Brainstorming
Film openings
RISE
Since the beginning, the audience can get a glimpse of what the action taking place. I liked the close up shots and the intensity of the music as the actor puts on his headphones. These create a connection between the non-diegetic sound presented, where the audience can hear the music while the actor is playing to the beat. The music also and the over-the-shoulder shots added suspense as the audience wanders what will happen next.
OFFLINE
I thought the introduction was quite bland. I liked how they introduced the characters by showing their social media activities. The contrast between the girl sleeping and using her phone. The music expressed a horror/suspense theme in some way but it didn't fully gave the effect that the film would be "scary". I think that they could've used some close up or eye level shots or less music so that the pauses would evoke the horror theme. Also, I liked how the title matches the film and the reveal at the end gave a better interpretation.
DEAR LOVER
I loved the establishment shot shown in the beginning; it added a calming nature to the anti-climatic story that would later be revealed. I thought the voice-over was a nice touch to the story. The girl's portray of emotions lacked some meaning since she didn't seem as sympathetic as the narrator shaped the story to be. The eye level and over-the-shoulder shots embraced the suspense of the story to an adequate level. I also liked how the title was revealed upon the beautiful scenery of nature and how the end contrasted that meaning to something that may be negative.
DARE TO THRILL
This film opening was by far my favorite. I thought that everything blended in perfectly, starting from the music to the camera angles. The music made it seem more of adventure and the group of friends greatly executed the theme. It reminded me of the movie, Nerve, in which they had to do wild dares for money. I feel like that was the mysterious film they were trying to execute. I also liked how the ending was unexpected. The camera man must've had some serious skills because the shots were beautiful.
ALWAYS WATCHING
I liked this film opening overall. I think it best executed the elements of a horror film without revealing everything to the audience. I liked the cameo and close up shots that they had. I think one thing they did well is intensifying the background music. As the stalker kid kept explaining what he did to his friend, the music intensifies and so does the action. I really liked the back and forth switch with the stalker and the victim when they were looking in the mirror. I thought the ending was very abrupt and unfinished.
THE BLUE BOAR
In the beginning, this film opening instantly reminded me of the Handmaid's tale because of the girl's costume and the mother's. I feel like the inspiration stems from Rapunzel and the Handmaid's Tale combined. I like the close up shots and the over-the-shoulder shots. They made the opening seem a bit more dramatic. Also, I liked the scenery and the singing was good. I thought that it was a good idea how the speed of the music matched her actions until the end.
WHITE COATS
This film opening was well done. I liked how it gave away just the right amount of facts to the audience without any talking or explanation. I thought that the setting and lighting were nice; they help understand the genre of the film. This opening reminds me a little of Breaking Bad because of the chemical mixture scene. The close up on the beaker to show the blood was interesting and I feel like it'll be a big part of the movie later on.
STALKER
After seeing many others and comparing, I can honestly say that this move opening was not good. It didn't quite feel like it was meant to be scary and it is very cheesy. The title mentions Stalker but only what the girl does reveals that she's being stalked. The opening became kind of predictable after the first scene, which I don't think is a good thing for a horror film. Also, the music choice was not good at all. It did not match the actions or the plot of the movie. I liked the idea that they were trying to execute, but not what they actually executed.
NOSTALGIA
I really liked this movie opening. It was well put and matched the title perfectly. I like the subtle contrast/symbolism between the grandma's actions and her past. Without revealing too much, the audience can sense that the grandma misses her past and has an unwanted desire to do it all over again. I thought that the establishment shots were great and the scenery of the film as well. It added the emotion of "nostalgia" to a great extent. I also liked the ending when the grandma contrasted into the girl; it shows the audience how the story will be focused on the girl, but with similar aspects and adventures from the grandma's life.
LOST & FOUND
I didn't really understand what was going on in this film. I'm not sure if the title helps understand it at all. I liked the contrast between the stories from the girl and the boy. The opening had some nice over-the-shoulder shots. I thought the girl's story was somewhat suspenseful as she waits to find out some big news she's been expecting. This contrasted to the boy's story, which felt a bit mysterious and suspenseful. He explains how his story is missing a piece but he's not sure what it is.
CONCLUSION
Overall, these film openings helped me understand what to do with my film opening. Now, I know for sure that I do not want to do a horror film because it is very repetitive and requires good acting skills, which I don't think we quite possess yet. I like the genre that I picked and I feel like it'll blend well with mystery so the film opening would be like an adventure/mystery story. Two big things I want to execute well are scenery and background sounds/music. These things were important in the good openings that I watched. I definitely want to add more suspense and confusion to my story to leave the audience wanting more. For example, I want to end with a dramatic and unpredictable cliffhanger to get the audience thinking deeper about the story. Also, I want to provide enough context and emotion to the opening so the audience can understand what the movie will be about and what genre it revolves around. I'm truly excited to see how this opening will be once my team and I finish filming and editing.
