Analyzing Film Openings
1. Stand By Me (1986)
The movie starts with an establishing shot of a vast field with mountains in the background and a car on the road. It then cuts to a guy sitting in the car who looks worried and stares at a newspaper. The sad music in the background adds to the mood. Then some kids on bikes pass by him and he starts to say, “I was 12 going on 13 the first time I saw a dead human being.” Then it flashes to a kid picking out a magazine that he buys he then starts to walk away. He finds himself in some tall grass where he climbs up a tree knocks on a door and enters the tree house. The screen then shows three kids playing cards, smoking, listening to music, telling jokes, and acting tough. When their friend comes along out of breath and says that he has a secret but they keep interrupting him by singing and dancing. The smoking and swearing tell us that the kids are rebels and think they are grown up which also helps us understand why they are playing cards. But interrupting their friend for that matter tells that they are immature despite this habit they have.
2. Juno (2007)
The first thing we see is an establishing shot of a house and Juno stands on the lawn looking at a chair. As she is staring at this chair she is drinking orange juice and looks lost in thought when we hear her voice say "It started with a chair". We then start to hear music and we can clearly see her underwear fall down and a naked man sitting on a chair similar to the one on the lawn. This small cut hinted that the reason for her reminiscent thought is of a time when she had relations on a reclinable chair. The thought is then interrupted by her dog barking. She yells at her dog, takes a look at the chair, and says "This is the most magnificent discarded living room set I've ever seen", and takes a sip of the orange juice. She proceeds to take a walk while drinking the orange juice when all of a sudden there is a transition to doodles of her walking. The opening scene is bright and colorful, with drawings of the scenery and Juno and a quirky guitar song playing. The camera uses a tracking shot to follow Juno as she drinks a giant bottle of orange juice. The scene is full of quirky details (like a dented lawn chair) that make the town feel quirky and lived-in. The colors are very saturated making everything feel doodly and fun.
3. Eighth Grade (2018)
The camera work in this film is very good. The director uses an array of shots to create a sense of intimacy and suspense. For example, there are many close-ups of the girls face, allowing us to see her emotions clearly. There are also many shots of her from behind, which create a sense of lonleyness. The editing is also very good. The cuts are clean and help to keep the pace of the production moving.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6qEj31Uclw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLREFnFNVUg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JEwSi_TjXI
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