How To Do A Cold Open 

What's your favorite Cold Open?

Not related as directly to the “record scratch” meme, but I loved how Peacemaker’s opening credits played differently based on the cold open. Sometimes I laughed out loud at the music hitting, other times I was incredibly sad. I love a good cold open, so I loved seeing it used effectively in Peacemaker and I loved this video touching on some of my favorite titles!

I remember learning about the cold open, or "In Media Res", in my film analysis class. It's a fantastic technique of giving the audience a taste of what to expect, and adds a hook of a mystery into the narrative.

"As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster."

I love the comparison you made to education. I used to have a math teacher, Dr. Gerlich, who started a particular lesson by silently drawing a parabola onto the chalkboard. He then stepped back to the end of the classroom and waited. After a while someone raised their hand, and commented on what they see. After he finished, the only thing my teacher said that the person should pick the next person. Students then all commented on what they see and the whole class got an understanding of what others know about the topic but most importantly the teacher knew. Afterwards he picked up on what students said, and explained how the coordinate system works, what a parabola is and so on. A truly unique approach to teaching, which I will never forget. I was never able to frame that into words, but it definitely was a cold open.

The Odyssey does use an in medias res opening, but it doesn't go back to recover the Trojan War - that's the Illiad. It starts with Odysseus recounting his travels up until the current moment in the story. It's not an out of context record scratch freeze frame, it's a framing device. It frames the story as a being told by a storyteller, as a way of suspending the disbelief of the audience and getting them immersed in the poem, since they too are listening to the story just like the characters are. It does set up a payoff for when Odysseus stops telling the story and gets on with his journey home, but it doesn't really start in a precarious or dramatic moment, just him hanging out with Calypso and setting up his character.

When I read the Girl with the Dragon Tatoo, my copy for some reason swapped the epilogue and prologue, thus accidentally giving a cold open. I think it actually worked a lot better than the normal way around. Staring with the epilogue I feel like like the public in that story; some disgraced journalist manages to take down a big corporation "what? how does that work?". The normal way around gives that creeping mystery sense, but it's very mild, almost ignoreable---whereas starting at the end kept me on the edge of my seat until the creeping mystery finally unfurled itself.

One of my favourite ones that's kind of recent is from Always Sunny, "The Janitor Always Mops Twice". That whole episode is just *chef's kiss* and starts with that fun air of mystery

A cold open doesn't need the first act to be in flashback (three weeks earlier...) does it though. It just has to be in the action. You could start on a bank job, run the credits during the getaway, and fill in the back story context as you keep the action in the present

Sunset Boulevard probably has the most famous "you might wonder how I got here" -cold opens in cinema history.

One my favorite cold opens is in Oldboy, where the main character is holding a man by his tie over the edge of a building who is also holding a dog. It’s so jarring and interesting, so when it hard cuts to him in a jail cell, it makes me wonder how he got there.

This hits very close to the whole "does spoilers ruins the story" discussion. Sometimes I see a spoiler about a thing I'm anticipating to watch and it only entices my curiosity, and sometimes it just ruins a plot point.

A cold open I saw recently was Avatar the Last Airbender, "The Runaway." It starts with one main character betraying the other. Then the episode flashes back to rising conflict between them, started by one of them scamming villagers for money. Spoiler: The characters resolve their conflict by learning more about each other's past and being empathetic, contrary to the audience's expectations. The beginning scene was them acting in order to pull off a heist together. It was a great way to frame the conflict and subvert audience expectations twice.

Limitless (2011) did a great job with the opening. It then transitions into that infinite zoom just to begin the story. Huge fan of it.

I'm surprised Trainspotting wasn't shown here. Amazing movie that utilizes the cold open

This is a very well done video. It has an amazing pacing; not to slow that it makes it boring, but also not so fast the you can't wrap your head round what being said. The allusions used were utilized well. Good job!

I think having a cold open in the middle of the story or even late in the story makes sense when people already know where the story will go. For example, Hangover. The whole point of the story is that they lost their friend and are looking for him thus all the marketing will give that away. Therefore, it’s not ruining anything by starting in the middle but it builds suspension.

