How to HOOK Your Audience (Writing Advice)

[@SNY10]

I love the scene in the beggining of the daredevil netflix series, when daredevil talks to the priest and ends the conversation saying: "I'm not seeking penance for what I have done, I'm asking forgiveness for what I'm about to do" I think that was a good hook for me on one of my favorite tv shows

[@vektheartist]

Agreed! Same! I love the Priest character very much too.

[@jacobstaten2366]

And then it takes half the season for anything interesting to happen because each season should have just been a movie.

[@girlleavemealone--]

​@@jacobstaten2366or those books that start off really fast paced and with a lot of action and then it just slows down and you don't get an answer to your begging questions until the end-

[@eliminator1472]

@@jacobstaten2366Literally so wrong Wtf

[@jacobstaten2366]

@@eliminator1472 so you like low budget filler? Pretty much every season of every Marvel show is guilty of it.

[@pcwinstead]

The Matrix has my favorite opening hook ever. You're thrown into the action, but not in a bad way, showing Trinity almost getting caught by police and agents. The peak moment for me happens when she runs for the phone booth knowing a tow truck is about to demolish it. Total "wtf just happened" opening and I couldn't love it more.

[@MrMan-7703]

And that scene is especially usefull for getting us to sit through the longer (more) boring scenes introducong Neo. Just an amazing movie)

[@wfchannel4673]

best thing about that scene is that the wachowskis were given an extremely limited budget, wanted more, didn't get it, overspent just shooting that scene, showed it to the studio execs and asked for more money again, and got it.

[@radrno7]

​@@wfchannel4673 And the most important, they introduced bullet time, a filming technique that hadn't been done before and turned the movie into a massive reference for years. Such a shame the Wachowsky have fallen so hard from grace since then.

[@LordJaroh]

I went into the movie not knowing anything about it. It was really interesting as I thought they were setting up a villain in a way. Fighting and killing cops and fbi agents, only to get away. Then it transitioned into total craziness. It was very good, going into it blind.

[@DadCanInJapan]

One of my favourites is the beginning of The Seven Samurai. A villager overhears some bandits planning of raiding the village later that year. The village elder says they should hire samurai. They have no money though, only food. So he says to hire HUNGRY samurai. It beautifully sets up the expectation of the battle to come and also makes you wonder what kind of samurai they will get, all done with humour. The first of many hooks.

[@drysoup3017]

And then sell them overpriced food.

[@WellWisdom.]

Yeah that movie is awesome.

[@LordBaktor]

My favorite movie opening is The Fellowship of the Ring. On itself it falls dangerously close to the one you showed where too much happens and there's too much information, but I love the contrast with what comes immediately after. It's like the movie is saying "While there are epic battles, magic and all that stuff in this movie, first we need to get acquainted with these wonderful people called Hobbits. Trust me bro, it'll be worth it."

[@michaelwong9411]

I think the FOTR prologue does a brilliant job of informing the audience, because while there's a fair bit of narrative info-dumping, the big battle scene and the big Sauron reveal are laser-focused on the goal of explaining to the audience what the big threat is. They show us Sauron and his orc horde and by doing so, they make it obvious that if our heroes fail, THIS will come back. And they even focus on the ring during the big Sauron reveal, to remind you of the connection between the ring and this dark fate. It's great visual storytelling.

[@LordBaktor]

@@michaelwong9411 And it's narrated by Cate Blanchett, who is allowed to info dump as much as she wants in my book.

[@michaelwong9411]

@@LordBaktor Oh yeah. She can do no wrong. And "Thor Ragnarok" did the world a service by showing us what Goth Cate Blanchett would look like.

[@alaricvis09]

On this note, Peter Jackson mentioned that James Bond movies usually start with some fast high stakes action scene. When they started The Two Towers at the Balrog scene, this is what he said they were trying to emulate.

[@peterk7428]

I think MATRIX is a good example of how stylish an action scene without context has to be to hook an audience.

[@kit888]

I watch a lot of authortube. Your content is unique and original. When I watch your videos I know I'm going to learn something new, clearly and compactly presented.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thank you so much. Thrilled to hear these videos are making a difference

[@AntiGod46]

Do you know more youtubers like him who teaches correct method on fiction writing?... Would be glad If I knew.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Check out Ellen Brock's channel

[@AntiGod46]

Thank you guys for suggesting me

[@mountainwalk]

Agreed. These videos are always great and helpful!

