Analysis of Juno

Title sequence

 Fox Searchlight Pictures, established in

1994, is an American film distribution
company within the Fox Entertainment
Group, a sister company of the larger Fox
studio 20th Century Fox. It specializes in
US distribution
of independent and British films, alongside
dramedy and horror as well as nonEnglish-language films, and is sometimes
also involved in the financing of these
films.
Mandate Pictures was a full-service film
production and financing company
acquired by Lionsgate in 2007

Institutions

Juno is based around the life of a teenage girl- Juno MacGuff- who becomes
pregnant and has to cope with the pressures of teen pregnancy and has to choose
whether to put her child up for adoption or raise it herself. The target audience for
Juno appears to be teenagers of both genders over the age of 15 (as the films rating is
a 15). You can tell that this is the audience for the film due to the main character
being a teenager herself and the storyline following her life and the events she is
being put through. It highlights the struggles of hormonal changes in modern teens.
The genre of this film is classed as a Comedy|Drama|Romance and this is
demonstrated throughout the film, but is hard to make out within the title sequence
itself.
The film contains very dry humor and a lot of sarcasm, which mainly comes from
the main character. This sense of humor attracts younger viewers as it is relatable and
a common trait of most teens
There is no sign of romance shown in the title sequence and maybe the designer
should have thought more about displaying this aspect of the genre to the viewer.

Audience and Genre

The opening shot of the title sequence immediately transforms the format of the film from real life
footage into an animation using a tracking shot to follow the path of the main character. This gives the
sequence an informal quality and fits in nicely with the genres of the film (Comedy|Drama|Romance).
As soon as the tree enters, left of screen, the sequence moves straight into the animation. The editing
here is slick and represents an easy going tone for the character. Fitting in with my research into
conventions of title sequences, the first credit to appear is the name of the studio who created the film.
The tracking then stops at this point and turns into an establishing shot to allow the audience time to
read the studio name which in this case has been nicely highlighted in an informal, sketchy yellow
font- like a comic book title. The use of font here gives the impression of a self drawn animation- again
in fitting with the genre of the film.

 A key convention to making a title sequence work is to relate the titles to the
film. The titles in the opening to Juno are quite childlike and similar to the
comic book theme; still making links between the main character Juno and
the film. The titles themselves are of a large size and are made to look three
dimensional. They also link into the season that the sequence is set in as they
seem to be moving in the wind, like the leaves after they fall from a tree. In
one shot it appears that the title has been placed on a fence, this connotes the
indecisive nature of the character Juno that much like the title she is stuck in
making a decision. As the titles throughout the sequence are so childlike and
arty, it enforces how Juno still has her inner child but is becoming more
aware of it as the possibility of her bringing a child into the world becomes
more like reality than a daydream.
The titles reveal more of a framework
of comprehension as they arent
represented in a serious way, so it
creates the premise that the style of
the film is going to be laid back and
comical- in fitting with the genre.

Overall titles

The order of the credits in Juno is in keeping with

my research into title sequence credit orders. After
the institutions are both named and displayed, the
films title appears. The Title is bolder and larger
than the rest of the credits, so to highlight its
importance.
When creating the main title the designer drew out
the word four times each in a different colour
design. She then looped the words so that when the
title is played the words flash, giving the overall
credit a sketchy feel.
The star of the film Ellen Page and her co-actor
Michael Cera are the first two actors to be credited
within the sequence. I feel that this is the most
effective way to order the actors as its ranks them in
importance of role in the film.

Order of credits

 The mise-en-scene used in the title sequence of Juno plays the most significant part
in portraying the main character. It helps to create the mood that is set in the film, but
from Junos point of view. In the first few seconds into Juno you see her standing in
the front garden surrounded in the stereotypical American suburban neighbourhood.
During the opening sequence you follow Juno as she walks through her
neighbourhood, revealing many more buildings and shops indicating that she lives in a
quiet neighbourhood, such as the drug store and the local shop. All the houses
surrounding hers are extremely similar with the white panelling and mail boxes out in
the front garden. This connotes that the character of Juno herself is still a child
growing up in her house. But because she is outside and on the front garden, it appears
to be as if the house is representing her inner child and she is taking a look at herself
and seeing how she needs to grow up. There is slight use of exposition as before she
begins to walk down the path you see leaves falling off a tree which informs us that
the time of year is around November. This plays a vital part to the film because it
allows us to see how we are about to embark on a long journey with Juno and perhaps
see how she is about to grow up. This tells us that the main story for Juno is following
her on a journey she is going to take.

Mise-en-Scene

The costume that the character Juno wears in the

opening sequence appears to be quite unisex. As
she is wearing jeans, heavy trainers and a
chequered shirt it makes the character of Juno
seem like quite a tomboy, which breaks the
stereotypical requirements of the female dress
code. The clothes are quite baggy and
unflattering which could represent her laid back
personality. This could also connote that Juno
isnt shallow or vain, as she doesnt feel the need
to show off her body to gain attention for her
appearance from others. She is also throughout
the sequence seen to be drinking from a Sunny
D bottle and picks up junk food from the shop,
which represents her following of a typical and
unhealthy teenage diet.

Costume

 The non-diegetic music that starts to play in the background of the title
sequence completely replaces any other sound that could be playing during
the introduction, this itself could signify Junos independence and how she is
seen to be in her own world. Barry Louis Polisar, who recorded the song
featured in the opening credits, said that the song itself was supposed to
relate to Nursery rhymes and Childrens music, which again links back to
Juno feeling like a child herself but is unsure whether it is time to grow up
yet or not. The lyrics If I were a flower growing wild and free, All I'd want is
you to be my sweet honeybee suggests that the film is about Juno growing
out of the immature and naive image that is held against her, yet still
wants to be able to feel secure with somebody, connoting that she also wants
a romance. The matching of the backing track music with a prominent use of
harmonica, gives the effect of an upbeat, humble tone which feels evocative
of country and western style music.

Use of Music

 There are such a variety of different

shots used throughout the opening title
sequence for Juno and I aim to
incorporate this sort of variety into my
own final piece.
The shots vary from close ups, long
shots, pans, establishing shots and many
more.
The use of the follow/tracking shots
intrigues the audience and leaves them
asking questions, like where is Juno
going? What is she doing? Is she okay?
It is almost like a cliff-hanger before the
film has begun.
These shots in combination with the
camera movement, create a personal
narrative that is upbeat and informal. It
makes the viewer feel as though they
are on a journey along side Juno and
that we can and will relate to her story
as the film begins

Shots