How is Dramatic Meaning Created in the Opening Scene of ‘Forrest Gump’?

The blockbuster movie ‘Forrest Gump’ was made in the year 1994, and it was an
American comedy-drama film that won multiple awards and nominations, including
awards won from the 67th Academy Awards, 1995 Golden Globe Awards, 1995 MTV
Movie Awards, 1995 People’s Choice Awards, 2005 American Film Institute Awards and
various other ones. It was an adaption of a novel of the same name, by Winston Groom.
Robert Zemeckis was the director of the movie, and he made great decisions about the
camera techniques to be used in each scene. In 1996, a restaurant with the name
‘Bubba Gump’ was open in honour of the movie, and surprisingly there is one in the
Peak Galleria in Hong Kong!
The opening scene of the movie is filmed very beautifully, especially with the
feather floating in the air, because it creates the mood of the whole piece. Also, the
music and sounds chosen to accompany the opening scene, contributes to the tone of
the entire movie.
From right the beginning of the film, the feather is already floating around in the
air. This white feather is a symbolic object that counts as a sign. The whiteness of it
seems to show the purity and innocence Forrest has, and his enthusiastic personality,
where he is determined to do whatever it takes to fulfill his own, and his friends and
families’ dreams. It also seem to symbolize the famous quote that his mom always said,
“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” With the
feather floating to random places, e.g. on top of cars, on people’s shoulders, on the
floor… It shows how random life can be, and how no one ever knows what lies in their
path of life, what obstacles they will have to overcome, and what their destiny is.
A very interesting effect the feather is shot from in the opening scene is that it is
a extreme long shot of different parts of the town, allowing the audience to adapt the
setting of the film into their minds, whilst the feather is shot from multiple angles,
sometimes close up, and sometimes using medium shots. With the words and the town
background, the feather interestingly, is still the focal point of the whole shot, and
unintentionally, your eyes follow wherever it is going even when the background is
changed drastically.
When the feather is shot in the sky, it is from a low angle, which shows the
importance of it as a sign, so it feels as if the feather is superior to the audience, who
are inferior in this point of the film. There are also several shots of the feather floating
above the forest with lots of greenery; the colours really contrast, with the white on the
green, which also helps draw the audience’s attention to the tiny white feather in the
foreground. The two minutes with the feather as the focal point of the shots are shot
from different distances and various techniques. Sometimes, the feather is close up, and
comparing it with the size of the buildings in the background, it almost seems bigger.
During the whole process of introducing the feather and the symbolism behind it, the
camera technique used is track, because the camera just follows wherever the feather
goes. When the feather lands on a man’s shoulder and on the car, a medium shot is
used, and its shot from a high angle. Normally, it is when a low angle is used that the
audience feels inferior, but in this situation, the feather still seems somewhat superior,
and looking down at it, feels like the audience is looking at the whole theory of life using
a different point of view. With various examples of the feather landing on different
places, it shows how many unexpected things could happen in life, and no one knows
what their destiny will be.
After floating for a long time in the wind, the feather finally ends up on the
ground next to Forrest Gump’s shoe and stops moving. A close up of the shoe along with
the feather is taken, which emphasizes once again, the importance of the feather, and
the shoe as well. So far, the camera technique used is still tracking. The shoe is also a
sign because it shows how Forrest has managed to overcome many obstacles
throughout life, to be in the position he is now. The shoe is significant, because as a
child, Forrest had a problem with his spine, so he couldn’t walk properly. But finally one
day, his childhood friend – turned wife Jenny shouts, “RUN! FORREST! RUN!” when he is
made fun of and chased. He starts running and breaks his leg braces, and through all the
pain and suffering, manages to start running, and learns that his legs are functional. So
especially since his shoes are dirty in the shot, it portrays that he has worked very hard
and overcame many obstacles wearing those shoes. Also, Forrest states that his mother
always says “Shoes can tell a lot about a person. Where they go. Where they have
been.”
The close up continues on when Forrest picks up the feather with his hand, and
during that instance, a tilt is used where the audience looks at Forrest from his feet up
to his head. This is a great way to introduce the character. Whilst Forrest examining the
feather, the audience sees just the top half of his body, which means that a medium
shot was used. It is effective to use a medium shot for this part of the film, because the
audience should really focus on the facial expression on Forrest’s face to see what he
feels about the feather. The medium shot continues to be in use when Forrest places
the feather in his suitcase.
A track is used to show Forrest using a medium shot once again afterwards, to
show him staring into the difference, this quickly cuts into a long shot of him still looking
into the distance. A sense of mystery is created because the audience members want to
find out what is so interesting that he keeps on staring at. Then, a bus comes along and
blocks the view of Forrest, and the connection between the audience and Forrest is
broken. The camera remains still until the woman who comes off the bus sits on the
bench next to Forrest. A zoom is used here, which is quite effective, because essentially,
the audience really wants to know what will happen between Forrest and this woman.
Most likely, they will begin chatting, which is why there is a zoom used to basically see
what will happen. After a bit of chatting between the two, the camera quickly zooms
into a close up of Forrest’s face. This is a very important and beneficial shot, because it
gradually slips into the next scene here. Where Forrest starts squinting his eyes…
Overall, a variety of camera movements, angles and distances are used in the
opening scene of the well – known film ‘Forrest Gump’. The main sign is the feather,
which is in nearly the whole of the opening scene. The significance of it is shown with
the comparison to Forrest’s mothers’ theory of life.