[@errantwinds-up8uu]

I really appreciate how you use a variety of examples to accompany your points. Sometimes abstract ideas on writing are hard for me, but you make things so clear by using movies and tv shows. Thank you!

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Glad it was helpful!

[@onzo6820]

Watching your videos feels like getting university-level lectures for free. You're doing god's work here my friend :D

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Haha thanks!

[@ndumisomsomi9053]

Nah for real coz I'm bout print the points out and paste them on my wall. God's work, indeed.

[@Iona_Roe_Deer]

I love back to the future and it’s interesting right from the beginning. This scene with multiple clocks grabbed my attention when I was very young. 😮

[@GimmeBooks95]

The dark knight opening on a bank robbery with events that surprise not only the audience, but also robbers. Sets us up to see that this villain knows his chess

[@leftoverjoe]

The Big Lebowski, with one of the more intriguing character intros with the Dude at a grocery store, drinking milk while shopping, wearing a bath robe, writing a check for a purchase of less than $1, all with Sam Elliot's signature narration. Immediately made me want to know more about the Dude, and already rooting for him since he's a quirky, independent person.

[@CJ_1406]

Could you make a video about how to use plot armor correctly? I've seen some comics where the hero are in some dire situation and the way they got out of it is completely unrealistic and almost utterly impossible. Btw, great video as always!

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks for the request! I'll add it to my list

[@RoyalFusilier]

I think you almost answered yourself on this one, OP. Your problem doesn't seem to be that the heroes always make it out, but that they do so in ways that break the rules of the setting or believability in general. So, give them ways to win that *do* make sense. That can be magic or gods or super tech, as long as that's part of the 'rules', as long as it's 'in the game'. Set it up beforehand, explain it afterwards, or both imo.

[@aCavemanNamedJaR]

His video about dues ex machinas is very similar to this, maybe check it out and see if it answers what you want to know

[@CJ_1406]

@@RoyalFusilier You're right. But I kinda wanna make my heroes so that they can solve the problem using their own heads and whatever is available to them, without MacGuffins or maybe relying others for help.

[@Wolltazar]

Ideally you don’t use it at all (sorry character number 3, you don’t make it this time) but when you really need it, don’t make a guy survive something ridiculously lethal

[@tezzag818]

I am a screenwriter with a bad cold. I am spending the whole week watching your videos and I feel like I am at an expensive screenwriting workshop. I am so grateful to you.

[@nicoborgonia]

The opening of Kill Bill Vol. 1 where the bride is shot in the head remains one of my favorite movie openings ever as it raises questions that really get you invested in the movie. Also, that particular scene is so emotionally and visually charged that you can't help empathizing with the protagonist. Anyway, another great and informative video from you. Your videos are great tools for aspiring novelists such as myself. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.

[@rollogic2988]

I'm so surprised you don't have more views and subs. I'm not even a writer, but I love watching your videos. You're such a great orator without all the "uhmms' and "uhhhs" and you have a good tone to your voice along with interesting content. Even though I don't write I've learned quite a bit about story telling I never knew went on behind the scenes. Keep up the good work!

[@dfly27485]

“The Thing” contains literally some of the best film writing of All Time.

[@dolnick7]

I hope you're referring to the original.

[@dfly27485]

@@dolnick7 common now,.. let’s be serious

[@wombat6]

One of my all-time favourite hooks is from a 1942 french book, "The Stranger" by Albert Camus. It has become one of french literature's most famous lines, it has its own Wikipedia article. The book literally opens with this (this is my own translation): "Today, mom died. Or maybe yesterday, I don't know. I got a telegram from the asylum: 'Mother deceased. Funeral tomorrow. Kind regards.' This makes no sense. It might have been yesterday." Like, WHAT? Now THAT's a hook.

[@heatherknopp3723]

One of my favorite movies is Dead Poet's Society. The opening scene has a soft hook of introducing the boys and their various attitudes and parental pressures. The big hook is when they get to poetry class and Robin Williams has them rip the intro out of their text books and stand on their desks to get a "new perspective". It sets up the emotional and social conflicts so well.

[@letterboxfilm]

Back to the Future. From the very start…and through the whole movie. I was 10 or 11. And that film hooked me. Now I am 47. Back to the future is still amazing to me.

[@Milton2k]

11:44 Cavil's deleted mustache is the most distracting thing in that scene...

