Drama film openings!

Film openings are the key to engaging audiences on whether they will enjoy your movie or not. In Drama, there are various different film openings that really inspire and engage me as an audience member. There are many things in which film openings could do: introduce the main character, set the tone for the movie, and introduce the setting.

Lady Bird (2017)

This film opening is great for many reasons!! It first introduces our two main characters Christine and her mother in which both of their personalities are really shown. Christine talks about her wishes for the future, moving to the east coast where she prefers to be. Meanwhile her mother tells her she can’t leave because they can’t afford it. They fight for a bit, which shows the strain in their relationship. Additionally, the music at the beginning of the opening was soft and quite, but as they started to argue it increased in pitch and became louder. Lady Bird is a great example of setting characters, tone and the setting.

Moonlight (2016)

This film opening is a great one for showing the setting of the movie. It shows the low economic status of the characters and how they will possibly live through that struggle. Additionally, it shows one of the main characters which will be essentially later throughout the movie. (P.S this movie is great if you haven’t seen it go watch it! it’s one of my favorites.)

Once upon a time in Hollywood (2019)

This film opening is great at showing the two main characters and who they are. We’re first shown Rick Dalton who is seen to be a movie star, where he is being interviewed and speaking as well with his stunt double Cliff Booth. This shows us the tone of old Hollywood where we will get to know these characters more in depth. Additionally, the use of black and white is a great way to differentiate when they are on-screen and off-screen.

Marriage story (2019)

Now this film opening is a real tear jerker... but it really shows exactly how to introduce a character and show their personality. Here we are shown Nicole, where Charlie is heard talking about his favorite things about her. It really captures how much the two characters really love each other but still have a strenuous relationship. This film opening is just beautiful and I can’t describe how much I love it.

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

This opening is different from the rest, this one includes credits at the beginning and really shows who the character is without any dialogue. We are introduced to Freddy Mercury whose personality is mainly shown through mise-en-scene. We see his elaborate outfit choices and well as his own home, which show his ornate style. At the same time, we can hear “Somebody to Love” by Queen which gives us a little preview to what’s about to come.