Successful Drama Hits in the Box Office

Regardless of genre, film openings can set the mood and tone for the rest of the film. In order to gain knowledge of film openings, I have decided to review openings of successful drama films. Not only do these films produce successful openings, but they were also able to create a meaningful story.

Forrest Gump (1994)

Although this film was created in the 90's, the opening of Forest Gump is an excellent example of a successful opening that was able to set the tone for the rest of the film. The film is about a man who is considered ,"slow", and his ability to overcome multiple challenges in his life. The opening starts off slow, tracking a feather gliding through the air . Because the feather is being focused for a long period of time, it is implied to the audience that it is very important and the location it is going will also be important. The wide shots of the feather is used to not only establish the setting of the film, but introduce the main character of the film who is named Forrest Gump. Since the attire of the man is very unusual and consists of very dirty shoes and a business outfit, the director uses this to set a humorous tone to the film. Additionally, the soundtrack in the opening sets a lighthearted tone to the film, further indicating that the film will have a meaningful story. As Forrest talks through the opening of the film, his unusual speaking conveys to the audience his childish personality which would later be portrayed throughout the whole film. The mise-en-scene of the opening such as the natural lighting, business costumes of the men, the pedestrians in the film and the suitcase/box of chocolates Forrest Gump carries adds to the realism of the film. The suitcase is opened and contains various travel items, introducing the storyline of the film where Forrest narrates his life.

Gran Torino (2008)

This film was released in 2008 and takes upon various social issues. The film is about an old man named Walt who is angry and alienated in the society he lives in, but develops an unlikely bond with his neighbors. Themes include racism, gangs, friendship and death. The film starts off with the Warner Bros. logo in black and white which conveys Walt's mindset of being stuck in the 1950's. Also, the theme song of the film plays in the background, coveying a sad and heartfelt tone to the audience. Mise-en-scene such as cars, pedestrians, church organs, a casket, and various other objects are used throughout the opening to set the realistic environment of the film. A pan shot follows a man to introduce the main protagonist and a picture of his deceased wife. Because the photo goes from the picture to Walt, a sad tone is set and it is implied that his wife's death was very influential on him. Slow editing is used throughout the scene to add to this sad tone and also uses fast editing when seeing through Walt's perspective to portray his anger at the world(including his family). Additionally, mise-en-scene is used in the attire of Walt's family such as football clothing and a crop top at a funeral to imply the disregard or respect for Walt's pain. By doing so, Walt is conveyed to the audience as alienated from his society which is a prominent throughout the entirety of the film.

Both of these openings do an excellent job at setting the foundation for the storyline, theme and characters of the film. These openings have also helped me understand the importance of mise-en-scene, sound, camera shots, editing and lightning. In my film opening I will carefully choose the attire of the main character, the non-copyright score, lighting and editing as it will aid me set the tone of the film. My next step in my film opening journey is to decide on the plot and themes that I want to represent in my film.