[@bucksdiaryfan]

I love the hook in Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress, where you have the two travelers who seem to be alone and then both of them turn around in fear as a large military force overtakes them

[@XAMS]

Amadeus has a great hook with Salieri claiming he murdered Mozart. Raises many questions and sets up the story.

[@chronoscopefilm5984]

such an excellent film. just saw for the first time a few months ago...truly exceptional.

[@heatherknopp3723]

LOVE that movie! Need to watch it again!

[@markalliksaar1605]

Great hook. I agree.

[@lynx9908]

Mine’s Oppenheimer. The text that appears on screen at the very beginning had me completely hooked

[@scottneilson8470]

Favorite movie (1 of the short list) The Matrix. When did it hook me? Before I saw it. There were billboards that simple said "What is the Matrix" then a date below. Didn't specify that this was a film or anything. I was deeply and maddeningly intrigued. Tie that in with the fact that these billboards matched the theme of the story and it becomes (in my opinion) anoth e r part of that films experience.

[@steveg1961]

Though I don't remember specific details, I still remember the very first Harlan Coben book I ever read - and I read it over twenty years ago. Called "Tell No One," it immediately hooked me with a widower whose wife has been dead for years - who then in some random context happens to see his wife alive. In that story, Coben masterfully used hook after hook after hook after hook to move through each stage of the plot development. These elements got me so strongly - I had bought the book at a store after dinner out with the family on a Friday evening, and I caught snippets of time to find out more about what the main character was doing to figure out what in the world was going on after that moment of seeing his wife alive had rocked his world. Then later in the evening after getting the kids to bed and talking with my own wife who then went to sleep, I read the next chapter, which hooked me again, so I had to read the next chapter, which hooked me again, and... before I realized it it was something like 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning, and that damn Coben had just dropped another hook... next thing I knew the sun was coming up on Saturday morning and I was still reading. I finished the book later that morning - lost a night's sleep - but, wow, what a fantastic story!

[@scotthenderson2339]

Great video. I tend to think of only one or two types of hooks and sometimes it's hard to get those to fit the story. This definitely added more arrows in my quiver. Well done, and thanks.

[@AlexIsModded]

My all time favorite movie is and always will be Jurassic Park. There are three major events in the film that hooked my attention. I had a good attention span for a six year old, but still, it's not easy to hook a child's attention like the way the movie caught mine. 1. The unknown thing in the box. We all knew the movie was about dinosaurs. We can see something in the box, but we don't know what it is. We learn from this that it is dangerous and wants to harm people, but we also want to learn what it is. It establishes fear as much as it establishes intrigue. This scene also sets the whole movie in motion, and regularly refers back to this inciting incident. 2. The science behind how the dinosaurs were engineered. For me, even though looking back on this with today's knowledge the science is not really accurate, at the time it was fascinating. A lot of people hate the movie's explanation of the engineering, but I love how it is tied directly into the environment. Mr. DNA is obviously intended for, as Hammond put it, the target audience (kids), but it's the delivery that's most important to that scene. The characters are shown reacting to it as well, asking questions, being amused, etc. We aren't given an explanation through lengthy dialogue, and instead through the tour the main cast are getting. 3. Nedry. His character adds a very interesting aspect to the story as well as his conflict with Hammond. We all want to know how this is going to play out. We know he's the villain but we want to see what he's gonna do anyway.

[@ADWrites24]

Scream 1996, the opening scene absolutely hooks me with the dialogue from Drew, the killer stalking/killing her and leaving the mystery of who the killer is.

[@rogueinterrobang]

A really unoriginal example, but my favourite movie hook is the opening scene of Goodfellas. It's classic "in media res" but it is so perfectly paced it manages to show enough of the characters for us to care about the otherwise random action/violence/punchline we witness. It also not only gives a classic twist on the "what';s in the boot?" trope that gets us intrigued to find out how we ended up there, it then delivers a punchline with "As far back as I can remember..." that subverts everything and makes us question what we assumed we knew about the mystery set up. It also subverts the stakes it has already established such that we think "I really care about how I'm going to be made to care about these ***holes I thought I cared about." So much, and so many questions, in such a short scene.

[@TheKulu42]

You always give me plenty to think about. My story's opening scene is admittedly busy and I'm working to avoid the infodump problem. It does occur to me that while the two characters, one of them a main character, are speaking, they know what they're talking about already and won't go into exhaustive detail. You've made me realize that if I craft the conversation correctly, it could set up this world while raising questions for the reader. At least, that's what I hope to achieve.

