James Bond films

Every Bond film opens with a cold-open action scene before the credits. The films start in the action even when the plots are complex. The opening often hints at a theme, where Bond reaches his goal at a cost.

David Gelb borrowed the format for Chef's Table: start in the action, run the credits, then begin the story in earnest. The hook need not fit the rest of the episode and runs a minute or two. The Massimo Bottura episode opens with the earthquake that destroyed the Parmesan wheels, and the Stan Lee film opens with where the idea of Spider-Man came from, not where Lee was born. Gelb on the effect: "They drop you into the action immediately."

How I Write▶ 20:51