Final Project

Why Study Religion: Interview with Javier from Polina Eisenberg on Vimeo.

Relationships Between Shots

I chose to analyze the opening scene of “Forrest Gump” as I always found the shot sequence to be unique and creative. During opening credits, the camera follows a feather flying through the air and eventually falling on people and making its way to Forrest Gump. I thought the editing process of the feather was interesting because the feather was shot separately from the scene and edited in post production. After following the feather, the shot cuts to it landing on a random person crossing the street. The movement of the camera during this scene is what makes the whole shot an experience as it makes the viewer feel like they are flying along with the feather. The shot goes on for almost three minutes until its first cut. I thought this was very effective as the scene felt soothing and calming. Although there were no cuts at first, there were still small transitions that moved from one are to the next: at first the feather lands on a random passerby crossing the street and then it is swept up by the wind again this time leading us to Forrest Gump sitting on a bench. I think this was a great way to “introduce” the character into the scene. The shots preceding this introduction are smooth yet still show a transition between situations without cutting. The composition of scenes is intriguing and fun. The camera smoothly moves over an intersection, probably using a crane for the “flying” effect. The color contrast played a big role in the scene because although it wasn’t obvious, the feather had to stand out in the foreground without blending in. This seems like it would be difficult to accomplish given the transparent nature of a feather, but the editors made it work well as the feather was very crisp and clear. The first cut happens after Forrest Gump picks up the feather and puts it away. At first we see him glance to his left, after which the shot cuts from a close up to a medium shot of him sitting on the bench and a bus comes in from the left. I thought this cut was placed perfectly and works well with the scene because it shows a natural transition of events that happen once a bus zooms into a field of view.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7voy1vit6Y