[@thesarcasticangrydud]

Favourite movie is Jurassic park, has been since it came out when I was a kid. Not sure if the opening is a great hook… but it certainly was for me. When the raptor got its first victim. Also another great part in the movie. They kept the Trex sort of hidden, then build up its introduction with impact tremors and eats the goat until finally T-Rex breaks free and is revealed with a giant roar. As part of the audience you feel like the characters would. Shit is about to get real! As a kid that party was awesome.

[@Augustus087]

In movies, this type of hook or scene is called a "stinger." One of the most famous franchises that became known for their stingers was the James Bond series. The very first line and the very first paragraph of a novel are paramount. There must be an inciting incident that causes the reader to go "Hm, what is going on here?" Brandon, you are right on target with regards to your explanations, which are excellent examples of stingers. Good job of contrast by giving examples of poor hooks.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Wasn't aware of the term "stinger"--thanks for cluing me in!

[@loisbushman5183]

I love the beginning of the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. Peter Quill sits alone with his headphones on until he is asked to see his dying mother who lies in a hospital bed with all kinds of tubes, and weeping relatives. That's a scary scene for a kid. He explains to her why he got into a fight: he was trying to save a turtle, and we know something about him. She asks him to hold her hand, and he's afraid

[@DanielByers-qf9qi]

Yes, and it gives all that follows more gravitas than a comedic film like this normally has.

[@radrno7]

I much prefer the scene that comes after the opening credits, with Quill just dancing as the song 'Come And Get Your Love' plays. Personally, I just don't like the opening because the child acting is pretty insufferable to me and doesn't allow me to connect with the weight of the scene, which is very heavy for a kids movie.

[@graham7784]

As someone who is writing my first book currently, your content helps so much. Thank you for doing what you do

[@hatswitchstudios]

So many good hooks out there, it’s hard to pick just one so I’m going to go with the first hook I ever experienced. I was maybe 6 when I first saw Ghostbusters. The librarian going down into the basement of the library, strange things start happening like floating books, eventually we have the librarian running from something we never see until the thing chasing her catches up, scream, wind blowing, bright lights, cue the title. I was a ghostbusters fan for life after that.

[@juan-cg1yj]

I may be a little late, but the best opening hook I've ever seen so far is in Death Note's episode 2. The ending of the second episode had me sucked in the series like no other, in that moment I had decided I'd watch all of it for good. I strongly recommend you watch it, it's one of the most entertaining series in its entirety and one of the best you'll ever see

[@RobCrowley85]

My favourite film is still Airheads. Opening credits back by Motorhead and Ice T singing Born to Raise Hell, then starts with Brendan Fraser riding a motorcycle to a record company office.

[@gtube6913]

Love the idea of multiple hooks that relate because of course not every hook will catch to resonate with all readers. Yet, eventually readers could come around to an unfavorable hook with some kneading. Great video.

[@Itscicero]

Princess Mononoke, it grabbed my attention after what seemed like a normal forest and the narrator describing the conflct between man and beast. This led me to question “what does it mean by man and beast living in harmony’” and “what gods?” Then followed up by a ginormous threatening creature with what looked like worms comsuning the entirey of the beast. That immediately got me hooked and Princess Mononoke has remained my favorite movie for so long.

[@BrainNeedsFood]

The opening of Wall-E: great character introduction - chipper, likeable little robot going about his tidying duties in an endearing and very Disney way and yet... look around. Wall-E's world is singularly horrifying in a very un-Disney way. Immediately raises the question of what the hell happened.

[@Kurotekken]

I deeply appreciate your examples! The way my brain works, I learn almost exclusively by example. I keep coming back to your videos for clearly illustrated points.

[@Brdatsun]

I absolutely love The Thing - the opening made me ask so many questions when i first watched it. Cant get enough!

[@MattRose30000]

One of my most favourite hooks is from "The other guys". If you go blind into this movie, it's such a huge subversion of expectations. It also explains the title of the movie ^^ On a completely different note, There Will Be Blood. Probably one of the most monumental and heavy opening scenes I've ever seen.

