Opening with a quote...

[london89]

I open my latest spec w/ a quote (Buddha), despite the fact that whenever i read opening quotes in other scripts i more often than not roll my eyes and skip it!

I usually find that such quotes whilst holding significant meaning for the writer, and perhaps to the subsequent story about to unfold, mean absolutely nothing to the reader/ audience, who don't know the story yet (and are keen to get to it!).

I'm being uncharacteristically nice, and letting myself keep the quote for now, seeings as i'm still in the first draft stage, but i will no doubt loose it in future re-writes, as IMO opening quotes can be pretentious/ smug/ cliche/ ineffective...

Just curious, whats everyone elses thoughts on opening w/ quotes? Any good/ bad examples..??

[Mr. Earth]

Re: Opening with a quote...

I find them pretentious/ smug/ cliche/ ineffective... BUT I see no problem having them in a first draft to kind of guide the ship.

On a rewrite, see if there are ways you can kind of sneak it into other parts of the script (obviously not word for word). Maybe there's a Buddha statue somewhere, maybe there's a song with similiar lyrics that can be heard in the background or referenced, maybe a character's name could have some connection to the quote, without knowing the quote, these are just quick ideas, but I'm sure there are plenty more ways to refer to it in some fashion--although subtlety can go a long way here.

That's not the kind of thing that's going to get you more reads and sells, but it is the kind of thing that adds richness to a story and, if it ever does get made, provides a deeper experience for the viewers and fans.

And, selfishly, if you can do this deftly, you will love your script even more knowing that there are little gems or Easter Eggs hidden throughout. The frustrating thing is when no one ever realizes it without you telling them, which kind of spoils the fun.

[TheConnorNoden]

Re: Opening with a quote...

They can be good when used effectively, I've opened 2 scripts with a quote and saw no problem with them. It might help to have a short scene followed by the quote for impact, whether that'll work in your case I don't know.

[Hot Rod]

Re: Opening with a quote...

I have no problem with opening quotations. For example I thought the quote at the beginning of Hurt Locker was effective in setting the tone. I see it as kind of like getting into a roller coaster. You can see the ups and downs coming, you can imagine whats in store, but when they come on the intercom and say "Hold on. It's going to be a helluva ride." It just kind of sets the tone and builds the anticipation even more.

I know it kind of seems like hitting you in the face with a shovel with something they could mix into the screenplay.

Then again....I'm kind of a quote type of guy to begin with.

[karsten]

Re: Opening with a quote...

I open my latest spec w/ a quote (Buddha), despite the fact that whenever i read opening quotes in other scripts i more often than not roll my eyes and skip it!

Do you mean opening the script with a quote on a page of its own, just for the reader, said quote not meant to appear in the film? Or to open the film with a quote on a black screen?

I actually like both approaches.

The original Conan the Barbarian film begins with a Nietzsche paraphrase over black that has since become almost cliche with overuse ("That which does not kill us makes us stronger"), but was very effective back when the film was made at setting the tone of the piece, as the saying was not yet as widely known as it is now.

The Nicholl-winning script for Season of the Witch opened with a quote on a page of its own, just for the reader, and it too helped to set the tone.

As I said, I like the approach, probably because of having a lit background. But I can't recall any screenwriting book either recommending or decrying the practice.

[emily blake]

Re: Opening with a quote...

Gattaca opens with two quotes that contradict each other. That's probably the most effective use of quotes I've seen in this way.

[Ethan718]

Re: Opening with a quote...

I find them pretentious/ smug/ cliche/ ineffective...

I love this answer. When I see a quote at the start of a screenplay, I roll my eyes. The worst thing is that, to me, it shows a lack of humility. Lots of amateur screenplays take themselves way too seriously. But perhaps you L.A. folk like that kind of cockiness.

It's like those shampoo or fragrance commercials where the narrator whispers some vague psychobabble nonsense over elevator music. "Strawberry Dreams by L'Oreal." Give me a break.

[AE35-Unit]

Re: Opening with a quote...

I find that if the quote is within the context of the tension, I don't mind them at all. In the theatre, it can set the stage in the mind that you are in for something good or bad.

But the first two pages better be smokin' hot.

[Rhodi]

Re: Opening with a quote...

Unless it is insanely clever I wouldn't give a reader yet another reason to stop scrolling.

[Paul Striver]

Re: Opening with a quote...

I love this answer. When I see a quote at the start of a screenplay, I roll my eyes. The worst thing is that, to me, it shows a lack of humility. Lots of amateur screenplays take themselves way too seriously. But perhaps you L.A. folk like that kind of cockiness.

It's like those shampoo or fragrance commercials where the narrator whispers some vague psychobabble nonsense over elevator music. "Strawberry Dreams by L'Oreal." Give me a break.

Ethan, you should watch Malick's The Tree of Life -- you'll love it!

[TheConnorNoden]

Re: Opening with a quote...

Not to poo poo on Rhodi's answer but you're not writing a film a reader will like, you're writing a film you want to write.

This is where all us lowly wannabes actually have an advantage over the pros. Writing on spec with no else attached means ultimate creative freedom, a freedom that's unlikely to be equalled later in your career. So why constrict yourself now? Do what you want.

[Ethan718]

Re: Opening with a quote...

Ethan, you should watch Malick's The Tree of Life -- you'll love it!

Wait a second, I'm not an ideologue. I looked past the narration and I really loved that film. (This isn't sarcasm.)
I watched a family drama about kids growing up in Waco. I looked past the other stuff.

[Fortean]

"ओने मेअसुरेस अ चिर्च्ले..."

I open my latest spec w/ a quote (Buddha), despite the fact that whenever i read opening quotes in other scripts i more often than not roll my eyes and skip it!

I usually find that such quotes whilst holding significant meaning for the writer, and perhaps to the subsequent story about to unfold, mean absolutely nothing to the reader/ audience, who don't know the story yet (and are keen to get to it!)....

Just curious, whats everyone elses thoughts on opening w/ quotes? Any good/ bad examples..??

As a Fortean, (as may be realized by the quote in the title of this post, but meaningless to anyone besides Forteans and geometers), I would not be tempted to respond to this fifteenth unanswerable question.

I would only raise a caution, if you would use a quotation from one of the Sanskrit sutras, then most of the audience will not understand its meaning. Use a translation of the quote. And, if that translation is not already in the public domain, you need to get permission from the copyright holder of the translation.

"One measures a circle, beginning anywhere." ~ Charles Hoy Fort, Lo! (part 1 chapter 1)

[Biohazard]

Re: Opening with a quote...

The quote page is like anything else - it can be used effectively (or not), but if everybody does it, it becomes cliche, and loses a part of its effectiveness.

[ATB]

Re: Opening with a quote...

I have a quote at the beginning of the spec that got me some heat. Nobody cares as long as it works.