Opening Scene Deconstruction: Shawshank Redemption

I chose to deconstruct this movie as it is set in 1950s America, a common setting for film noir, and revolves around gritty, heavy themes such as prison and atonement.

 

The scene opens with the characters being revealed by passing members of the crowd. They are in the centre of the shot and in focus, keeping the viewer's attention on them. The mise-en-scene of the prison walls in the background, along with what appears to be an iron gate, people walking around in what is obviously a uniform and one of the characters opening with "there must be a con like me in every prison in America" sets the scene immediately. It is reinforced at every angle, perhaps emphasising that prison is all there is to life for these people. The character's dialogue informs the viewer that it is set in America.

The alarm goes off and the camera angle changes to show all the prisoners look towards its source. This is also an over the shoulder shot, which along with the internal monologue, makes the main character relatable and establishes that the narrative will be viewed from his perspective.

This wide shot of the prison appears. Low, ominous music quietly plays when the white van appears, even though its contents are not revealed. This piques the viewer's curiosity, one of the strongest ways to engage an audience. The prison is in the centre of the shot, making it appear striking and somewhat threatening. It then follows into aerial panning of the prison.

The prisoners are followed from above, giving the audience a feeling of power over them, implying that they are at the bottom of society. The fact the camera follows them creates a feeling of watching them, reflective of the prison's watchdog security.

The inside of the van is finally shown, parallel to the protagonist explaining that "Andy came to the prison in 1947". Whilst there are many people in the van, it is obvious who the main character is referring to as there is one character that appears in the middle of the shot, does not look afraid like all the other people in the van, and has his head tilted towards the camera. This is an interesting way of distinguishing a key character from a crowd and definitely one I'd like to use in our piece.