The Importance of Your Opening Shot
A film’s opening shot is incredibly important, especially in a short film when running time is critical. The opening shot provides an opportunity for the filmmaker to establish mood, tone, and character. And for a short film, that opportunity shouldn’t be squandered on superfluous imagery. So, when it comes time to produce your next short, take the time to think through your opening shot. How can you,
hook the audience?
establish the world?
convey the tone of your film?
tell us something about the characters?
HOOK THE AUDIENCE
Whether directing a short or feature, you want to engage the viewer right from the start. Now, if you’re at the helm of a multimillion dollar franchise with big name actors, you have a little more runway. Audiences will be a little more patient. However, if you’re directing a low-budget short with actors no one has ever heard of, you will need to capture the audience quickly. This is especially true if you plan on submitting to film festivals. Screeners have to sort through hundreds of entries and you want yours to stand out.
ESTABLISH THE WORLD
When you’re a director like Christopher Nolan, creating complex stories (think Inception), you need the extra screen time to clue the audience in on what the rules are. But short films don’t have that luxury. You can do yourself a big favor by using your opening shot to quickly orient the audience. And remember,
the shot doesn’t need to be complex.
you don’t have to rely solely on the visuals.
Think about how you can also use sound design in your opening shot to help you establish the world. For example, here is the opening shot from my short film Hangry. The first thing audiences see is the nursing home dining room in a medium-wide shot. Residents crossing in and out of frame in the background, along with staff members in scrubs, helps to convey exactly where we are. But I didn’t just use visual clues. In the opening few seconds, an announcer’s voice comes in over the intercom and reads a list of afternoon activities that the residents can participate in.
TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT THE CHARACTER
How can you use the opening shot of your film to tell us a little bit about your character? Again, using Hangry as an example, I had my main character enter the dining room and sit down prominently in the center of the frame, a big smile on his face. He’s carrying a Bible. Someone from off screen calls out, “Afternoon, Reverend.” Those three things help to communicate who my main character is.
Also consider the opening shots of my short Big and Tall.
The bulletin board tells the audience:
the main character is really into Bigfoot lore.
she’s done her research.
she’s meticulous and has a strong attention to details.
Now look at the second shot. The clothing lets the audience know that she’s not a typical “girlie-girl.” She’s more rugged; outdoorsy. The coffee cup in her hand suggests maturity beyond her years. The third shot tells us that she’s highly organized, maybe with slight obsessive compulsive tendencies.
So, within the first few shots you can glean a lot of information about character, the world, the mood, and the tone of a film.
And as a bonus, here’s the opening shot of my upcoming short Miss Responsibility. What can you tell about the character from this image?
For every short film I direct, I want to introduce audiences to my main character and to the world as quickly as possible.
What methods have worked for you? What additional advice do you have for other filmmakers? Leave your thoughts in the Comments.