Engage Us!

What makes a good film opening? This question does not have a single answer, as every director can interpret it in any way and introduce the movie however they may choose. However, all great movies do one thing with their openings, and that is engage us. These movies make us care about the movie, whether it be by introducing the characters, establishing the setting, or alluding to conflict, these films make a promise to us, and that promise is to not waste the viewers time.
 In my research, I have found websites that give valuable advise as to how to best approach the opening. The first website alludes to the movie "Love and Basketball" and how the movie established the setting and introduced the main character of the film. The second website  references many movies that begin with a bang and reinforces the idea that movies must engage us right from the start. For example, the website talks about one movie called "Scream" and how the movie instantly engaged us by having a murder scene as the one to open the movie. Although I am still not 100% sure as to the genre of my project, I know I must engage my audience, whether it be through the content itself, creative use of technical elements such as camera angles and mise-en-scene, or a combination of both.

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