'Drama Genre' - Film Opening Analysis

Film Openings Analysis

I have used the following criteria in order to create analysis notes on film openings from the 'Drama' genre:

• Shot sizes
• Shot angles
• Shot durations
• Transitions and overall pace
• Sound effects 
• Use of music 
• Title fonts and colours 
• Colour palette and lighting 
• Setting 
• Types of characters and their contexts
• Storyline/plot development 
• Overall tone/mood/atmosphere

Film one - The Judge 

Guitar sound- black screen

Slow fade to black transitions 

Close up on old objects 

Extreme close up of objects 

Focus on flowers and not the woman- Depth of field and title- typeface with a serif- inferring tradition, white connoting purity, all caps, not intrusive.

Change in music, altering the pace (quickening)

Establishing shot’s of New York City, extreme long shots, geographical markers. 

Establishing shot of corporate environment, busy music inferring business. 

Two shot of Robert Downey JR and co

Over the shoulder shot showing Robert

Shot reverse shot dialogue 

Colours, cool, blue, high key lighting, symbolism that the character is ‘cool’, ‘level headed’, some darkness emphasising perhaps danger that he represents guilty clientele. 

Flowers and earthy natural tone colours from first shots juxtapose the built environment presented by the second location. 

First shots are longer shots emphasising tiny individual details, whereas within the dialogue shots are shorter with a faster pace and a wider view of the world of the film. 

Film two- Forrest Gump

Long take (continuous shot) tracking shot of CGI feather- symbolic of life after death and the concept that a loved one is still with you. White connoting purity, focused on shoe before changing shot, setting slow pace with simplistic piano melody. 

Typefaces traditional - white, serifed, not intrusive, title larger than production and cast details. 

Ambient sounds- birds 

Pan up towards Forrest’s face when picking up the feather. 

Long take long shots showing him on the bench, slow zoom into the two shot between characters on the bus stop. 

High-key lighting, bright, bright yellow taxi, warm toned colours across the city. 

Waiting at bus stop - information about characters background and their means to travel, unthreatening tone, Forrest- simple. 

Film three- The Time Traveller’s Wife

Violin over production titles, and operatic music, building tension, nostalgic and warm music

No extreme long shot or establishing shot, smaller shot sizes, eye level

Titles fade out of focus (out of focus visuals, with blurry christmas lights) Title font yellow, behind dark screen- juxtaposition- circles of colour with blurry edges.

Transitions quick towards end of the scene

Beginning warm colours

Shot revealing woman through wing mirror, with lights out of focus in the background, depth of field

Lights reflecting of car dashboard, pan from one end of car to the other showing son and mother. 

High angle shot of impact of two cars - crash sound effects, sharp stings

Low-key lighting, emphasising shadows, darkness and foreboding danger. 

Shot sizes bigger after accident to provide more of an insight 

Tense, threatening mood/tone

Film Four- The Descendants 

Speedboat and water sounds on black screen, fade from black up on woman on a jet-ski, close up, blue colours 

White serried fonts, bohemian, Hawaiian prints, different blues to orange background colour. 

Ukulele music, contrasting what the voiceover is saying and the concept of what’s happening in the scene.

“Hawaii” long shots, then everyday problems long take shots close-ups on individual people. 

Establishing shots of Hawaii with narrative overlay, dissolve transitions 

Pan from window of ‘paradise’ to a hospital, juxtaposing with reality.

Zoom in on her face in hospital, high-key lighting, then in hospital room blue colours, connoting a sadness in the relationship. 

Long shot zoom in on his face, close-up shots

Tone - grim

Film Five- Age of Adeline 

Slow paced music on opening titles, tense atmosphere 

Opening shot of the world tracking shot, with light blue/white serif centred on the left

Shots of the street high angle, almost birds eye view, third person omniscient narrator. 

High angle shots, showing that she is inferior, and wants to be hidden

Certain words bigger than others within title, handwritten, white, small, off centred to the right, not intrusive- when something else was happening

Tracking shot following down the hall

Observant character and very realistic, she doesn't want to forge her age- she's not a cop

Mysterious tone, poses questions but doesn't answer them. 

High-key lighting outside, low-key within the house (infers something against the law going on)

Film Six- Life of Pi

Jungle, indian music, fade from black onto the screen transition, long take on close up of the sloth

Titles cursive, titles pass one another, individual letters fall/drop

Slow pace

High-key bright colours, displaying happy nature of the beginning of the film. 

At a zoo, context - cages

Clever use of change of focus through the cage, traditional moving motion of titles.  

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