Cold open
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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.
In Orson Welles's 1948 film Macbeth, the first scene with the Three Witches is staged as a "cold open". When one of the witches mentions the name Macbeth, the film's title appears onscreen.
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, 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), The Departed (18 minutes), or Blissfully Yours (45 minutes), the "cold open" does not necessarily refer to the entire pre-credits sequence.
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[edit] Examples in media
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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 two instances, (The Cycling Tour, the first episode to have a full-length story, and The Golden Age of Ballooning, the first episode of series four) having no opening credits at all (the former has a brief title card with the episode's title, and the latter because 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.
In US sitcoms, many episodes opens with a traditional cold opening that either utilizes one or a few more scenes preceding to the opening credits or title card. However, the cold opening usually gives little about the plot and uses comedic banter.
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 alumna Tina Fey and portraying a show similar to SNL, uses a cold open in nearly every episode.
The practice of cold opens is becoming more widespread in animated television series[when?], having started with Beep Prepared in 1961. Cold opens are fairly common in anime, particularly in the first or last episode of a series. Naruto: Shippūden and Tales of the Abyss are two examples of anime using cold opens in every episode. Digimon Savers plays the entire first act of an episode before the theme song begins.
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, including an entire level before 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. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, shows the game's logo and title after the first two levels.
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
In the Fox medical drama House M.D., every episode starts with a cold open where the viewer sees the patient and what happens to him/her before Dr. House's team gets the case.
[edit] Nomenclature
Cold opens employ a first 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:
- 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 television series, a similar device called cliffhanger is often placed before commercial breaks, to keep the viewers from changing the channel during the break. For instance, in Law & Order, this second hook is often the arrest of the suspected perpetrator of the crime committed in the cold open.
[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. If two newscasts are back to back they can have a "toss" between shows, where the hosts talk to each other briefly.
