Analysis of Film Openings

Forrest Gump

Genre: Drama

Release Date: 7^th October 1994 (UK)

Budget: $55,000,000

Gross: $677,387,716

Written: Book by Winston Groom, Screenplay by Eric Roth

Directed by: Robert Zemeckis

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Film Introduction

The film opens with the studio Paramount Pictures logo once this has gone to black the shot of the cloudy sky fades in, out the corner of your eye you can see a feather floating in from the top left. The theme tune for the movie starts to play which sounds as if it is playing with the speed of the feather’s movement. The writing of the company Paramount Pictures is displayed on the clouds in the centre of the screen in clear black text, this stays for the right amount of time it’s not too slow or to fast when moving off the screen. The focus on the feather then moves the camera shots to an establishing shot of the city Savannah’s church. There are questions to be answered like why is this feather the focus of the camera?

The first cast member is introduced by writing ‘Tom Hanks’ the use of a big American star would add to the audience who like his acting in other films his name then transitions into the movie title ‘Forrest Gump’. The feather is still flying around this city as more actors/actresses are introduced. The feather finally lands on a man’s shoulder for this descent closer to the main character they use an over head shot. The feather gets blown to the character played by Tom Hank’s shoes with a close up shot. As the acting begins the pleasant music fades quieter till you can only hear bits of it. Once the character has placed the feather in his suitcase it then moves to a close up shot of the characters face and shoulders. The cars and buses that pass indicate the period of time, the bus also has an advertisement of a new car product dated 1981. The first line of dialogue is spoken by the character as he introduces himself “My names Forrest, Forrest Gump”.

The pleasant and peaceful music at the beginning is called non diegetic sound and this draws the target audience to show this is not an action or horror film this is a real life movie. This beginning connects with other films in this genre of drama by using the real life shots of the city Savannah in 1981 with no futuristic clothing or technology more than this time this doesn’t make the film a sci-fi genre.

Tom Hank has interpreted the feather to mean this "Our destiny is only defined by how we deal with the chance elements to our life and that's kind of the embodiment of the feather as it comes in. Here is this thing that can land anywhere and that it lands at your feet. It has theological implications that are really huge.”

Screen Shots of the Forrest Gump Introduction.

Juno

Genre: Comedy

Release Date: 8^th February 2008 (UK)

Budget: $7,500,000

Gross: $231,411,584

Written By: Diablo Cody

Directed by: Jason Reitman

Studio: Mandate Pictures

Film Introduction

The film opens with the Fox Searchlight Pictures logo. The background is then completely black but the sounds of a chalk board start as the word ‘autumn’ is written on the top right hand corner, and an establishing shot of a house and sun rise fades in. The writing then disappears but the shot stays the same for a bit longer this shot is quite a long shot. The camera then focuses onto a girl and a chair the girl then drinks from this massive cartoon of Sunny D. Close up of the girl who was drinking the Sunny D a narrating voice can be heard you assume that the voice is the thoughts in the characters mind. 

A fast cut to a shot of the girls feet/legs and a naked character sat in the chair the girl was looking at. A medium shot of the girl is then changed into a close up of the side of the mans and girls face, dialogue is then spoken between the two. The day dream from the girl is then interrupted by the barking of a dog. An over the shoulder shot focuses onto the chair. More narrating is heard from the girl and then music is heard as the female character walks down a path. The real life shots change into sketches of the shots that would have been in real life, this will show the whole film is not as realistic as the viewers may have first thought. ‘Fox Searchlight Pictures Presents’ is the first title to come up in the introduction sequence. 

The title ‘Juno’ this is shown next to the female character this is showing that the character is called Juno as well as been the title of the film. The actress Ellen Page who plays Juno is then shown on the sketched pictures. The song begins to finish and the sketches turn into real life again outside of a store. All these features would appeal to the target audience because it shows that it doesn’t have a complicated plot, it’s easy to watch and the characters could be related to in some ways.