{"id":170579,"date":"2025-03-04T15:32:14","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T14:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centmagazine.co.uk\/?p=170579"},"modified":"2025-03-04T15:32:21","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T14:32:21","slug":"grand-entrances-make-great-characters-memorable-movies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.centmagazine.co.uk\/?p=170579","title":{"rendered":"Grand Entrances Make Great Characters: Memorable Movies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Was there ever a TV or film<\/a> character that jumped out at you when they first came on screen? Was there one character whose entrance was so dynamic it stuck in your mind? Did they possess an enigma that jumped through the very screen? Creating an opening gambit and a grand entrance? It may be a walk or talk or may be no words at all. Maybe what appealed was the cinematography, sound, or movement portrayed on screen; maybe it’s that magic that makes a great actor a brilliant actor. Together, these create the power of great characters remembered by their grand entrances. Find out more at Grand Entrances Make Great Characters: Memorable Movies.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Image on the right – Toy Story poster, 1995.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A grand entrance can be qualified as impressive, dramatic, or an elaborated arrival on to the screen. It is often designed to capture attention and make a strong opening gambit for a key character. When someone makes a grand entrance, they walk into the screen and own every part of it; all eyes are on them and their charisma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the Joker to Willy Wonka, what is the recipe for a grand entrance in film<\/a> or TV? Well, they all share some ingredients that directors use to make them memorable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are different ways to make a character enter a movie<\/a>. It can be done by building anticipation with a long, suspenseful, slow teasing until the character is revealed, prefaced by glimpses or references to the character by others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reveal can then be done by a slow pan from a person’s legs (‘feet-first’) or other extremities to their face. Dramatic visuals and a cinematic impact can also be used with an initial dark, silhouetted, outlined, or distant appearance, which can sometimes slowly be revealed by light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another variant can be done by a sudden and abrupt establishment of the character at the beginning of the movie. It creates a striking introduction, already announcing who the character is, without using words. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The character can also be introduced in an emotional scene or through a thematic impact by using the transformative reveal of a person with a new or second identity. This can be done by using specific music or style of music, which will then be linked to the character. Even a catchy sentence can also be used and become almost the brand of the character.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the oldest and best character entrances in film was The Man with Harmonica played by Charles Bronson in Once Upon A Time In The West’ (1968).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n

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This cowboy loner, who is seeking vengeance for the torture of his brother, tries to put an end to the reign of terror of his enemy, Franck. In his first entrance on the screen, The Man is first heard through his harmonica with the panning image of a train going past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The harmonica was used by the director, Sergio Leone, as a recognizable item and sound interlinked with the character. The camera then shows him from far away, depicting a cold climate between him and Franck. It then goes to a close shot of his face, slowly revealing as he moves his cowboy hat up his eyes. This scene is often described as one of the best character entrances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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