The brief was simple for this exercise: every time I watched a film or TV show, I had to sketch the opening scene.
For this exercise, I purchased a pack of A6 index cards from the supermarket and kept them with a marker in the living room so I could quickly grab one each time we watched something on the TV.
What I soon found was that this was not as easy or as intuitive as I had hoped. After quite a few days this exercise was not progressing and I was becoming frustrated. So I decided to do this as a discrete and dedicated session. With the advent of video-on-demand, getting access to TV shows and movies alike is really easy, so I randomly browsed different catalogues, choosing a TV show or film and got ready to quickly sketch the first scene.
It took a few sessions, but eventually, I had accumulated 20 thumbnail sketches. Laying them out on my desk, I selected the five that I liked the most. I then went about answering the questions set in the exercise:
Where is this place, and what does it suggest about what we are about to watch?
This appears to be an office or a meeting room, it looks like we are about to watch a discussion.
When are we? In the past, the present, or the future?
This seems like the present based on the suit the woman is wearing.
Is this scene set during the day or the night?
It's unclear if this is day or night - they are indoors under artificial light
What is the weather like?
Again, unclear.
What are they telling you about the nature or content of the programme?
It tells me it's about people, so likely focuses on relationships between the characters.
Are they establishing a mood or a certain sensibility?
The camera shot looking through a window or glass door suggests a documentary or fly-on-the-wall.
Where is this place, and what does it suggest about what we are about to watch?
This is in some woods, or perhaps a forest path. The pathway sets an expectation that we should be concerned with something or someone using it. The obscured corner creates a sense of anticipation
When are we? In the past, the present, or the future?
The plants all appear to be relatively evolved trees and shrubs as well as grasses and ferns. This shows us that it's not pre-historic, but apart from that, it could be any recent time period.
Is this scene set during the day or the night?
The scene is set during the day, given the light coming from above
What is the weather like?
The weather is temperate. Given the cover of the canopy, it's hard to tell if the light present is direct sunlight or obscured by clouds.
What are they telling you about the nature or content of the programme?
Not a lot at present, it establishes the current setting, rather than the programme as a whole. The composition and tension seem to be intentionally used to introduce something, or someone - which will likely tell us more about the content.
Are they establishing a mood or a certain sensibility?
The photography and composition are designed to make us curious and tense, and direct our intention to the path.
Where is this place, and what does it suggest about what we are about to watch?
The scene is obviously underwater. It could be a lake or other large body of water until we see the tube attached to the floating figure, which immediately suggests this is a man-made tank.
When are we? In the past, the present, or the future?
The technological tube suggests that we are in some kind of futuristic setting.
Is this scene set during the day or the night?
The light above the water is bright, so it's unclear whether it's day or night. Also, the suggestion that this may be a man-made environment suggests that this may be indoors, which also means we can't discern the time of day.
What is the weather like?
As before, the artificial nature of the setting doesn't allow us to work out the weather.
What are they telling you about the nature or content of the programme?
The contrast suggests drama and tension. The naked body and tubing tell us there are elements of science fiction to this story.
Are they establishing a mood or a certain sensibility?
Yes, I believe they are letting us know that this story has a serious and dramatic mood. They also hit us immediately with a storytelling device that we are not used to. This not only increases tension but asks us to take interest in this piece of technology specifically. It's likely a crucial plot-telling device.
Where is this place, and what does it suggest about what we are about to watch?
This place seems like a desert. The massive city we move towards sets it as the location we're going to be interested in.
When are we? In the past, the present, or the future?
A city that stretches from one edge of the horizon to the other any beyond is not something we are familiar with. This suggests that this is somewhere in the future. The tower blocks themselves seem familiar in their silhouette. This suggests that it might not be very far into the future. Also, the contrast of desert and city suggests a dystopian future; the city and its obviously massive wall being a refuge of sorts.
Is this scene set during the day or the night?
The setting sun in the distance suggests late in the day.
What is the weather like?
The weather seems hot, arid, and unforgiving.
What are they telling you about the nature or content of the programme?
The dramatic quick approach suggests drama and action.
Are they establishing a mood or a certain sensibility?
The camera angle close to the floor places the city into a place of power and dominance. Almost oppressively.
Where is this place, and what does it suggest about what we are about to watch?
There are visible landmarks like the bridges over the winding Thames and the Shard that place this explicitly in London. The gently opening clouds are not depicted in a strictly realistic way. This suggests a piece of fiction with a whimsical or light-hearted element
When are we? In the past, the present, or the future?
Based on what we see of London, it suggests to us that this is present-day.
Is this scene set during the day or the night?
It's clearly set in the daytime
What is the weather like?
The fact that we descend through clouds suggested a typically overcast day. The clouds are white and whispy, so it also suggests that it's quite dry despite the cloud cover.
What are they telling you about the nature or content of the programme?
The way the clouds part, zooming in suggests an almost point-of-view opening. That we are looking from the eyes of something (someone) who might descend from above the clouds.
Are they establishing a mood or a certain sensibility?
I think they are trying to set the tone that this story takes place in our real world, but perhaps from a perspective that you might not normally consider.
Finally, I chose my favourite image which I would apparently be using in future exercises. I chose the one below as I felt that it gave me lots of options to go in different directions in future exercises.
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