[@chriswest8389]

That's one of the keys isn't it? The audiance knows the synopsis. How to subvert expectation then? One of the best is the first mission impossible film. The whole team, cept cruise, get killed early in act one. Never saw that one coming. I think Hitch started that with Janet Leigh? in Psycho. Topping that, group kill, is ingenious. Topping that, next to impossible. Sometimes it is impossible. Marty McFly Has to get in the DeLorean . HOW and why he gets in ,keeps the element of surprise.

[@radrno7]

It's very funny because, if you don't know about the opening, it's shocking, but if you do, you still end up surprised since you're left wondering "did I get the wrong movie?" until you finally get the answer on "why are these guys the protagonists?"

[@Earth_Is_Beatful]

The other guys is so funny

[@Sishel]

One of my favorite movies is RRR, and I believe it has some of the best introductions to the main characters, raising a lot of questions, making them intriguing, and they barely talk. It’s show don't tell at its finest.

[@julietwochholz9755]

Have you done a video on The Slow Burn? I love a slow burn - hooks are essential in those stories.

[@NomahsSportsCards]

This is one of my favorite YT channels. Love everything you do!

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thank you! Glad the videos are helping

[@robertbengel2689]

Curse of the Black Pearl set up a chain of hooks from the "what is this medallion? Who is this weirdo pirate? why did the ocean pulse when the medallion touched the water...?" it keeps you interested

[@ShinGallon]

One of my all time favorite opening lines from a novel is an immediate hook, from Stephen King's *The Gunslinger* : "The man in black fled across the desert, and the Gunslinger followed." Right away, I'm wondering: Who is the man in black? Why is he fleeing? Why is the Gunslinger chasing him? Instantly, with a single sentence, King has the reader hooked. It's masterful. So much so that 30 years later I'm *still* in awe of how good an opening line it is. I opened my own graphic novel with the main character walking along a road, and being attacked by bandits whom she quickly dispatches. I wanted to establish her character right away: Strong, capable in a fight, not someone to mess with.

[@Conserpov]

I didn't read the book, but I did read your comment... Right away, I'm wondering: Who is the man in black? Why is he fleeing? Why is the Gunslinger chasing him?

[@chriswest8389]

Im relistening to 11/22/63. It's better than I remember. Depressing, like after listening to Bazaar of bad dreams. I can't hit those notes. I think he's a better writer than Mario Ouzo. Upon relistening to the godfather,I still think it's overated. It's a god book don't get me wrong,but I came away thinking maybe I could do that. Hubris perhaps. Probably.

[@berry186]

When you said that the superman scene will alienate someone I laughed so hard 'cause Clark is Kryptonian 😂. 👽

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Hahaha! Pun not intended--I swear

[@wildwill-sp1kv]

Memento has probably my favorite opening hook ever.

[@ChimBliss]

This was so helpful. Thank you so much.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thrilled to hear it. Thanks for watching!

[@NrMl1402]

The Movie Frailty is not even a perfect excample for a good hook, it´s actually a really good thriller with a great way to fool his audience and still delivers a good script and satisfies the audience. WATCH IT!

[@GauravSingh-ku5xy]

I like the no BS style you have. It's always entertaining to watch your videos.

[@markalliksaar1605]

Favorite movie hook: beginning of Goodfellas, where the opening scene ends with Henry Hill saying, "all my life, I wanted to be a gangster."

[@mecheva9098]

so much good advice in these videos. Man, it feels like you need to be a genius to master these tips, there are so many working parts to figure out. Intense, a bit overwhelming, and completely fascinating.

[@MovieSpoofFilms]

The end of the first episode of Ozark is a great example of a hook. I wasn’t sure what the show was going to be about and when the episode ended I was hooked and super invested.

[@PatMcAnn]

Ozarks hooked me in the first 10 minutes of episode 1. The scene with Jason Bateman watching a video on his work computer Completely shocked and surprised me and the show continued to do so through the first several episodes.

[@theboatnut1540]

Hi, I'm the fifteen year old who was writing a novel, I just wanted to give an update. As of now, my novel is 310 pages long and 70,000 words. I have to write only five more chapters before I go back to revise the draft. I watch one of your videos every day before I start writing, Brandon, and its been really helping me, so I just want to thank you for making all these videos 😀

[@vicalamuso3427]

Keep writing ✍️ 💪💪💪when you're done, if you need a beta reader, let me know

[@plandana4894]

Good luck! One of my favourite series of novels was written by an author who was 15 when he started, so keep it up!

