Ari_Chapter1

     Something that stood out to me, partially due to the fact that it has been lingering in the back of my mind from the many writing classes I have taken over the years, is the idea of the "opening hook," or in the case of film, the opening shot. This concept has always been of particular interest to me, and what is truly the hardest part about it is that you only have one shot at it. If you lose the audience's interest, or worse, fail to capture it in the first place, it's over. 
    The blog The Beat has an article called "Hook Your Audience With the First Shot," in which they not only detail methods of hooking an audience within the first shot of a film, but also break down specific examples of iconic openings and what makes them such good openings. They look at how these shots can be used to introduce setting, characters, or both, and how shot composition can bring questions to the mind of the audience and leave them wanting more. This is the sign of a good opening, because it ensures your audience will keep watching the film.
    I also really liked the section in chapter one titled "Giving the Audience Enough Information." It got me thinking about a couple of book chapters I have been working on recently and made me consider the introductions of each character. Without me even intending for it, there is a lot that can be learned from each character based on what they are doing when we first meet them and how they interact with those around them. It's a slightly different matter in the medium of film, in which you are seeing the character rather than having them described to you. I think you almost need to make these specific decisions larger in film so that they catch the audience's attention, and take into account ways of composing certain shots that will draw the eye where you want it. I don't have a source for this one, I just wanted to talk.