Aspects Of Jordan Peele’s "Get Out" Opening Scene That Can Be Applied To Your Writing

The opening scene of Jordan Peele's Get Out is one of the many memorable and significant aspects of the film with lessons that can be applied to writing.

The film opens with a young black man walking alone at night, in a white suburban neighborhood. A car pulls up and begins to follow him. Scared, he turns around to walk in the other direction. When he looks back, the car is parked and the door is left open. Then, he's attacked, dragged to the trunk of a car and abducted by an unknown person.

Grab and hold attention: 

This opening scene immediately builds suspense and tension when the character realizes that he's not only no longer alone, but that he's being followed. It's obvious something terrible is going to happen and this effectively hooks you in and holds your attention as you anticipate and watch the horror unfold.

Set up the themes:

The character is a black man alone in a white place. He's scared and he has reason to be. When he makes the decision to turn around and get away, he even says to himself, "Not today. Not me. You know how they like to do motherfuckers out here, man, I'm gone." The opening scene leads us right into the themes of race and racism that the film tackles.

Utilize contrast: 

When the car pulls up, the song "Run Rabbit Run" can be heard lightly playing in the background. When the man gets attacked, the song gets even louder. This provides a stark contrast between the violence on screen and the cheerfulness of the song, creating an unnerving tension.

Leave the audience wondering: 

The audience doesn't know who the man walking is, where he's going or why. The identity of his attacker is also hidden as his face is completely covered by some type of helmet and there is no information given about why he abducted him. This leaves you with a lot of questions about what happened and what will happen next.