This document provides an in-depth analysis of a shot from the movie Forrest Gump. The shot shows Forrest Gump from the waist up in medium long shot as he runs down a rural road with a car in pursuit. Key aspects of the shot that are analyzed include the dominant subject being Forrest Gump, the use of high key lighting, an eye-level camera angle, blue being the dominant color, the framing being tight, and the character placement in the center of the frame.
3. The Dominant
The dominant in this shot is the character of Forrest Gump. This is because he is the
most in focus, and he is the largest object in this shot. Also his face is lit up and he is
wearing a blue and white plaid shirt, which stands out from the rest of the objects.
4. Lighting Key
The type of lighting used in this shot is high key lighting because there are a few shadows
in the frame and the main object (Forrest Gump) is lit up. Most of this scene is lit up and
there are not many shadows.
5. Shot and Camera Proxemics
This shot is a medium long shot because it shows the character from about the waist up.
This shot also shows some, but not all, of the location/background.
6. Camera Angle
This shot is an eye-level shot because you are looking straight onto the shot from an
“eye-level” height. This is a clear shot and is used often in many different films.
7. Color Values
The dominant color in this shot is blue because the main focus point is Forrest Gump and
he is wearing a blue plaid shirt. It stands out from the other colors, such as greens and
browns, that are seen more often.
8. Lens/Filter/Stock
The lense used for this shot was probably a wide-angle lense because there is a sense of
depth in this image. This shot is probably fast film stock because it is grainy.
9. Subsidiary Contrasts
Your eye goes to the car after you see the dominant, which is Forrest Gump. The other
main objects would be his brightly colored shirt and the road.
10. Density
There is a lot of visual information in the still. We can infer that the character is being
chased down a rural road by a car. The character is running and the car is not very far
away from him. This image is not very dense though, as it only draws focus to the
character and the car.
11. Composition
The is shot is composed of a binary structure. The road emphasizes parallelism because
there are two equal and parallel tracts. It also has a strong vertical sense, because of the
strong oblique lines. This gives the viewer a sense of tension in the shot.
12. Form
This still is open because the edges of the shot is a forest, which makes it feel as though
you are not boxed into the shot. It is a natural shot that is wide and unstructured.
13. Framing
The framing in this shot is very tight. The character is close to the screen, which
suggests that he is trapped and has little place to move to because he is being
chased.
14. Depth of Field
The foreground is the point of focus, because you are focused on the character
running, but the background comments on the shot because even though it is
not focused, it is still viewable so that is has an impression that he is being
chased.