[@Rhaevyn-Hart]

Good for you! I wish I had stuck to my writing at that age. I'm 66 now and finally nearing completion of one of my four stories I've poked around with for 20 some odd years haha!

[@TheMusicscotty]

Brandon your evolution from your start to how you do it now is impressive! Congratulations to you!

[@mazzysmainframe]

I'll probably take some flak for this seeing as this particular movie is almost universally despised but I love the intro in M. Night Shamahalamina...'s 'The Happening.' Just these unexplained instances of people starting to behave oddly and then ending themselves. Book-wise, one of the best hooks is from a Dean Koontz novel, the title of which escapes me, but it opens with two lovers out hiking and climbing either a bird watching tower or a forest fire watchtower and the man's thinking about how much he loves his girlfriend and how perfect she is and then he pushes her off the tower, killing her. It's the first page, it comes out of nowhere, it was so well done.

[@Rhaevyn-Hart]

I love almost all of his movies. He's really creative, great at hiding things under your nose. That movie was creepy good.

[@sqounk99]

You picked three of my favorites. The Thing, Star Wars, and Alien. All have that something extra, though I think The Thing has the added benefit of Ennio Morricone's score to help set the tone. But outside of your examples, John Wick has a great set of hooks starting with raising questions with a little shock and then going into the emotional connections to his wife and dog. Thank you for the videos, great information as always.

[@jlwcrafts]

Wow. . this very helpful and one of the best videos I've ever heard about how to hook your readers

[@tattoodude8946]

Dark City had a great opening that made you care about the main character and also wonder what the heck is going on. Very underrated Sci-Fi flick that should get more attention. The ride gets a little janky along the way, but still one of my favorites!

[@j.munday7913]

I like the beginning of Howl's Moving Castle. Sophie is so mild mannered and polite, then you have book accurate Howl fly away with her. So wonderful!

[@KooladmantheBold]

My favorite movie is probably The Thing (1982)! As you stated, it grabbed my attention at the very beginning, but 30 minutes into the movie, when (SPOILERS) the dog transforms is when it really got me. And on subsequent watches, that's the moment it does. But that opening does wonders for it.

[@Liger-Inuzuka]

I quite love John Wick movies, they sort of created am entire world around the idea of this main character being an unstoppable force. Think of the first movie, while the audience doesn't see John Wick do anything *yet*.... During the whole set up you see every other character prepare and be frightful of what they are expecting will happen. I think that makes the audience so curious to see what's coming next, why is every other character in the movie afraid of John Wick?

[@theautomationist]

Whole John Wick Movie is a Hook!

[@Totallynotabird90]

@@theautomationistwhole series is awesome. 1 and 4 are the best, though

[@CallsignReach]

One of my favorite hooks is at the beginning of Ghost in the Shell (1996). It starts with the assassination of a foreign government official and demonstrates the rivalry between Section 6 and Section 9, which tees off the main conflict of the movie. Then you’re dropped into an “in media res” chase scene with the main characters trying to track down a hacker. It’s short, beautifully animated and serves as a great adaption of the original source material.

[@mr.paleface5962]

There Will Be Blood has probably my favorite intro. No dialogue, only the soundtrack and physical acting by DDL tells you so much about the main character and the setting

[@storygirl33]

Good list of hooks. I always thought of a hook as the beginning event that grabs an audience and the hooks you talk about throughout the story as plot points that keep the story momentum up keeping the reader or viewer coming back. But hey whatever you call it they are needed. As how many books or shows start out great and then fizzle into A nothing story and so they need hooks (plot points) to keep the tension going.

[@ArthKryst]

Better Call Saul, the opening scene watching Jimmy practice in the bathroom, it was an amazing scene showcasing his dedication to the craft, and we as the audience already knew his path in breaking bad, so it's a great hook where it's not the end that's making us curious but rather the journey. The immediate scene focuses on Jimmy's preparation and it raises the first question, "Is this case somehow connected to BB, does something happen here? Is this relevant?" And as the case is done and it seems minor you realize how different Jimmy is from the Saul yet you see elements of Saul, brief elements of him within the scene, so without hooking us in the plot, it hooked us with the character, it showed a different person, a person I didn't see in Breaking Bad. I was hooked all the way till the end, loved the show, personally for me it was better than BB

[@detectivejimmymcnulty1676]

The opener of Casino Royale is one of my favorites. Establishes the tone of the film, the style of Bond that Craig will be playing along with his level of experience. It tells us everything we need to know with minimal dialogue and an amazing and brutal fight scene

