I have a technique that I use to predict whether a movie is going to be good or not. I call it the Five Minute Rule…although this time limit is somewhat flexible. I might come to a decision in one minute or eight. Anyway, this is how it works. If the first five minutes of a film are boring, poorly shot, uninspiring, etc., then the rest of the film will likely follow suit (not always, but usually). On the other hand, if the first five minutes are interesting, elicit an emotional reaction, or make me hungry to see more, then I know I’m going to be entertained.

Two examples come to mind when I consider the Five Minute Rule:

The Joy Luck Club (1993 based on the book by Amy Tan)

and

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover (1989)

The Joy Luck Club not only grabbed me in the first five minutes, it elicited a strong emotional reaction:  I started crying during the opening scenes.  My first thought was, “Wow. If this is my reaction to the opening scenes, what’s to come?” And the rest of the film definitely did not disappoint.  Take a look at this opening clip and you’ll see what I’m talking about (also, the opening title sequence is excellent and predictive of what’s to come):

Now, I know you guys out there are thinking, “Aaarrghh. This is a chick flick.  No way am I going to watch it….unless my wife/girlfriend forces me to.”  What kind of film it is, however, is beside the point.  It has something to teach us budding videographers, which I will get to in a moment.

In the meantime, for you more macho types out there, consider the second example, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover.  I vividly remember the opening sequence and my visceral reaction to it. Within the first two minutes of the title sequence, I experienced an incredible sense of dread and even felt physically ill.  I almost got up and walked out.  In those two minutes, however, there is nothing obviously nauseating….just some dogs and then some vehicles pulling into a back alley parking area.  But there’s something dark and disturbing about the scenes, which is emphasized by the music.  By minute 2:20, you know that this is going to be a film about vicious cruelty.  Take a look:

As it turned out, my initial reaction was right on target.  About the dread, I mean.  This is a disturbing film and not for everyone (so be forewarned if you decide to see it).  However, the opening sequence had me hooked, and I had to stay until the end.  The experience was sort of like passing a gory traffic accident.  You know you shouldn’t look, but you just can’t help yourself.

OK, so what’s my point in describing these films and their opening sequences?  Whether consciously or subconsciously, we judge people, situations, and movies based on the first few seconds or minutes of our exposure to them.  As videographers, we need to keep this in mind when planning a project.  These two examples I described above provide an accurate preview of the mood, message, and quality of the entire film in the first few minutes.  Whether you like these films or not, they deliver what is promised in those opening sequences.

In the previous posts, I’ve listed some key ingredients to a compelling video.  However, one criterion I left off that list was that the video needs to capture the viewer’s attention right in the beginning (and never let it go).  For full-length films, this means that in the first five minutes or so, the audience needs to become invested in sticking around to see how it turns out.  For science videos of, say, five minutes in length, this works out to the first 12 seconds.  So that means the goal is to get the viewer invested in your video in about a quarter of a minute.  Is that even possible?  I think so.

In upcoming posts, I’ll explore this idea further and provide some examples.