For the film maker, the movie’s ending is the last impression he can make on his audience, so to make the ending stand out is of great importance to influence the feelings which linger after the experience. The opening shot and ending shot are true key elements of any film, and great filmmakers find a way to link both summing up the story and its progression. Some are incomparable, others are only different in the details, communicating progress, decline or simply an aesthetic about what the movie stands for.
Although there are no set rules, the two most common paths are:
- Moving from opposites
When great transformations drive the film, the transformation can be read from its first and final shot if these are visually opposing. A cold tone against a warm tone for a story shifting from loneliness to finding others. A film opening with a macro close up can end on an extreme wide shot, or the perspective can change from looking down to looking up. A great exercise is to think of at least 5 opposing images which could make an opening and ending view depending on the progression in the narrative.
- Close resemblance
When working with a close resemblance between the first and final shot, one can speak of a story going ‘full circle’. Starting and ending with the same framing, character, product, emotion or location but with subtle changes can be very defining, suggesting that an arc is still ongoing or will repeat itself. Ending with the same shot as the opening also really underlines the core stakeholders of the film, communicating very clearly who or what the story is about.
Think about details such as gestures, colours, placement and consider how these could communicate the journey from one state to another.
Graduation Report Roos M Jansen 