[@nyxsun333]

That hooked Daniel Craig as my favorite Bond instantly

[@ScarletFang423]

Another great video Brandon! Thank you for making this video.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@LordJamesHanyuSmith]

Okay. There's a particular style of storytelling that always hooks me in. I don't know if there is a name for this, if this is considered a genre, a literary device, a narrative style... but the first movies come to mind are Pulp Fiction and 11:14. Oh. Scorched is another one that comes to mind. It's a style in which you actually tell 4 or 5 different stories at once. They are seemingly unrelated and separate stories, except for specific moments when their stories intersect for a time. Then they still go their separate ways. Babel, I think, is another example. The entire Marvel Cinematic Universe does this, where the different heroes have their own stories and then cross paths. I also keep saying that Castaway could've been a great opportunity for a sequel, but instead of picking up what happens next, a great sequel would be exact duration of the first movie, but the entire timeline is in her perspective. 🤷‍♂️

[@markmarkel5120]

New writer, Great lesson on the hook. I’m trying to have multiple hooks through out my novel. Even though a lot of Bond movie have major action, which doesn’t always led to rest of movie. It’s the stable and it works!

[@DreadMerlot]

I appreciate your advice. One of my slam-dunk hooks was in Carpenter's BTILC. Egg Shen's interview with the lawyer, although I admit it was an infodump. But so was half the movie. I loved it... saw it in the theater.

[@Tt-qm2xg]

My favourite opening scene was from the Anime series Attack on Titan. It had me hook line and sinker! Such a great opening and told so much about the world without an info dump. But also left so many mysteries right until the end. Also the first episode of The Promised Neverland. It was so so so good. The set up about the world, then completely dumping you into a put if despair. Loved it. But unfortunately the second season was a huge let down.

[@waynegathers587]

I have anumber of favorite movies that hooked me from the beginning. Here's 3 to name a few. 1. The opening scene of Jaws...the Buoy that lingers in the ocean and the pov underwater shot of the girl swimming. 2. The opening scene of A Soldier's Story. The sargent on his knees laughing in his drunkenness "they still hate you" before he is shot dead. 3. The Warriors. The clamatic buildup with all the gangs in NYC traveling to the bronx for the big rally in meeting Cyrus. "can you count suckers...the future is ours if you can count" that speech set the mood of the entire story.

[@peregrine.somerville]

Thanks for making the distinction between intro hooks and inciting incidents-very clarifying! Would you consider making a video on how to deliver exposition without info dumps? I’m mainly thinking about novels here rather than film.

[@jakekovanda194]

This is my first time watching this guy. And holy s**t. This dude is excellent. He does so good at explaining in such little time. Also favorite hook is the batman. When riddler kills the guy in the beginning. Just so creepy and eerie and really makes us question what is happening

[@PatMcAnn]

Episode 1 of Mad Men is a great hook from the start to the surprising end, and sets up all of the great conflicts and struggles facing Don Draper.

[@MichaelChanning]

My favorite opening sentence: "When I got over to Leonard's Christmas Eve night, he had the Kentucky Headhunters turned way up over at his place, and they were singing "The Ballad of Davy Crockett," and Leonard, in a kind of Christmas tradition, was once again setting fire to the house next door." Joe R. Lansdale, The Two-Bear Mambo

[@AntiGod46]

Hey Brandon. Great video as always. I have a request though. Can you make a tutorial or video on how to write humor in your fiction or add comedy? That would be great.

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks for the idea! Humor is not my strong point, but I'll see about hammering together an analysis video

[@AntiGod46]

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty I see... thank you very much

[@Milbrandt]

I love the movie Dead Man’s Shoes. It starts by hinting at some tragic history and future reckoning, but the tone still seems mostly sad and dramatic. When a few minutes in someone who is staring at someone else has such an intense reaction when they get asked “What are you looking at?” it immediately sets the tone to something more dangerous and menacing. Every time I watch it, that moment gives me a bit of a rush.

[@richardglady3009]

Great video. Thank you. Simple, understandable explanations. It’s a saver.

[@davidanderson9103]

One of the best book hooks I've read was from Jurassic Park. When the movie came out, I wasn't that interested as it was marketed towards kids mostly, but I was hanging out at a friends place, and the book was sitting there. I picked it up, and read the prologue, and, boom, I was hooked and had to go buy the book and read it.