I think this goes along with the "objective" or main goal in the movie story, which I believe there are 3 types. There are some movies where you can't know what will be the end, leaving you hanging and with a sense of suspence (ex.: 2020's Hansel and Gretel). Other movies (in my opinion mainly super heroes' movies) you can tell exactly the ending of it, like the hero miraculously gets a new power/friend and they win against the villain (ex.: Venom 2, Spiderman No Way Home). And then there are the other movies where there is a "middle objective" - the case of cold opens - where you expect one thing but then you can't tell the rest of the movie or there are other middle objectives (ex.: Ratatouille, 2001: A Space Odyssey). Sorry if the examples are not the best, but that's the idea

A cold open is not necessarily a jump forward, that's called starting in media res. A cold open can be in media res, but not necessarily.

Oh sunset boulevard. They did that. Dude died and the story goes till a lil after it catches up. Such a brilliant movie.

i really love your videos! i recommend your channel to anyone else i meet who is a movie lover, so thank you for the amazing content!

Rosebud. The coldest opening in cinematic history with Citizen Kane.

Great to see you still posting ❤️

Goodfellas has one of the greatest cold openings. We start in the middle of the movie at the point of no return, in which Tommy and Jimmy murder a man. This deed will be the beginning of their downfall. Henry pretty much gets dragged into it and is visibly disturbed by what's happening. And then he tells the audience: "As far as I can remember I always wanted to be a gangster". You're left wondering: how the hell is this the lifestyle you always longed for?

I found you from a comment you left on Jazz Emu’s album, I’ve already checked out one video of yours and I’m impressed! Instant sub.

The image of Walt holding a gun to the camera has been given a pavlovian like response of bursting out into laughter for me courtesy of my friends 🙂

The Matrix has one hell of a great cold open.

I really love this channel

My favorite is when Firefly did it. Mal sitting naked in the dessert. “Well. That went well.” Smash cut to the past.

Have you seen the French/English TV show The Missing? It takes place in two times (Present day and flashbacks). One of the main characters has a bad limp and constant pain in the present day, but not in the flashbacks. You spend the whole series on edge wondering when he will get hurt. Every time he crossed the road or drove a care I winced wondering if this was the time he'd get hurt. It is brilliant.

Great to see clips of Bound in this! It's such an underrated film

Most people say it took them three or four episodes to get into *_The Wire,_* but they had me with the cold open. Not at all like what's being discussed in this here video, nothing about the tragic fate of poor young Snot Boogie had anything to do with anything else that happened on the show. But watching McNulty gently coax the story out of the witness, and how the witness reluctantly and painfully tells the story, about how this poor kid met his sad demise ... it's the entire series in a nutshell. "... this America, man." I knew immediately this was the start of something special.

Perfect use of Double Indemnity here - “I killed him for money and a woman, and I didn’t get the money and I didn’t get the woman”. Tells you exactly what the outcome will be but tantalises the viewer with how it all comes about

Picture this in Memento, “You see that guy? That’s me. You’re probably wondering how I got here… So am I.”

honestly i usually forget about the cold open scene.

Man, I really like this videos.

But... Citizen Kane *doesn't* start with a flash-forward. The entire story is told completely chronologically. The movie is about a reporter listening to a bunch of different people tell their accounts of a famous man they knew. The flashbacks are all stories being told to the reporter. It isn't a story about Charles Foster Kane. It's a story about a man trying to *understand* Charles Foster Kane. Thus, the entire conflict of the film takes place chronologically *after* the opening. Also, you can't conflate "cold-open" with "flash-forward". Cold opens are not inherently cliched and bad. But flash-forwards are. Best case scenario, a flash-forward is superfluous and contributes nothing. Worst case scenario, it ruins the entire story.

Well done!