RISE
Since the beginning, the audience can get a glimpse of what the action taking place. I liked the close up shots and the intensity of the music as the actor puts on his headphones. These create a connection between the non-diegetic sound presented, where the audience can hear the music while the actor is playing to the beat. The music also and the over-the-shoulder shots added suspense as the audience wanders what will happen next.
OFFLINE
I thought the introduction was quite bland. I liked how they introduced the characters by showing their social media activities. The contrast between the girl sleeping and using her phone. The music expressed a horror/suspense theme in some way but it didn't fully gave the effect that the film would be "scary". I think that they could've used some close up or eye level shots or less music so that the pauses would evoke the horror theme. Also, I liked how the title matches the film and the reveal at the end gave a better interpretation.
DEAR LOVER
I loved the establishment shot shown in the beginning; it added a calming nature to the anti-climatic story that would later be revealed. I thought the voice-over was a nice touch to the story. The girl's portray of emotions lacked some meaning since she didn't seem as sympathetic as the narrator shaped the story to be. The eye level and over-the-shoulder shots embraced the suspense of the story to an adequate level. I also liked how the title was revealed upon the beautiful scenery of nature and how the end contrasted that meaning to something that may be negative.
DARE TO THRILL
This film opening was by far my favorite. I thought that everything blended in perfectly, starting from the music to the camera angles. The music made it seem more of adventure and the group of friends greatly executed the theme. It reminded me of the movie, Nerve, in which they had to do wild dares for money. I feel like that was the mysterious film they were trying to execute. I also liked how the ending was unexpected. The camera man must've had some serious skills because the shots were beautiful.
ALWAYS WATCHING
I liked this film opening overall. I think it best executed the elements of a horror film without revealing everything to the audience. I liked the cameo and close up shots that they had. I think one thing they did well is intensifying the background music. As the stalker kid kept explaining what he did to his friend, the music intensifies and so does the action. I really liked the back and forth switch with the stalker and the victim when they were looking in the mirror. I thought the ending was very abrupt and unfinished.
THE BLUE BOAR
In the beginning, this film opening instantly reminded me of the Handmaid's tale because of the girl's costume and the mother's. I feel like the inspiration stems from Rapunzel and the Handmaid's Tale combined. I like the close up shots and the over-the-shoulder shots. They made the opening seem a bit more dramatic. Also, I liked the scenery and the singing was good. I thought that it was a good idea how the speed of the music matched her actions until the end.
WHITE COATS
This film opening was well done. I liked how it gave away just the right amount of facts to the audience without any talking or explanation. I thought that the setting and lighting were nice; they help understand the genre of the film. This opening reminds me a little of Breaking Bad because of the chemical mixture scene. The close up on the beaker to show the blood was interesting and I feel like it'll be a big part of the movie later on.
STALKER
After seeing many others and comparing, I can honestly say that this move opening was not good. It didn't quite feel like it was meant to be scary and it is very cheesy. The title mentions Stalker but only what the girl does reveals that she's being stalked. The opening became kind of predictable after the first scene, which I don't think is a good thing for a horror film. Also, the music choice was not good at all. It did not match the actions or the plot of the movie. I liked the idea that they were trying to execute, but not what they actually executed.
NOSTALGIA
I really liked this movie opening. It was well put and matched the title perfectly. I like the subtle contrast/symbolism between the grandma's actions and her past. Without revealing too much, the audience can sense that the grandma misses her past and has an unwanted desire to do it all over again. I thought that the establishment shots were great and the scenery of the film as well. It added the emotion of "nostalgia" to a great extent. I also liked the ending when the grandma contrasted into the girl; it shows the audience how the story will be focused on the girl, but with similar aspects and adventures from the grandma's life.
LOST & FOUND
I didn't really understand what was going on in this film. I'm not sure if the title helps understand it at all. I liked the contrast between the stories from the girl and the boy. The opening had some nice over-the-shoulder shots. I thought the girl's story was somewhat suspenseful as she waits to find out some big news she's been expecting. This contrasted to the boy's story, which felt a bit mysterious and suspenseful. He explains how his story is missing a piece but he's not sure what it is.
CONCLUSION
Overall, these film openings helped me understand what to do with my film opening. Now, I know for sure that I do not want to do a horror film because it is very repetitive and requires good acting skills, which I don't think we quite possess yet. I like the genre that I picked and I feel like it'll blend well with mystery so the film opening would be like an adventure/mystery story. Two big things I want to execute well are scenery and background sounds/music. These things were important in the good openings that I watched. I definitely want to add more suspense and confusion to my story to leave the audience wanting more. For example, I want to end with a dramatic and unpredictable cliffhanger to get the audience thinking deeper about the story. Also, I want to provide enough context and emotion to the opening so the audience can understand what the movie will be about and what genre it revolves around. I'm truly excited to see how this opening will be once my team and I finish filming and editing.
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