[@emm6724]

One of my favourite movies is Ever After, the hook is that the brothers grim who visit Grand Dame who says she’s disappointed in their version of Cinderella, then she says she’ll tell them the true story while showing the glass slipper and Leonardo Da Vinci portrait of the woman. It’s a great way to retell a classic story, I despise almost all retellings but this one nailed it.

[@Lego_loves_cheeseburger]

Great job! Also,can you make a video about how to do twist villains and how not to please?

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

I touched on twist villains in my most recent Plot Twists video. Hope it helps!

[@Lego_loves_cheeseburger]

@@WriterBrandonMcNulty Thanks!

[@julietwochholz9755]

Sometimes a movie hooks me just by style. Example: Crying Game. The film opens with the song "When a Man Loves A Woman" and we are under a bridge at a distance - a slow camera pan creates interest and tension as we wonder what will happen here? Then we meet a man and woman, apparently having fun at the fair and seemingly going to pop off someplace and have sex - only then we see they are being watched and then the man is kidnapped. A great opening - I was hooked in the first few seconds.

[@vinitnikamvinitnikam8206]

Plz make video on obstacles and character choices. By the way love your direct on point videos no timepass❤

[@WriterBrandonMcNulty]

Thanks! I'll add this to my request list

[@gooddog2001]

In LIFEBOAT they hooked us by starting with a scene of a ship sinking. GOOD JOB!

[@AxleBoost]

11:25 That's the exact moment that came to mind as you were describing it!

[@ludovico6890]

My favourite movie is A Clockwork Orange, where the inciting incident arrives relatively late in the film, but the hook comes right in the opening monologue of Alex. It sets the world and characters brilliantly, both with the words and the surreal visuals.

[@chriswest8389]

I'll have to remember that. Hook, in addition to inciting incident followed by surprise number 1 or turning point.

[@Ru1nedK1ng]

Many thanks for these priceless informations you provide us.

[@stevenvegh7964]

My favorite movie is Fellowship of the Ring. Hard to know exactly when it hooked me first but that one seemed to have hooked me foremost through its music. I think I knew I was watching a great film as soon as Gandalf and Frodo started interacting.

[@bwanamatata]

Always loved the "Choose Life" opening monologue and scene in Trainspotting. I think it works as a hook, because it drops you in the middle of the action and asks questions of the audience.

[@pglinvik]

The opening lines of Pitch Black with Vin Diesel comes to mind: "They say most of your brain shuts down in cryo-sleep. All but the primitive side, the animal side. No wonder I'm still awake." - It immediately raises tension and makes you wonder, who, how, what, where... In addition to giving quite a bit of exposition at the same time.

[@Rhaevyn-Hart]

LOVE that movie!

[@nathantalks9299]

Nice to see frailty in this, underrated movie in my opinion

[@GreedyDrunk92]

I'm currently working on a book (which might be a bit too ambitious for me, since I haven't written anything big before,) and I created a whole timeline in order to make a hook XD. The idea is, that the books tells the main story, happening before the big event, but every chapter is opened with a small scene in different style, telling about something, happening after this event. These openings are made to give the reader some glimpses of what is going to happen in the chapter , making them questioning "how did it come to the fact, that they have/know/can do this?" Or "where is this character?". I'm not sure how will it work though. The whole book is a big experiment for me

[@jewels3846]

Is an interesting premise! Goodluck, and hopefully it turns out how you want!

[@Lowbow0]

sounds like the hook scenes of every new breaking bad season where the show slowly morr and more of a big happening until on the end of the seasson you understand how he ended up in this hook from the beginning. but for this kind of hook you would need to do time jumps in thr story

[@chriswest8389]

My fav opening from my fav film. A rough looking characrer, a bounty hunter, opening shot( no pun intended) in a one horse,windwept town,on the high plains, appears in the picture frame.A stylizish close up. Art meeting expectation/ anticipation.

[@guimagsantos]

Toombstone is one of my favorites. The wedding scene and Doc Holliday's intro. Two scenes show how wild the Wild West was...

[@yanyakobslip-on-haxel8553]

ThanXXX for this elucidating Video which is really an eye-opener when ther's so much talk and written about the Hook at the beginning of a story:-) By the way one of my favourite moviesis Fligth of the Phoenix both the oldone and the remake, golly! And The Guns of Navarone, man, i can watch them over and over again :-)