Opening the Film Opening

 Well, the time has finally come. After months of anticipation the portfolio project is finally upon me. I have been given the task of creating the two-minute opening to an original film. Coming up with the idea for an original film is easy, but illustrating it through only the first two minutes is a different story entirely. Through this blog I will be documenting to you, my wonderful reader, the process by which I accomplish this feat. I'm talking everything from brainstorming to writing to filming to editing. The whole nine yards of filmmaking which may suck in the moment but will become worth it in the end (hopefully). 

 So, types of openings. There's a bunch of those and they each serve different purposes. My first goal is to pick which I type I want to do and then move from there. So the first type of opening that interests me is the one that develops character. Character is equally as important as plot when it comes to a story as they sort of have the symbiotic relationship to each other. The actions of the characters influence the plot, and the developments of the plot influences the characters. I'm a big character guy, I like when they're memorable and the stand out part of the film. I want my film opening to establish some individual who would play a major role in the film's story, whether it be the hero, villain, or some guy whose only purpose is to do one specific thing that puts the plot in motion.

 

 The other kind of opening I would like to explore is that of the opening that establishes mystery. I believe that the best kind of film openings are the ones that leave the audience with a question they want answered. This question can be posed in many ways. You could introduce a character who is shown as important, but not provide any background or information as to who they are. You could then take it even further by obscuring this character's appearance, creating even more mystery. Another way to do it is with an event, some occurrence that is clearly out the ordinary appearing at the very beginning of the film, leaving the audience to begin to wonder what just happened and why. I think that this is a really solid direction to take for a film opening, and one that I would want to take.