2 minute opening scenes

2 minute opening scenes for a Gangster film:


1.

We open from black to see a woman sitting in her home, awake, it is late. Music quietly in background- Non-diegetic. She is waiting up for someone. She is quite an older woman late 40's, 50's. On the mantle piece is a picture of a young man in his twenties, camera pans to his face. He is smiling and happy
Black title card, name of company making movie, white text.
We skip to two men in italian suits walking down the street late at night, they enter a bar. Low lighting, still at night. There is a young man sitting at the counter- the same man as in the photos- he is hunched over his drink he turns round to look as they enter. Everyone in the bar stops what they are doing. The young man turns and gets up from his stool. Raising his hands.
 Black screen white text name of actors
We skip back to the same two men walking down another street, one is cleaning his hands with a handkercheif.
Black title screen, white text actors name.
We cut back to the bar, everyone is frozen then begin to hurriedly make their exit. The young man is standing facing the two gentlemen who have entered, he looks afraid.
Black title screen, white text another name
The two gentlemen stopp outside a door of a suburban house in America. One pulls out some flowers (white lillies?). He places them on the doorstep then rings the bell
Black card white name
The same gentlemen, at the bar, pulls out a gun, the young man tries to reach for his own gun in his jacket but he's too slow and he's shot, he flops to the ground, banging off of the bar. Slow-motion.
Black title card, white name
The older woman opens the door to her house, she see's no one. She looks down at the ground and sees the flowers. She drops to the floor and grabs them up pulling them to her chest, she begins to cry and scream in anguish.
Camera swoops up into the air pulling away from her house so we can see her from afar. Name of movie comes up. Music reaches crescendo.

2.

Fade in from black, a pair of expensive balck shoes clack on the ground, walking, camera draws round so we are watching him from behind his feet, he jogs up some stone steps. Pan back as a man in an expensive back italian suit pushes open heavy wooden doors.
Skip to long shot, aisles in a church people on their knees praying, name comes up white text
He walks through the aisles
Hands polishing a gun
Same hands holding a bible, name of actor comes up white text
From behind following man in suite walking through church
The father, an Italian american priest nods to him
Her enters the confesson box and leans over the grate
The priest on the other side looks through and sees his face, we see only his eyes. Middle aged man.
The preist reaches into the folds of his uniform and pulls out some folded up dollar notes, he passes them through the grate
"Thank you father." The man on the other side does the father son and the holy spirit blessing sign on himself. He gets out and walks away from the confession box towards camera. we see him in full, slowmotion. Title of the film comes up. Music reaches crescendo.

3.

Fades from black to an extreme close up of the mans eyes, italian amrerican accent. reverse creep begins

"Albachinni, he sent friends to see me, I he told me I had to pay him his rent he told me that it was business, told me I was his new friend and friends do favours for eachother. I told him where to go. The next thing I know my cafe's gone! Burnt to the ground! There ain't nothing left! Then they come to my home- my home! They tell me I gotta pay my rent I say for what! I ain't got no business anymore!  They tell me I gotta pay! I say I already pay you and they laugh. The next day I go'tah pick up my daughter from school and there they are and the bastards standin' there holding my daughters hand! My daughters hand and there ain't nothin' I can do about it! He knows where I live, he knows how tah get to mah daughter! What am I gonna do? So  think, I'll come to the only man that I know who can do sumthin' I'll go to the big man himself. I'll come to you sir. Look, I guess what'am tryi'n to ask is, will you help me get rid of that bastard? Help me protect my daughter?"
 Long shot of the man he sits behind a big desk, sliver of light creeping in behind him from a slightly parted green curtain.
In front of him a pair of hands link (close to the screen) we realise we are seeing an over the shoulder shot but he figure we are shooting over the shoulder from is so dark we could not see them.

"I am glad that you brought this to my attention. As you should well know I do not like that this young man seems to think that he can... bully my friends, and you are my friend aren't you Romano?"

"Of course I am."


- I reckon that's probably more thna two minutes, so I'll stop here.