YouTube is quite the safe space for me. I tend to find myself getting lost in the many videos the platform has to offer from "Sleep Is Just Death Being Shy" to "Maxwell the cat dances in 360." While this range of content seems rather wide most of it tends be centered around anything film related (and cats (just kidding (not really though))). So, what better way to research what I'm doing than by watching the openings of films I'm inspired by! So I did just that. (spoilers for Black Swan and Whiplash ahead)
The first opening I watched was the one for Black Swan, the film by Darren Aronofsky. Immediately I noticed the void, and spotlight on the character looks very similar to how I envisioned the opening shot for the film opening. These 2 minutes are a one shot that shows us the main character Nina performing a segment of the ballet Swan Lake. The camera fixates on the precision of her movements telling the audience that Nina is a very experienced ballerina. It also hints at the flaw she spends the entire movie battling with, her perfectionism. It is what lands her the role of the Swan Queen but what also eats away at her as she tries to dance the Black Swan. Then the camera moves where we can see her facial expressions which show she's completely immersed in the character of the Swan Queen. It gives yet another hint to the audience that this role is a big deal for Nina, which is another reason why she strives for perfection. Once the evil sorcerer enters the stage, they have a back and forth where the sorcerer turns into a crow. The sudden transformation tells the audience that this sequence is not based in reality. It also sets up how the story will bend reality, making the reader question what is truth and what is fabricated. As the two characters spin, Nina's white dress changes to feature feathers. She also now adorns feathers on her hair, indication her transformation into the White Swan. Basically, the opening of the film tells the story of the movie setting up Nina's arc into becoming the White Swan and suffering from the same deadly fate. But the opening ends with Nina's transformation, so it leaves the audience wondering, will she become a direct parallel to the White Swan of the ballet and will her story end the same way?
In Whiplash, the opening starts with 40 seconds of a drum roll. The sound becomes more and more intense until it stops, and we see the drummer in question at the end of a long corridor in a practice room. The frame within the frame makes him look offcentered. Almost perfect, but not quite, which hints at his similar struggle for perfection. It tells the audience the main character's goal. The camera begins to slowly push in as the drummer starts playing again. The only sound heard is his drumming, yet another cue to the audience as to what this movie is about. It also points at the characters hyperfixation on the instrument, nothing else takes up his mind. His movement is frantic and as the camera continues to push in directly into the practice room, the drummer stops suddenly, looks up, and begins to apologize. The camera cuts to a reverse shot of a man watching him play. The man steps into the light. This sets up our second main character. It tells the audience that he is observant. The little headroom he is given in the frame also tells the audience he is powerful, which is furthure reinforce by the drummer (Andrew) having to look up at him. Because he is the only person that distracts the drummer, that also shows us the importance of this second character who we come to know as Fletcher. On top of that, we have their wardrobe. Fletcher is dressed in black, yet another symbol of his power. Andrew is dressed in white, a symbol of his purity. He is a young, up and coming musician who's looking to make it in the music industry, not yet tainted by it's toxicity, a hint of what the movie might be about. The shot-reverse-shot sets up a power imbalance between the characters, something that drives the plot of the entire movie. The reduced lead room that Andrew gets in his reverse shows he is struggling to get through to Fletcher. As Andrew plays what Fletcher asks of him, the camera pushes in on his face, he's begun to immerse himself back in his playing. But this immersion is broken again by Fletcher slamming the door. He comes back, and we see Andrew get hopeful, but Fletcher grabs his coat, and leaves again. The last shot is a wide of Andrew looking longingly at the door. This entire sequence sets up the entire plot of the movie. It introduces our main characters, their conflict, and leaves the viewer with the question of will Andrew impress Fletcher. What will he have to do to acheive that goal?
After analyzing these two film openings, it's given me a better idea of how to structure mine. I'll definitely take some inspiration from black swan for the opening shot of the void. Since my story is about history repeating itself, I feel that shot will need a bit more visual imagery to show the artist being consumed by their work. Maybe I could have the artist hold a paintbrush or finish a painting. It also helps me back up the idea of the artist being covered in paint. I also want to take the idea of becoming what you fixate on. I want the new artist to have a fixation for the work of the old artist, and I want to allude to the fact that this new artist might be going down the same path of destruction. I'll also take some inspiration from Whiplash's set up of character dynamics and conflict. It gave me the idea of having the artist have an opposing character that represents what the artist is against, and pose the question of whether or not this character will help or harm the artist. I also want the opening to set up the new artists own struggle for perfection with their own art piece. Maybe through slow zooms into close ups like Whiplash uses.
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