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*record scratch* *baba o'riley starts playing* "yep, that's me...." (the sound cue made me laugh each time)

I actually watched a performance by the group Splendid Productions when I was in sixth that had a "record scratch" style cold open. The play is called Woyzeck and it's about a man (Woyzeck), his failing marriage and how eventually goes mad. The play itself is interesting but what was more interesting is how they performed it. They chopped up the script and had the scene were Woyzeck murders his wife as the very first part. It's shocking and disturbing and you, obliviously, feel awful for the woman. They then take you back and you learn more about Woyzeck himself, his situation and what led him to that point. Then they actually show you the murder scene again and you can't help but feel bad for Woyzeck even with his terrible actions. But then they take you back again. You learn more about his wife and her struggles, why she started cheating on him, what her life has been like. And once more you are taken back to the murder scene, but it's like you don't even know how to feel anymore. They are an amazing troupe and I didn't even mention all the other awesome things they did (their performance of The Odyssey is just *chef's kiss* ). But yeah, the power of a good cold open can really make a difference to the story

Great video.

In my college, we were sent to a village in random part of India for a month, understanding issues and challenges ourselves. So when we came back, lessons around management felt far more impactful.

Two hours ago, I remembered a scene from a movie or series where the characters were forced to listen to a stupid story to get to the next plot point, but I couldn't remember what it was. Thanks for the reminder.

Not necessarily a cold open, but I knew the ending to the sopranos before I started it and I think I enjoyed it more because of it.

It's the Stuart Special, baby!

Your "Cold Close" was a tasty twist on the Cold Open!

Lol. In a video about how to do a good cold open, you did a very good cold open.

What's the chillhop song used at 4:22? I've searched other comments and I just find other people asking the same thing.

A lot of zombie movies/shows do the opposite where cold open would happen, we see a disaster get out of hand then time skip happens where we see the result

It works. That's why some people need spoilers to get interested in a product.

Wowza

Doctor Who episodes always start with a cold open. They are unironic but still effective most of the time

that mad max thing could work

I just came from a memeology 101 video that uses this very meme. Trippy 😬

Ah a Cold Close at the end. :P

What is that background song? That slow tempo hip hop one

My brain always gets rolled when movies start with no context. I don't read synopsis, so I can't figure out what the film is about until I rewatch it.

Now that i think about it are brooklyn 99’s pre credit scenes even cold opens?

I've always before thought your videos are very well crafted and insightful, however this one just leaves me confused. You seem to be talking about three different things here: cold open, in medias res, and the start with the ending thing, and treating them as the same thing. Am I confused or are you? I'm guessing it's probably me, but still, I don't think this was very well explained.

whats the songe he use din the beginning?

Put it in the fridge

The Hangover's "We fucked up" transcends realities.

Uncharted 2 probably has my favourite video game cold open ever

I always thought this meme originated with The Wonder Years, but it's not exactly used in quite the same way there.

Breaking bad? Now you see it? Yup, it's kino time.

Atlanta does this in the pilot perfectly.

The entire Star Wars Trioloy is a "you're probably wondering how I got here" for the prequels.

So funny

Gravity Falls always kill it with their cold opens

Interesting. Now make a Harry Potter cold open edit, just when they both stars shooting magic at the end of Deathly Hallows to beginning of Philosopher's Stone.

I have only seen 2 shows in my life, breaking bad and rick and morty. PLEASE SHOW OTHER EXAMPLES

Wuthering Heights does this well

Inside Llewyn Davis has one of the best “cold opens” I’ve seen. SPOILER ALERT. I use the the term loosely since you don’t know it’s a cold open until you see the same scene play out at the end, giving the viewer a feeling of deja vu. Similar to Llewyn’s life and how he feels he’s stuck in a rut and can’t get out.

tldr: spoilers are great!

I’m a simple person. I see Breaking Bad in a thumbnail, I click.

What's the name of the film with two lesbians you used a clip of

You shouldn't have spoiler Citizen Kane like that

"In medias res" is not the same thing as the "how i got here" cold open that you describe. The Odyssee is not about the Trojan War (the Illias is) it's about the journey home. The cold open you describe is a form of foreshadowing. Teasing where the story will go and playing off the irony of the audience being in the know where the characters will end up before they know themselves. 'In medias res' simply means you hit the ground running. You don't explain everything but let the audience figure things out themselves as the story progresses. If anything the technique is most comparable with 'come in late, leave early' where you also incite the audience to read the signs and figure out who's who and what's what instead of laying everything out at the beginning of the plot.

