Could you describe a film opening?

The Sound of Music

Bird’s eye view of rolling green hills of Austria. Zooming over lakes and snow-topped mountains, then to steeples in little towns nestled in the foothills. Finally, the camera swoops down to a small clearing on a hilltop where Maria sings the title song with carefree, and maybe even naive joy. Beautiful!

What exactly is the assignment? How are our descriptions helpful to you? I can think of a million great movie openings, but I feel like I am handing over to you, your homework.

EDIT: Understood… with that said. Being an obsessed movie fan, my descriptions will be in intricate detail with nothing exaggerated or omitted. So I am of no help.

I’m on an art foundation and I’m doing film in the photography specialism. And for my final major project I have been looking at openings of films. I’ve been told that if my work is linking to an existing narrative/film the audience will link more with my work. So I have recreated an opening of american psycho, but having seen the film and used the script it influenced me too much. So.. now I’m looking at films I haven’t seen. So they can’t influence me. And I had the idea to instead of looking at scripts, to get peoples own descriptions. As what people say wont be exactly correct. There will be things missing or made more exaggerated. So its like chinese whispers with film…
your not doing my homework. its research for my project

Haha, okay. thanks anyway

psst….ask Vunessuh:)

The opening to Citizen Kane is not the greatest ever but is a standout classic…
http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=-r0b_XeRkG4&feature=related

Caché by Michael Haneke. Watch at least ten minutes. Then watch the entire movie for one of the most shocking few seconds in film history.

shock beginnings

Saving Private Ryan
o or minimal dialogue. Soldiers in landing craft preparing to beach. Checking small things, looking at pictures, staring ahead frightened. Confusion as craft gates are opened and soldiers emerge. An objective merciless eye observing equally soldiers discharged too early who drown and soldiers plunging ahead into gunfire and noise. confusion.

Cast Away
Similar idea. A few moments of being aboard a flight, then chaos and disorientation, crazy tilts and unclear images and noise and crashing and unclear images and splash noise and unclear—-
the later Hanks washed ashore half drowned.

Apocalypse Now
vietnam, the choppers, vietnam in flames, the choppers,the fan marin sheen staring up—the doors singing the flames the choppers becoming the ceiling fan. stark reality drunk in a crappy hot hotel room lying on the bed staring up while fan blades beat

Read “Day of the Locust”