Movies With Quotes at the Beginning

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  • Movies With Quotes at the Beginning

    Do you know of any movies where the first thing on the screen are quotes or words? My movie starts out with lines from a famous quote. I'm trying to figure out how to format this on the page. I don't know if I do "BLACK SCREEN" and then the quote or "SUPER:" and then the quote or "FADE IN" and then the quote or what. Seeing some real life examples would definitely help...

    Thanks!
    www.cheapskate-a-holic.com Release your inner cheapskate!!

  • #2
    Re: Movies With Quotes at the Beginning

    -
    Last edited by TheCleaner; 03-02-2011, 06:58 AM.

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    • #3
      Re: Movies With Quotes at the Beginning

      Ravenous used a couple of quotes at the start of the movie.

      HH

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      • #4
        Re: Movies With Quotes at the Beginning

        As mentioned, there are many ways you could go.

        In many cases, I've seen the quote placed on it's own page prior to page 1 of the actual script.

        While effective, one could save a tree and simply center the quote at the Top of of page 1. Then space down a few lines and start FADE IN: around the middle. That would be the way I would go.

        Just my 2 cents.

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        • #5
          Re: Movies With Quotes at the Beginning

          Gattaca has two quotes.
          Chicks Who Script podcast

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          • #6
            Re: Movies With Quotes at the Beginning

            "The Town" opens with text on screen, about that town being the bank robbery capital, or whatever. Were there 2 in a row? And something at the end, too. As is usual, it was white text on black screen. And "Never Let Me Go" had text near the open and close, but that was text superimposed over scene. I think.

            It was funny to me that I saw two movies in a row with quotes/text, because I have quotes at the beginning and end of one of my scripts that I was debating if I should keep or not. I think I'll probably cut them.

            In any case, I heard from a pro that you do not FADE IN to a BLACK screen. You do the quote first. Something like:

            BLACK SCREEN:

            SUPER:

            "Mary had a little lamb." (centered) If a quote, w/ marks, attribute under.

            FADE IN:

            yada yada


            My 2 cents.
            "The Hollywood film business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." Hunter S Thompson

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            • #7
              Re: Movies With Quotes at the Beginning

              Thanks, everyone!

              Harold - I checked out a script for Ravenous. Bad news - this version didn't have any quotes at the beginning. Good news - it was an awesome script! Extremely well written. Makes me want to check out the movie!

              Prescribe & Cshel - I like your suggestion re: the quote and then Fade In. That just feels right.

              Emily Blake - You were right on regarding Gattaca! It definitely helps. For anyone interested, Gattaca has it set up in the following way:

              FADE IN

              A white title appears on a black screen.

              "Gives a Quote here."
              Justice William O. Douglas

              The title fades off, replaced by a second title.

              "Gives another quote here."
              William Gaylin

              The second title fades off, leaving a dark screen.

              The darkness gradually gives way to a dawning light.
              Last edited by meemee2000; 10-13-2010, 05:50 PM. Reason: Add Cshel
              www.cheapskate-a-holic.com Release your inner cheapskate!!

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              • #8
                Re: Movies With Quotes at the Beginning

                I am going to start just putting a random quote on the first page of all of my scripts and let people try to figure out how it ties into the story (when it doesn't). I'm sure what I write will go from schlock to art due to this.

                - Bill
                Free Script Tips:
                http://www.scriptsecrets.net

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                • #9
                  Re: Movies With Quotes at the Beginning

                  Also check out the Kill Bill script on IMSDb.
                  My web page!​

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                  • #10
                    Re: Movies With Quotes at the Beginning

                    Hurt Locker

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                    • #11
                      Re: Movies With Quotes at the Beginning

                      I wouldn't format it within the script -- I'd put the quotes on a page after the title page but before the script, and I'd separate them so that the whitespace between the two quotes suggested the one-quote-then-the-other sense I think you're getting at. Probably the first quote would sit a third of the way down the page, left justified, then the second quote would sit towards the bottom of the page, indented, say, 4 inches from the left margin.

                      Caveat: quotes at the start of scripts are pretentious and rather douchy and your script better be fcking fantastic to justify the pretentious douchiness.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Movies With Quotes at the Beginning

                        Originally posted by wcmartell View Post
                        I am going to start just putting a random quote on the first page of all of my scripts and let people try to figure out how it ties into the story (when it doesn't). I'm sure what I write will go from schlock to art due to this.

                        - Bill
                        That would be hilarious. And if the movie got made, it would be funny to keep it in at the beginning of the movie to confuse the audience, too.

                        Or, you could start a comedy with a very serious dramatic quote, or a heavy drama with a joke quote.
                        "The Hollywood film business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." Hunter S Thompson

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                        • #13
                          Re: Movies With Quotes at the Beginning

                          Originally posted by wcmartell View Post
                          I am going to start just putting a random quote on the first page of all of my scripts and let people try to figure out how it ties into the story (when it doesn't). I'm sure what I write will go from schlock to art due to this.

                          - Bill

                          In my case, I plan to write a new script 'Foreclosure' with the formula for the Loan Payments and Interest Rates Calculation as the quote. I think that it will be an artistic hit...

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                          • #14
                            Re: Movies With Quotes at the Beginning

                            Originally posted by wcmartell View Post
                            I am going to start just putting a random quote on the first page of all of my scripts and let people try to figure out how it ties into the story (when it doesn't). I'm sure what I write will go from schlock to art due to this.

                            - Bill
                            Like Billy Wilder saying he was going to shoot a few scenes out of focus so he could win a Foreign film award.

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