First impressions matter. They establish an expectation and either appeal or repel. What a film shows in the first five minutes is critical to how an audience will react, how engaged they become, and how long they will sit watching your story unfold.
The opening shot is your chance to hook them. It’s the first exchange of information. The first connection. How you approach that is everything.
Make the first five minutes count. That’s how long it takes for most audiences to form an opinion, which is why Disney films nearly always set up the story within that time frame. It happens in Tangled, Up, Frozen, and nearly every other major, modern Disney animated film.
The first scene reveals context—what the movie is about. But it can do so much more. Let’s investigate different ways to open a script.
Below I outline 16 ways to open your film. While these openings take a different approach, they are not exclusive. You can combine them for bigger impact. An opening focusing on the hero, might also establish tone or setting. The more you can preview what is to come, the stronger the hook. In most cases. Not all. Sometimes a singular focus for your introductory scene will create a bigger splash. Play with your options until you craft an opening scene that accomplishes what you need it to accomplish.
There are no rules. There are guidelines, but even they can be broken from time to time. For example, many people say to dive right into the story and waste no time. But sometimes stepping back to establish a setting or tone will have a bigger impact on the overall experience. If that’s the case, then take that moment. Don’t be tied to arbitrary rules. Just craft the best opening you can.
The best film openings establish tone, settings, and character. They establish context for what will follow, or establish expectations that will be thwarted later on. They do more than simply open the film.
Top 16 Ways to Start a Script
The Inciting Incident
Start the story without pause. This type of opening jumps right into the crux of the story. It reveals the one incident from which all else follows. It’s the inciting incident that changes the protagonist and that path that character will take. Films that start this way include: Gravity, Jaws, Jurassic Park, The Big Sick. They begin where the story begins, with the meet-cute or showing the monster. Or, in the case of Jaws, not showing the monster, but establishing a danger in the water and fear. What starts your story? What scene sets everything in motion? That is one choice for your opening scene.
2. In Media Res—Action
What if you don’t want to show the catalyst? Then drop your audience into the story in the middle. Let them experience the action as it is happening, instead of watching it unfold. This means releasing the brake and racing into action from the first moment. This happens in Train to Busan, a Korean zombie movie where we see a zombie awaken behind a woman on the train. There is no pause. No setup telling us where the zombies came from or showing how the pandemic began. No, we’re thrown into the fight from the start. Other movies that follow this pattern include: Kill Bill, vol 1, The World is Not Enough, Mission: Impossible, Baby Driver, Drive, Halloween, Trainspotting,
Saving Private Ryan (if you drop the flashback of the old man open scene, which doesn’t really work).
3. In Media Res—Conversation
Sometimes the middle is not a big action sequence, but a conversation, a meeting, a moment. This is when the audience is dropped into the middle of a situation where the dialogue is flowing already. There is no transition to it or setup. The conversation is already happening, it’s already revealing details about the character and situation. This happens in Social Network, Inglorious Bastards, American Psycho, and The Godfather. The conversation starts the story. The dialogue lays out the context for the story to come. This is a quiet version of the action In Media Res above. It pulls the viewer in as observer instead of with a participant viewpoint.
4. The Intimate Open
There are openings where it’s all about the character and establishing who they are. These openings are attempting to foster deep empathy immediately. It’s all about character development. It may foreshadow plot or not. The point is to reveal who the main character is and forge a deep connection. This happens in The Truman Show, Guardians of the Galaxy, Back to the Future, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Lord of War, and 500 Days of Summer.
5. The Hero and Villain
This is similar to the last entry, but with less intimacy. This open focuses more on establishing who the hero or villain is and hints at what the audience can expect throughout the film. This type of opening scene typically starts with a sequence showing the hero’ or villain’s strength, weakness, or situation. It sets the stage for the rest of the movie, raises the stakes, and hints at key plot points. Examples of this open includes: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Silence of the Lambs, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight—introducing Joker, The Dark Knight Rises—introducing Bane.
6. Relationships
Maybe you want to reveal the relationships between key characters. Then this is the opening for you. It starts the film by showing the relationship between two or more characters using a shorthand to hint at what will follow, or not. These openings start with what characters care about or are focused on in their story. You can find this type of opening in films like Shaun of the Dead, Marriage Story, and Whiplash.
7. The Establishing Shot
This is a tricky opening. It can be used to great effect when done well, but so often falls short when approached literally. How many films have you watched where the first minutes are taken up with the skyline of Chicago or New York? Yes, that shows us where the characters are and, presumably, where the story will take place, but it doesn’t often reveal more than that. It’s better to start with an establishing shot that reveals a world or situation. Think Lion King, Wall-E, The Thin Red Line, Alien, Contact, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Shining. These elevated the establishing shot to provide context and tone, theme and foreshadowing. If you use an establishing shot, make sure it does more than place your characters in place.
8. The Object
These openings rely on an object or element to sets the plot into motion. It may be important or unimportant to the story itself. The point is to serve as a catalyst for what will follow. The idea is to reveal an item that will influence the rest of the film. It’s the coke bottle that lands in a desert in The Gods Must Be Crazy or the opal found in Uncut Gems. If the item itself is unimportant, it serves as a McGuffin. It may not be central to the story, but it does get the story rolling. Think of this as a bit of sleight of hand. This technique is often used in spy movies and action flicks to establish the character before the main story begins. In the case of McGuffins, the items will not reappear in the film. It is not Chekhov’s gun. It has a separate purpose.
Next week’s blog will reveal the next 8 ways to open a film. Until then, share your favorite opening scenes.