The opening aerial shot of Rolf de Heer's Ten Canoes snakes slowly and smoothly over a narrow river winding through the Australian outback, while narrator David Gulpilil recounts an aboriginal birth legend. Then Gulpilil's story subtly changes into an explanation of how the ancients made canoes for egg-hunting, and de Heer inserts beautiful black-and-white footage of men carving in the bush. Then one of the carvers begins recounting a legend of his own, which Gulpilil picks up and continues, as de Heer changes the image from black-and-white to color, and introduces a tribe full of unusual characters. By 20 minutes into Ten Canoes, de Heer and Gulpilil—with vital contributions from cinematographer Ian Jones and native acting coach/location scout Peter Djigirr—have established the kind of "wizened storyteller tells a tale" tone designed to have viewers leaning in to hear more.
