Film Opening Analysis of 13 going on 30

Camera:
In this scene, a wide shot was used in
order to show the audience what was
going on. The scene shows Jenna
posing for a school photo. By using a
wide shot, it sends out a message to
the audience telling them that it is
photo day at Jennas school.

In this scene, a medium close up is used

in order to show her facial expressions.
By using this shot, the audience are able
to see Jennas facial expressions,
because of this they are able to see how
she is feeling about the situation she is
in.

In this scene, a low angle is used. A low

angle is used to show what she is looking
at, as the scene goes on, it shows Jenna
looking at her school photo. By using a
low angle, the audience question
themselves by thinking about what Jenna
is looking at.

In this scene, an over-the-shoulder shot is used

in order to show Lucy and Jenna having a
conversation. By using this shot, it also shows the
audience the characters standing behind Lucy,
they are able to identify how there is a
relationship between Lucy and the girls standing
behind her. It also shows makes Lucy looks
superior to Jenna, as Jenna is standing by herself
and Lucy is with a group of girls.

A long shot is used to show Matt and Jenna walking on

the street. This shot is used in order to show that there
is a conversation going on between the two characters,
it is also used to show what they are talking about. As
the scene goes on, the camera follows the two
characters, therefore the long shot is used in order to
show where the two characters are going.

An establishing shot is used in this scene in order to

show the audience that not only are Matt and Jenna
best friends but they are also neighbours. The shot
shows where the two characters live, the type of
houses they live in, this way the audience are also able
to identify what type of social class their families are
from.

Editing:
Continuity editing is used throughout
the entire opening sequence in order
to keep the audiences attention to the
story. By using this editing technique,
the audience are able to be focused
on what is going on in the story.

Shot-reverse-shot is used in this scene in order

to show the conversation going on between
Jenna and the girls. By using shot-reverse-shot it
creates a meaning for the audience because
they can see who is superior and powerful, in
this case the powerful ones are the group of
girls.

Sound:
Non-diegetic sound is used throughout
the credits of the opening scene. The
sound used also creates a message for
the audience because it lets them know
what type of movie this is going to be.

Diegetic sound is used

throughout the entire opening
sequence. Because, the diegetic
sound used is dialogue.

Mise-en-scene:
Setting:
Behind, Jenna in this clip, we can
see lockers, and people standing
in front of the lockers. This signifies
that the setting used in this clip is a
school and the setting also relates
to the characters, as the
characters are young teenagers.

This scene is set outside, we

know this because as the scene
finishes, it shows Jenna and
Matt entering their own homes.

Costume:
Then costume which the characters are
wearing tell the audience that the film is
from the 21st century. This film was made
in 2004, therefore the audience know that
this type of clothing was worn during those
years. The bright colours of the costume
and each piece of clothing, shows the
audience what era this movie was made
in. The bright colours that Jenna is
wearing, also indicates that she is the
main character, the protagonist of the
movie.
The clothing Lucy is shown wearing in this
opening scene, shows the audience that
she is the antagonist. This is because she
is wearing dark colours, and dark colours
signify evil and danger. By wearing these
colours, it shows that her character is evil,
dangerous and powerful.

Lighting:
The lighting used in the opening
sequence is rather bright during
certain points. Mainly, the light is
bright when Jenna is shown on
camera. The brightness signifies that
Jenna is an important character and
that she is main character of the
movie.
The lighting used when Lucys crew is
first shown on camera, signifies that
they have a certain type of importance
as well. It shows that they are the
powerful characters in the story.