Media film opening analysis

1. Film Opening Analysis
For Little Miss Sunshine.

2. Film summery:
Little Miss Sunshine is a family comedy drama film
made in 2006 directed by Jonathan Dayton & Valerie
Faris.

3. The first shot is a close up of a small
girl with her eyes wide showing her
innocence. It is revealed in a reverse
shot she is watching a beauty
pageant. The shot then changed into
a long shot, revealing her outfit of
brightly coloured clothes that don’t
match and she is holding her chubby
belly. The use of having her dressed
like this shows she is an outsider and
has a contrast to the beauty queens
on the screen but still wants to be a
part of it all.

4. The next character to be introduced is a man, which we deduce to be the girls father
as he is shown straight after. We are able to see his programme of turning people
into ‘winner’ believing this to be where the little girl gets her interest and
encouragement from. The use of a low angle focused on the man tells the audience
he is important and due to the fact he is being lit up in a dark room it shows he is in
control. However, there is an unexpected contrast as once his speech is finished, we
pan to the audience and as the lights come on we discover he is speaking to a nearly
empty class room with people hesitantly clapping. His costume of a shabby suit
suggests he comes from a modest background- this is irony as he is giving a speech
about being winner however he is himself not a winner so is convincing his minimal
audience to but an unsuccessful product.

5. Next, we are introduced to a teenage boy working out in his room- The boy
then crosses to a calendar which the camera following in a pan. The boys
combination of working out and crossing it off on a list implicates that he is
working hard towards his goals and something he desire, showing he is
following his father’s promotion of being a winner. His costume is reflective of
a typical teenage boy- and throughout the scene is doesn’t speak suggestive of
his focus being on his goal and shoes he is a reserved character. The
determination he has when working out demonstrates he is a hard working
boy, counting the days until he can achieve what he aims for.

6. Next we are introduced to an old man locking
himself in a bathroom- He is dressed in casual
clothing which isn’t dated suggesting he isn’t
s regular grandfather. By locking himself in a
bathroom is shows he is doing something he
doesn’t want to the rest of the family to know
about. The suspicion continues when several
close ups occur showing him removing
cocaine from his fanny pack and then using it.
He then takes a slouched seat as his face goes
into a daze as he waits for the drugs to take
effect, The combination of the locked door
and clothing choice with drug use depicts
someone out of place and needs an escape.

7. The second to last character who is introduced is an elder female to the one at the
start of the opening, she is driving a car with a close of up her gripping onto the
steering wheel and a cigarette implicating she is stressed out. This scene is a complete
contrast to the relaxed drug one earlier. he woman is arguing down the phone to
someone showing her patience has well and truly ran out. She speaks about arriving at
a hospital and that she is not smoking- despite the fact she clearly is. This emphasised
her stress levels and how hard she is working against the stress to the point as a non-
smoker she finds comfort in a cigarette as a loved one is in hospital. The extreme close
ups show the messy state of her hair and how tired she is. During this scene, there is a
huge blur outside the window as se races faster and faster to the hospital- emphasising
the hectic atmosphere.

8. the last person we are introduced to is a man in the
hospital. This is off putting as before we had a clear family
lay out where as now we don’t know how the hospital-
man fits into the scene. We are subjected to a close up of
his face which represents misery and his eyes are glossed
over. His costume consists of bandaged around his wrist-
indicating attempt suicide. Due then feel sympathy for
this character as the emptiness of the hospital room
represents the emptiness of his life.