Ahh... flashback humor.

Love how you casually compared yourself to a random roman poet in 2:00 :)

I want to do a movie with a cold open where it shows the "protagonist" about to get shot by the "antagonist" then I want to shoot the entire first half of the movie like the "protagonist" is the good guy until the last little bit where they end up being the villain (like in Sabotage with Arnold Schwarzenegger but done better lol) and the second half of the movie starts when the "antagonist" turns into the new protagonist by killing the other "protagonist" Could have an unreliable narrator and/or shows a biased perspective of the character's actions. Probably already been done.

For me, the one of the most important parts of a movie is narrative structure. Why did the story telling start here rather than somewhere else. It needs to serve the story rather than to just jack up the complicity of a simple story. You mentioned one of my favorite which is double indemnity which follows a film noir theme so it emphasizes the characters are doomed. On the oppose side,As the great train robbery(1978) could have a a cold open but works much much better in a linear structure. A nice alternative to the cold open is hidden backstory. For example, in Gilda, you suspect that johnny may have known Gilda before but it is not made immediately clear what the situation is. For me, this creates interest in the characters without the cliche scene. Another example is from tequila sunrise where the movie starts which a drug deal which gets played out then kurt russell turns to mel gibson and says “you promised me you would not do this anymore” Immediately you are drawn in to figure out the relationship between these two guys that the characters already knows.

Idk when I open a cold one it looks very different

I suppose the cold open is lindy

I see breaking bad and I click.

Most of the time, I find in-media-res to be an extremely cheap and lazy way for writers to try to hook the audience from the start because they can't come up with an intriguing idea. "The Walking Dead" in particular is a huge offender (or used to be... haven't watched that crap in ages). I think even Breaking Bad is bad at doing it. Citizen Kane's use of it is justified because it kicks off the mystery of "Why is this word so important that the man used it on his deathbed?". It makes sense. But when the mystery is simply "How did we get to this point?"... nah, that's just lazy.

I hate cold opens that play the intro during it. Drake and josh I'm biased towards because it's really good. it gets tired after watching on EVERY EPISODE.

I think a prime example of this is also the "Grave of the Fireflies" from Studio Ghibli. From the start, you know that the boy will die, but you don´t know if his little sister does. Personally, I found this very exciting because I only had a "half" certainty about who would die and who would not.

Memento did it best.

A recent cold open I saw that wasn't very good. "Uncharted" starts with Baby Drake amidst the action of the plane scene. Then cuts back to him as a tiny baby drake and eventually builds back up to that scene, however that scene ends up not being particularly important to the characters or overall narrative. It could hvlabe been literally any scene happening there so it feels empty. Plus the script is just... really bland and cliche to begin with. Probably because Rafe Judkins is a terrible writer.

"It was a sled. It was a friggin sled!" - Peter Griffin

Never use it! It can't save bad story telling and it weakens good stories (Homer!).

There are few tropes that so instantly makes me check out as the "how did I get here?"... And seeing that it was in Ratatouille did not surprise me, though I did forget it as I remember that whole film just being a long series of painfully predictable predicaments. 99% of the time it is not clever and I just feel my time is being wasted not only by the time jump itself, but also the mandatory pause in the narrative as the narration stops all momentum dead and kills all form of suspense and suspension of disbelief to say the exact same thing that all the other trope-users have done. Please, storytellers. Get to the friggin point already where the story starts. I need some setup, yes, but don't waste my time. The only times I have seen it done remotely well is when the story actually examines the previous events, and uses the flashbacks to inform on the present narrative. Heck, even playing with some unreliable narratives or something. Anything. Just cutting to an action scene from the end and then back to the start of the story again just feels... again... like a huge waste of viewers time. rant over

People like to use the word cliché because it makes them sound smart. Duh.

What happened to your voice... sounds pre-pubescent now.

Yeah I hate this type of cold-open. Not because it's lazy but because it's annoying. "Look how exciting this will become, later! Action! Drama! Suspense! .... Now let's start at the beginning!" It's the equivalent of putting "Wait until the end!" on your 10-second RU-vid shorts.