My group decided to do a detective/mystery film opening. We like movies that are centered around solving a problem or uncovering who committed a crime. It makes us think and try to solve the mystery along with the detective. Personally, I really enjoyed the movie Memento, directed by Christopher Nolan. I really like how the film tells a story in reverse. The story ends in the beginning and starts at the end. I think this type of editing works really well for the plot. The film opens with a close up shot of a Polaroid. The Polaroid is jarring because it shows a bloody crime scene. The audience's attention is immediately piqued. As the film opening progresses, the Polaroid looks as it is developing and the hands shake it. This adds another layer to the opening because it implies that the crime is recent. Then, another twist is layered on top because the audience realizes that the film is actually disappearing to white because the events are unfolding in reverse. The camera tilts up to reveal the face of the man who's holding the camera. His face is covered in blood. The camera cuts to a low shot of the blood dripping on the floor. Then it cuts to a ground level shot of a bullet on the floor. The opening quickly throws the audience into the scene, giving them many questions to consider. Did he kill someone? Why is he taking a photo? It is a trophy because he is a serial killer? There are so many questions that arise within the first couple minutes, people are compelled to keep watching.
Another movie that inspired my group to choose to do a detective/mystery is Murder on the Orient Express. The film opens with an aerial view of the Waiting Wall in Jerusalem. The music intensifies at the camera cuts to a medium shot of a boy in blue running through the streets. He is holding eggs and is rushing to bring them to a chef. The chef then flips a timer for four minutes to cook the eggs. The eggs are brought to a man who immediately refuses them. The audience only sees the back side of the man who refuses the eggs. The boy runs back again to fetch more eggs. The music is still intense to make the scene feel a sense of urgency. When the guy comes back they serve “two perfect eggs” and we finally see the man who is being served. He is very meticulous. He takes out a ruler and measures the eggs. This film opening is unique for a detective/mystery film because it does not involve any depictions of crime. In fact, the crime aspect of the plot doesn’t come in until later on in the film. The opening doesn’t even clearly show that the man inspecting the eggs is a detective. All we can infer is that he has a keen eye. This unique approach to a film opening is what keeps the audience interested.
