Kill Bill Vol. 1 Opening Scene

Kill Bill Vol. 1 Opening Scene

This opening scene is amazing. It is cheap to do and is very simple, which is perfect for someone such as myself who is looking to create an opening scene to a film that is great for leading on to the rest of the film, and more importantly, getting the audience to ask questions. Openings should not give anything away and should leave the audience second guessing, like this opening does.

 

First off, the screen is completely black, but you can hear a woman, who is clearly in pain and/or has suffered something traumatic mentally or physically. Then you see her face, a close up. The audience is not allowed to see anything else, just her face. The black and white sets the mood to bleak and as though this is not a happy start to the film, instantly allowing the audience to identify the genre of film. The cuts on her face are much more vivid and noticeable due to the black and white. The audience is put in the position of the character and instantly starts to feel their pain, even though they have no clue what is going on or what has happened. this noir setting is clearly caused through chiaroscuro lighting that allows the camera to film so vividly which creates a mysterious effect.

 

As she is still making these sounds, the audience starts to hear footsteps in the background. They're traveling at a steady pace, and before you see the shoe, you can tell they are healed shoes. The camera switches to a tracking shot, but only of the shoes. Again, the shot is a limited shot, leaving the audience guessing as they cannot witness more. Once we see the shoe, the audience is instantly told through props that this character has class, but they also know he is a dirty character, as he is walking up to a beaten down woman, with no hesitation in his pace. All of these features build up tension and keep the audience second guessing. The non-ambient lighting creates a perfect shadow, as if the character is walking into darkness. Suspense just keeps continuing to rise. 



 

This opening scene uses props so cleverly to distinguish what characters are like. The title of the film is called 'Kill Bill', and in the first 33 seconds, we are instantly introduced to him, through a napkin, because it has his name on it. This suggests Bill is vein and thinks a lot of himself, instantly allowing the audience to dislike him. He wipes the woman's face, as if to be kind, but he does not help her up. The woman's face says it all, especially her eyes, she has a lot of hate for the man she is looking at, and because of the camera angle, the audience feels as though the hate is towards them and as though they are in Bills position. His watch suggests class, just like his shoes. Even the action he is doing suggests kindness, but it is also clear he is not hurt, his hands are even clean as he wipes the face that is full of bleeding scars. This shows that he has people do his dirty work, but he still stands with pride. As he wipes her face he says 'I bet I could fry an egg on your head right now, if I wanted to', which is extremely unsympathetic, and suggest she is extremely angry, setting up the rest of the film. It also suggests that Bill can do whatever he wants, and feels he has won, but this is just the beginning of the film. 

 

At the end of the scene, you hear Bill pull out a gun, whilst talking as if he were in an everyday conversation, suggesting this is an everyday thing for him. Just before he shoots this woman, she says it is his baby, but he shows no mercy. The audience clearly knows who the bad guy is, and have no idea of what is to come. Perfect opening.