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1. AngusSmith
Similar products – Film beginning analysis
FilmGenre:Intense Drama
SimilarProduct1: Americanbeauty – DirectedbySamMendes
In American Beauty Lester Burnham is an independent man, suffering from a mid-life crisis, he is a
very secretive man, however, to everyone else he seems to be happily married.
The film beginning of American Beauty starts with an establishing shot, which is a long aerial shot
over the neighbourhood. This introduces the viewer to where they are,and sets a location of which
most of the film will be set in. Narration from the main character contains short sentences which
establishes his name, his age, and also tells us the plot in a few words; he will be dead in less than a
year. The mood is calm at this point, assisted by the ambient, yet slightly joyful xylophone. The
camera angle is zooming in on his house, until the calm mood/narrative is cut by a change in shot with
an aerial camera looking over him in bed, and a loud alarm clock sound.
We learn everything from his narrative. It’s important to note that most of this narration is said from
his point of view in his bedroom, which we see as his ’sanctuary’. From the second shot we
understand that he is quite indolent and addicted to a life of pleasure because he is still in bed, when
the sunlight is shining through the window, suggesting he has slept in. The initial shots show him on
his own this shows that he is at peace when he is alone.
Later we switch to a shot through his bedroom window looking at his wife, this is a perspective shot.
But in this shot we see his wife tending to her roses. A rose petal expresses promise, hope, and new
beginnings. It is contrasted by thorns symbolizing defence,loss, and thoughtlessness. Which is the
contrast between the couple, she is more like a petal, and he is more like a thorn. The lighting contrast
between his room and the outdoors is significant. His room has mellow colours which emphasises that
his life is bland and uneventful, whereas outside his window; the outdoors, is well lit, with vibrant
colours showing the contrast between his life and his friends.
There is a fine mix of diegetic and non-diegetic sound. Narration and voiceovers are diegetic, but
sounds made from objects in the opening like the woman clipping her roses are non-diegetic. Notably
there is slightly more diegetic sound so that the audience can focus more on the non-visual
information being spoken by Lester. I definitely want to incorporate the same mix of dialogue and
visual in my final piece.