'Watching' Documentary on Film Openings

'Watching' explores the opening title sequences to films. So as an extra extension task as part of our research, the group has decided to watch this and make notes and answering questions from the handout provided by our media teacher. In order to increase our knowledge in  how we should make our own thriller opening and develop ideas that could be a success.

From viewing  the watching we have gathered the following information: When Thomas Sutcliffe says "Films need to seduce their audience into long term commitment. While there are many types of seduction, the temptation to go for instant arousal is almost irresistible."  He is trying to say that film makers  within the five minutes have to grab the attention of the audience in order for it to be a success and for the audience not to loose their interest .After all the audience are their to watch your film to love it and love you as a director so to achieve this you would have to play with their emotions and feelings. For example as soon as you are in the cinema watching a film, the magic begins, the lights turn of and the waiting crowd become your audience. And directors treasure this moment as this is what first grabs their interest in continuing to follow your line of work and the film in hand.  To add sam fuller also says that if the first page of your script doesn't get the audience engaged then throw it away. As grabbing the audience in the first five minutes is most important.  A great sedative film opening is 'Psycho.'  Its the beginning of it what  makes the shower so different so it raises curiosity.

According to Director Jean Jacques Beinieix, the risks of 'instant arousal' are that if you have a very strong opening that arouses the audience, you then have to maintain that same level because as a director you open yourself to questions such as "what next?" and you have to answer. And the key risk is in not answering the question. Which is the problem in making films.  For example Jean Jacques had a fight with his producers because they wanted a directive novel to be just simple, casual and nothing complicated. Jean wanted to start it of the an opera a "diva" singing. And they said that starting the first three minutes with an opera, he was committing suicide. Which off course Jean disagreed.


"A good beginning must make the audience feel that it doesn't know nearly enough yet, and at the same time make sure that it doesn't know too little." This is because the beginning of the film is where it establishes; characters, story and tone. And the audience are then making out what it represents and triggers there emotions. It helps them identify what they should feel, weather it makes them laugh, take it serious and what the nature of the film is. It wants to let us know how to watch the film as it follows. And the whole purpose is to get the the audience into the directors wave length.Once this is achieved you are able to do what you want and they will follow.  For example in patrice langue film ridicule, it makes the audience feel it started without us and is already in a rush to an appointment and makes us feel that we have to scurry in order to find out more and catch up even though we know the character is going to what seems an argent appointment. So this is a perfect example of where in beginning the audience knows what is happening but are lured in to know more.As if they new from the start the relationship between the director and  his audience breaks down.

Critic Stanley Kauffmann describes the classic opening as to be a film opening with a establishing of New York city, usually seen from the east. leading to a close up to a building which then the camera went up the building to a window and going inside the window where it went pass the receptionist desk to the prier office where "karry Grant."  As a result this has told us where it was taking place, what the occupation of the hero was and most importantly what the organisation of the world was. It works because it leads the audience to the audience smoothly, telling them what the nature and kind of the story it is. But they to expect what's coming. A good example of this is the opening of The Last Picture Show where the picture fades into a small movie theatre into a long slow plan through the street.

Kyle cooper's title sequence to the film seven is effective because it tuned the audience to the right pitch.The title sequence came part of the first scene of the film, it tells a story and introduces us to the obsessive nature of the film and characters. It also foreshadows what will happen. The sykotic energy was so successful it influenced the whole of the film.

Orsen wells wanted to plunged the audience into his story without giving the audience time to prepare themselves through his opening to the film A touch of Evil, he did this by intentionally excluding the scene of credits and title music . Universal studios however more cautious, they didn't understand the opening shot or the picture it self. Therefore in the final cut they had put a "nice score" underneath it including credits also source music, as a result the effect was lost. Thus why Orsen wrote a memo of 58 pages pleading to take it of. Despite this the studio proceeding in the editing and because of this "they blunted his originality." 

The term "a favourite trick of Film Noir" is where your actually putting the ending in beginning of the film.  for example the casino starts of  with an  ending. The trick is  looking ahead to what is to come.

The opening of the film The Shining creates suspense through; the up left of the helicopter shot, and the camera following the car in the second scene "like a predator." High up and from behind. This is telling us that the characters are travelling in the wrong direction.