A closer look into openings

     Hello Again! As part of my ongoing production, I'm here to lay out my research on 3 different film openings from a genre. My group is at a sort of crossroads, choosing between Western, Sci-fi, or a Western/Sci-fi combo. My research will reflect that as I do my best to combine both genres.

Nope

Jordan Peele's widely acclaimed 2022 film "Nope" is a sci-fi thriller with Western elements. Peele begins his film with a bible quote.

"I will cast abominable filth upon you, make you vile, and make you a spectacle. —Nahum 3:6"

The quote reflects the movie's overall message of an alien creature being used as a spectacle, lashing out and retaliating. Peele then shows viewers a scene from a 90's sitcom, one that stars the movie's 'human' antagonist. The opening serves to give us background knowledge of the trauma the character feels, as well as creating the unsettling vibe felt constantly throughout the film. The scene shows Gordy the chimp going manic after hitting a breaking point in his torturous entertainment 'career'. This mirrors the actions of the alien later on in the story, lashing out after the antagonists attempt to control it.

Gordy the Monkey in "Nope" (2022)

For a deeper look, consider reading this article! 

2001: A Space Odyssey

Perhaps the titular "sci-fi" film, Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film features one of, if not the most iconic opening scene in cinema history. Although no dialogue is spoken for more than 10 minutes, a clear message is received. Featuring a group of early human-like apes, the scene finds them at the precipice of a great discovery. A monolith, a representation of the future, appears in front of the apes, causing distress and in-fighting. As the monkeys growl about, one picks up a bone, realizing he can use it as a weapon. The moment is celebrated as the first step in human evolution, the ability to control technology, as an important step in the creation of tech that the movie posits could one day control us.  The primitive weapon is tossed in the air at the end of the scene, transitioning into a spaceship, a reminder of how far our species has come. 

Kubrick relies on the spectacle of the scene, the audience mesmerized by our ancestors first figuring out what we know so well. I hope to portray the same kind of spectacle if my group were to choose sci-fi, as the grandeur of an opening is what truly makes it special. 

An ape discovers weaponry in Stanley Kubrick's

1968 film "2001: A Space Odyssey"

For more info on the ingenuity of the opening, click here!

Interstellar

A modern classic, touted for its heartfelt core message and awe-inspiring space scenes, Christopher Nolan's 2014 masterpiece 'Interstellar" has perhaps some of its best moments first. Featuring interviews from who we later find out to be Cooper's daughter, Murph, the scene portrays Cooper waking from a nightmare of a past crash. Murph comes to check on him, all while her older self explains the plight of their lives at the moment. The scene gives a bit of context as to the state of the world at the time, as well as building a character around Cooper. 

     I love Nolan's attention to realism, postering the interviews as real accounts of a past tragedy akin to the Dust Bowl in the 1920's. He modeled the interviews after a real Ken Burns documentary on the Dust Bowl. It's Nolan's commitment to realism that sells the opening and makes it so enticing as an audience. 

A frame from the opening of Christopher Nolan's film "Interstellar" (2014) t

hat foreshadows the climax of the film

For a closer look at how Interstellar's open mirrors its end, read this!