The End

Something that seems to be overlooked in film courses, books, reviews and just about anything that analyzes film is one of the most important aspects cinema...the last scene. I don’t think a lot people including many writers and directors understand how important it is. The last scene has more influence on how someone judges a film than most other aspects. It is the final thing a viewer sees before they make their initial judgment of the film as a whole. I believe this can make or break a film. Ask a lawyer how important the closing arguments are to a case.

The Rum Diaries is a recent example of a weak end - events wrapped up in text on a black screen. Interest that we have invested in characters and plots weakly concluded or worse, unresolved. Contrast this to a great ending like The Matrix. The Matrix’s last scene showed us with a punch that there is even more to the story and we are left with anticipation. The ending slams to a close and one can’t help but smile. Iron Man was another good ending.

It isn’t even what all was delivered, but more importantly how. As I think of the movies I like almost all had great endings that leave a nice taste in your mouth.

I have a really nice ending to Insectula! planned and even though on the script it doesn’t read that all that dramatic, I plan to deliver it with a punch. I’m excited to get to work on it as I think it’s real solid.