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Cold open |
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.
The term "cold open" refers to the opening pre-credits scenes of a film; for example, while the title card in some films -- such as Bram Stoker's Dracula, Apocalypse Now, The Dark Knight, Hot Fuzz, many Michael Mann films, and Mel Gibson's Apocalypto and The Passion of the Christ -- does not appear until the end of the film, one cannot refer to the entire film as the "opening" of the movie; the "cold open" in these instances would refer to the opening moments or scenes. Likewise, in films with long pre-credits sequences such as Leaving Las Vegas (15 minutes), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (18 minutes), and The Departed (16 minutes), the "cold open" does not necessarily refer to the entire pre-credits sequence.
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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.
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. The hit sitcom Family Matters used a cold open in its later seasons. Many episodes of MacGyver began with a cold open that was unrelated to the main episode and created by a separate director.
Series 4 (1992-93) of the original American Gladiators would often use a cold open, with the first game (of seven) being conducted immediately before a short open.
Throughout its history, the US TV show Saturday Night Live has employed the cold open—typically a sketch that ends with a character saying, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" 30 Rock, created by SNL alumnus Tina Fey and portraying a show similar to SNL, uses a cold open in every episode.
Also, the practice of cold opens is becoming more widespread in animation, with the likes of Arthur, The Lion King, Kim Possible, Danny Phantom, The Venture Bros., Men in Black, Extreme Ghostbusters, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Family Guy, and The Proud Family 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. Digimon Savers actually plays the entire first act of an episode before the theme song even plays. 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 No One Lives Forever series also features cold opens, however they are executed differently in both games. In the first, a short introductory cut scene is shown, followed by the title sequence. In the second, players must complete the first two levels before the opening credits roll.
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.
The spy-fi, action drama Alias also employs cold opens lasting up to 18 minutes in some of its episodes.
The short-lived Fox series Firefly also used a cold open. However, certain edits of the series begin with a voiced-over, introductory montage followed by the traditional cold open, after which the theme song plays.
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.
Internet TV Show Pure Pwnage starts with a cold open to every episode, with the shortest being 20 seconds, and sometimes lasting up to 5 minutes
Cold opens employ a 1st Act or segment known as a "teaser." 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 a cold open, commonly known as a teaser:
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. Most television shows mark each act break (which is typically followed by commercials) with minor hooks as well. This "act out" is to keep the viewers from changing the channel during the break.
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. If two newscasts are back to back they can have a "toss" between shows, where the hosts talk to each other briefly.
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