Film opening analysis of Saving Private Ryan

The third film opening I analysed was Saving Private Ryan (00:00:40 - 00:03:50)

Saving Private Ryan opens with a close up shot of a mans feet as he is walking down a path, there is non diegetic soundtrack playing which gives an upsetting feeling as the music is quite slow tempo and sad. The camera is following the man and tilts up to a medium, eye-line shot. There is a jump cut to view the mans family behind him which then jumps to a close up of the sons face as he takes a picture, which transfers to a close up of his wife's face. There is a jump cut to a long tracking shot as the man is walking towards the camera, a jump cut to the U.S. and French flag help to show where they are and where the main character is from, there is then a transition to a tracking close up of the man as he walks forward which shows the mans emotions which can add effect to the scene and cause the viewers to get emotional aswell, the shot then jumps to a long tracking shot of the man and his family behind him creating ease for the viewers as it shows that he is with someone. There is a high angle shot to show the mass of graves creating an upsetting feeling for the viewers, there is a jump cut to the man walking towards a specific grave the camera tracks him as he does so. There is an establishing shot of some graves followed by two more, this along with the soundtrack creates an emotional atmosphere, a jump cut to a close up zoom to the mans face shows his emotions, creating another emotional affect, the camera zooms to an extreme close up to the mans eyes showing the effect that war had on him. There is a jump cut to an establishing shot to set the scene and the genre of the film which is war, there is a diegetic sound of the waves in the beach and the camera tilts down, followed by some text on screen.

Mise-en-scene

The setting in the beginning is the Omaha beach memorial/graves. The lighting is natural as it is to seem true and realistic to the audience, the scene that followed this was more lowly lit giving a threatening affect and the scene was a lot more negative and war-like.

Target audience:

The target audience of Saving Private Ryan is anyone (15+) who is interested in war films or the history of the second world war, the film is mainly aimed at adults as the subject it is about is a serious matter meaning it is not maybe suitable for the younger viewer.

Synopsis:

Captain John Miller (Tom hanks) takes his men behind enemy lines after D-Day to find one Private James Ryan (Matt Damon), whose three brothers have been killed in combat. Surrounded by the brutal realities of war, while searching for Ryan, each man embarks upon a personal journey and discovers their own strength to triumph over an uncertain future with honour, decency and courage.

Reflection:
The reason i chose to analyse Saving Private Ryan is because it is a film i have enjoyed the film ever since i first saw it, I found the film very moving and emotional as it shows the true cost of war. I believe that the opening to Saving Private Ryan is very effective and moving as it shows a small part of what some war veterans have been through.