EXTENSION: Attracting an Audience

How can a film opening attract an audience?

I will be answering the following questions whilst watching the BBC 2 documentary 'Watching', unfortunately the documentary cannot be found on youtube therefore it will not be embedded in the following blog post

1) What does Thomas Sutcliffe mean when he says "Film needs to seduce their audience into long term commitment. While there are many types of seduction, the temptation to go for instant arousal is almost irrestitable".

- What Thomas Sutcliffe is trying to say is that when watching the beginning of a movie, this may be during the first 5 minuted or so, you should be hooked onto what you are watching, the director might do this by showing something traumatic in the beginning of a film, in other words this is what may seduce the audeince, afterwards the movie may go back in time to show the audience how this event may of occurred, this is what has been done during the movie Psycho which made it become so popular due to the instant reaction of the audience when watching the film. This would make the audience feel as if they have a commitment that they would have to follow through due to them feeling aroused and seduced by the plot of the film which may be exposed in the beginning of the movie.

2)According to director Jean Jacques Beineix, what are the risks of 'instant arousal'?

- The risks of opening the movie with a shocking event is that it may be difficult to keep the audience interested afterwards, this may be because it is harder to create a climax that is more eventful than what occurred prior. Instead Jean Jacques Beineix believes it is effective to 'nurture their desire' therefore the movie should slowly progress to a traumatic event.

3) Explain why "a good beginning must make the audience feel that it doesn't know nearly enough yet, and at the same time make sure it doesn't know too little". 

- A good beginning should make the audience identify the tone of the movie, whether or not they should be taking the movie seriously or if they should laugh along with the movie, they should also be able to get a simple understanding of where the plot may be heading, this is what is meant by "make sure it doesn't know too little", however at the same time not be able to immediately unravel the storyline of the movie within the opening as it shouldn't give too much away.

4)What does critic Staney Kauffmann describe as the classic opening? Why does this work?

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