moods of the film, by transitioning from a dramatic tone, to a lighthearted one, to a hardworking and demanding setting.  Through this, it communicated the different themes of the movie, as well as lightly introduced the main character.

                                     A Quiet Place
    A Quiet Place starts with a clip of a father taking away a toy that made noise from his son because it was too loud.  The rest of the family is silent, and the dad is speaking sign language.  The family walks out, and a little girl secretly hands the boy back his toy.  Then, the family is shown walking through a forest silently, all barefoot with no sounds heard.  All of a sudden, the boy's toy starts making noises, the parents and girl all freeze, looking terrified, and the dad then sprints to the boy, as a creature swipes him away.  This opening set the tone for the movie, through the dramatic music and intensity of the characters.  The family is introduced, as well as the main conflict of the film- not being able to make noise.  Through this opening, the audience feels the overall emotion of the film.


OPENINGS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMLSd6NSuqs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH1C6yH_nFM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYia52U6lyg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_FdjXqSZlc