Doing It Gilligan Style

Underscoring Your Opening Scene Like Breaking Bad or Saul

That opening long shot, taking SO much time to establish. That sense of unease as the camera remains stationary then very slowly pans in as music that doesn’t necessarily make any sense, plays through a radio speaker. Weird, unsettling, bizarre…and you’re totally hooked.  

Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan turned the television drama on it’s head with not only unique story lines, but with  a visionary’s eye toward the cinematography and music selection. 

While surprisingly simple to create, there are two elements that you might consider if you borrow from Vince Gilligan on your next show. 

First is subject matter and camera placement. If you’re shooting a corporate video, you might typically begin with a full screen establish shot of the corporate headquarters, underscored with positive upbeat music. Yawn.

But what if you place the camera at ground level? Then create a time-lapse montage of people coming and going all day? Perhaps find a way for the corporate logo to be out of focus behind these fast moving feet?

Then the second element, sound, comes into play. You could start with a subtle “wind across the prairie” behind the moving people. Then either add or cross fade to music so out of left field, your audience will be on the edge of their seats with curiousity. 

If you search our CSS Library with keywords like “ethereal, offbeat, quirky, tension,” etc. and audition your results against the video, we believe you’ll find the perfect track to give the scene an unusual vibe.

BONUS: If you’re a film fan, imagine a 1960’s or 70’s foreign film, most likely shot on 16 mm.  Perhaps process your footage with a grainy old film texture and then complete the effect by adding your opening credits in white lettered text just as your music begins. 

While we can’t all be Hitchcock, Orson Wells or Vince Gilligan, we can borrow from their artistry to give new life to often very tired subject matter. Have fun!