Film Openings: Drama 

I decided to create a film opening for a drama movie so in order to help me with my idea I researched three film openings from drama movies and analyzed the different elements that were used and what they helped accomplish

Goodfellas (1990) is a drama/crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. The story follows Henry Hills who becomes amazed by the gangster life and Mafia presence in his Italian American neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. There he begins to work for the caporegime Paulie Cicero and commits more serious crimes. 

Opening Scene

The first opening shot contains an extremely dark tracking shot of a car on a highway immediately giving an ominous vibe. When the audience finally sees the inside of the vehicle, three characters are seen through a close-up, mostly focusing on the driver which might hint to audiences that this is the main character. The dialogue in this scene adds to the harsh vibe of the movie with the use of profane language by one of the three men when he says, “What the f*** is that?”. 

The next shot shows the three men out of the car, they are all wearing clean-cut suits, with neat hair suggesting that maybe they are on their way home from work and showing that they have money. When the trunk opens and a bloody person is seen, this might change the audience's views of the characters. Tommy and Jimmy proceed to stab and shoot the guy inside the trunk which now officially tells the audience that these characters might be part of the mafia. 

This tone is contrasted by having the camera close up on Henry’s face and including a voiceover saying “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster” and the upbeat song “Rags to Riches,” setting up Henry’s nostalgic voiceover that depicts his romanticized view of the mafia and the gangster life contradiction the brutality that will later unfold in the movie. The following shots all contain Henry’s voiceover explaining why he wanted to be a gangster and showing shots of his younger self and his childhood. This approach allows audiences to understand the main characters on a deeper level by having a flashback to clarify why the character they just have seen acts that way.  

Call Me by Your Name (2017) is a coming-of-age romantic drama movie directed by Luca Guadagnino. The film follows 17-year-old Elio Perlman who is spending the summer of 1983 with his parents in rural Northern Italy when Elio’s father invites 24-year-old graduate student, Oliver, to live with them for the summer. 

Opening Scene

The opening of this film focuses on establishing atmosphere and tone rather than directly into character or plot. The scene starts with a hand-written introduction that says, “Summer 1983” and the same font with the phrase “somewhere in Northern Italy.” These two shots establish the setting and period for the movie and the font used alludes to a peaceful, carefree, summer vibe for the film. Additionally, many wide shots of gorgeous Italian landscapes are used emphasizing the tranquility of the setting. 

The following shots focus on Elio and his interactions with Oliver. The shot of Elio looking down at Oliver arriving introduces his parents. Throughout all the shots occurring inside the house, the use of mise-en-scene creates a sort of personality for the Perlman family. Most of these shots include various pieces of art, books, and, in the shot where Elio is in his room alone, music. All these elements in the establish the family’s intellectual and cultured background, especially when it’s something Oliver and Elio will bond over in the future. 

There is little dialogue, but the one included tells us more about the characters. Elio is heard speaking both French (with his friend Marzia), Italian (with his mom), and English (with Oliver). This gives the audience more background on the character in a way that feels natural to the story. The use of natural lighting, soft colors, and classical music immediately triggers this dreamlike nostalgic summer haze that the film evokes. 

Marriage Story (2019) directed by Noah Baumbach is a drama film about a couple’s divorce as they navigate personal and legal challenges that come with the end of their marriage.

Opening Scene

The movie starts by introducing the characters, Nicole and Charlie, through voiceover. He starts by having Charlie say the phrase “what I love about Nicole” and then continues to listen to all the things he loves while watching several shots of Nicole in her daily life while showing her doing the things he mentions in the voiceover. Then Nicole continues the voiceover by saying “What I love about Charlie” and the same thing is done for him. 

The shots that are shown during the voiceover feel organic and convey the feeling of a normal family. All the shots are handheld to create a free-flowing cinematography to make the audience feel like they are spectators of natural moments between a family like the scene where they are playing a board game. Additionally, the sets for the shots look like a classic family apartment with warm lighting, neutral-colored decor, and small details like family pictures making the space convey a sense of comfort and familiarity.  

This approach is extremely effective at developing characters using both visual and auditory techniques. The voiceover tells the audience how each character perceives the other while accompanying the qualities mentioned with respective shots. These voiceovers give the audience a raw feeling of what the film will develop and make the characters feel more three-dimensional. 

Takeaways

From these analyses, one big takeaway is how much a film’s opening can tell us about the story and characters without explaining everything directly for example through voiceovers, props within the sets, and lighting.