In this assignment working with limited shots, there is a lot of pressure on what to shoot and how much can you convey with one frame. This allowed me to think more intimately and in-depth about each and every shot – what was I trying to convey with every shot, what was I trying to speak with the mise-en-scene and how do I include all the little subtle details with each shot, framing and composition?

In this video, they talk about how important it is to think through your opening shot. They mentioned in the video that the opening shot should convey the following.

1.  The themes, genre and mood of the film.
2. The POV or main character and their personality.
3. The conflict between characters.
4. Or major plot points.

And there is a lot of things to consider when shooting the first scene – such as who do we show, what is he doing and wearing, where is he at and what elements are in the frame when we do this (why did I use he in all my question? I don’t really know). And thus, it is so important for the first shot to tell us everything because it is essentially our first impression of the film.

This video talks about how various films ends with their final shot. He describes the “cowboy leaving into the sunset” shot is a way to conclude the film whereby the character is returning back into the familiar world. Sometimes it’s a good thing where we see the protagonist’s lives go on in their world, or it can be eerie where a serial killer is assimilated back into society.

Another type of ending would be (also my personal preference in storywriting) where by the first and last shot are related in a way – be it visually similar, contrasting or metaphorically the same. It allows the film to become full circle and allows us to see how there is change from the first scene the character has entered. It works so well because the last shot, being similar to the first shot, has now an entirely different meaning when the story is told, and there will further emphasize the message of the film and emphasize that there is change.

But at the end of the day, the closing shot has to ultimately answer one question – what do you want your audience to walk away from the movie feeling? 

okay, that is all.