10 Director Trademarks That You Can't Unsee

If there's one thing Scorsese loves more than capturing great improv or filming gratuitous, violent sequences, its throwing audiences into the middle of a story.

Whether it be Raging Bull or GoodFellas, or countless of his other films, Scorsese loves to open on a sequence that is either from the middle or end of the film itself. The effect this had on audiences for years was that in throwing them into the midst of a story they do not know, it immediately spikes their attention and forces them to become active viewers.

Considering that Scorsese has been a good friend of George Lucas' for decades now and Lucas has spoken at length about the value of such an approach (as it relates to his own films), it's not hard to see where the shared idea could have originated from in the work of both filmmakers.

In recent years, Scorsese has had to tone this back as everyone and their mother has caught on to this trick and over-utilized it to the point of making it a cliche. Hell, even Rick & Morty made fun of it.

Though he may not use the exact same stylistic approach to it as he used to, Scorsese continues to find new ways to explore this cinematic trademark of his. Just take a look at the fudged opening of Shutter Island or the way Hugo introduces us to the work and character of Georges Méliès.