Cold open
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A cold open (also referred to as a teaser) in a television program or movie is the technique of jumping directly into a story at the beginning or opening of the show, before the title sequence or opening credits are shown. On television this is often done on the theory that involving the audience in the plot as soon as possible will reduce the likelihood of their switching away from a show. A well-known example is the pre-title "teaser" which occurs in all James Bond films since From Russia with Love.
Cold opens generally last a few minutes, but are sometimes much longer: for instance, in Leaving Las Vegas and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the title is not displayed until 15 and 18 minutes into the films respectively; and the film The Departed does not display a title card until roughly thirty minutes into the film.
Contents |
[edit] Examples in media
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. (May 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
Cold opens have been popular on television since the 1960s. Their use on adventure serials was an economical way of setting up a plot without having to introduce the regular characters or even the series synopsis which would typically be outlined in the title sequence itself. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964–68) and Star Trek (1966–69) are good contemporary examples in the United States while in the United Kingdom it was usually series destined for American export that reiterated the format, such as The Saint (1962–69) and The Avengers (1961–69).
British producer Lew Grade's many attempts to break into the American market meant that many of the shows he was involved with incorporated the cold open such as The Persuaders! (1971) and Space: 1999 (Series One only, 1975). Later, many British action-adventure series employed the format such as The New Avengers (1976–77) and The Professionals (1977–81).
Toying with many television conventions Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–74) played around with the concept of cold opens, sometimes having an entire episode before the starting credits, and in one instance (the first episode of Monty Python's series four) having no opening credits at all (Terry Gilliam had not finished the new opening sequence).
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, daytime soap operas became the main user of cold opens, with most American soaps employing the format. While several soaps experimented with regular opens in the early 2000s, all are currently using cold opens. Typically, a soap opera cold open begins where the last scene of the previous episode ended, sometimes replaying the entire last scene. After several scenes, usually to set up which storylines will be featured in the episode, the opening credits are shown. This serial technique also occurred in the original series of Doctor Who, although the scene was usually refilmed.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s some shows began with highlights from the following episode.
Currently, many US live-action TV shows do cold opens, while in Britain the practice is not as typical and many programs still begin with opening titles. British shows that do use cold opens include Torchwood, the revival of Doctor Who and Life on Mars.
In the US, TV shows will occasionally forego a standard cold open at the midway point of a two-part episode, or during a "special" episode. For example, Buffy the Vampire Slayer's fourth season finale lacked a cold open, as it was an unusual dream-centric episode. Many episodes of MacGyver began with a cold open that was unrelated to the main episode and created by a separate director.
Throughout its history, the US TV show Saturday Night Live has employed the cold open—typically a sketch that ends with a character unexpectedly saying, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night."
Also, the practice of cold opens is becoming more widespread in animation, with the likes of Arthur, Kim Possible, Danny Phantom, The Venture Bros., Men in Black, Extreme Ghostbusters, Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Family Guy, The Proud Family and Aqua Teen Hunger Force doing cold opens (Beep Prepared used a brief one in 1961). Cold opens are also fairly common in anime, such as Fullmetal Alchemist, particularly in the first or last episode of a series. Even television's longest running cartoon series, Scooby-Doo, took up the cold open in the series' ninth installment, What's New, Scooby-Doo?.
Video games such as Final Fantasy have included cold opens, either starting off with a lengthy opening sequence or, like the Metal Gear Solid series, have one level before displaying the title sequence. Kingdom Hearts II went as far as to include an entire subplot, often taking players upwards of three hours, before showing the game's logo.
The American version of the hit BBC sitcom/mockumentary "The Office" began employing cold opens in its second season. Trailer Park Boys, one of Canada's top mockumentary series, has used cold opens for all of its seven seasons.
Documentaries do not use cold openings as frequently as fictional shows. The World at War is one famous exception, where in a few short minutes an especially poignant moment is featured. After the title sequence the events that explain the episode are outlined more fully. Fahrenheit 9/11 also features a lengthy cold open.
[edit] Nomenclature
Cold opens were previously known as "teasers". The following memorandum was written on May 2, 1966 as a supplement to the Writer-Director Information Guide for Star Trek, and was authored by Gene Roddenberry, describing the format of a typical episode. This quotation refers to what is now known as a cold open:
- a. Teaser, preferably three pages or less. Captain Kirk's Voice Over opens the show, briefly setting where we are and what's going on. This is usually followed by a short playing scene which ends with the Teaser "hook."[1]
The "hook" of the teaser was some unexplained plot element that was alluded to in the teaser, or cold open, which was intended to keep audiences interested enough in the show to dissuade them from changing stations while the titles roll. Star Trek writer David Gerrold, to tweak William Shatner on set, once told Shatner that he was writing a Star Trek episode in which Kirk lost his voice in the teaser (the hook), and didn't get it back until the tag.[2]
In hour-long dramas, a similar hook was often placed at the end of the first half hour. For instance, in Law & Order, this second hook is often the arrest of the suspected perpetrator of the crime committed in the cold open. Many shows mark each act break (which is typically followed by commercials) with minor hooks as well. This is to keep the viewers from changing the channel during the break.
[edit] Newscasts
Cold opens and similar teases are also used in many television newscasts, including the major United States network newscasts. In news cold opens, anchors begin introducing stories in a brief, tease-like fashion.
