Opening Sequence Analysis - Dear John

Dear John

Dear John is an American romantic drama about a soldier who falls in love with a college student while he is on leave at home. The movie is directed by Lasse Hallstrom and stars Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried.

 The opening sequence begins with one of the main male characters on the floor in army clothing. This highlights to the audience how he is in the army and has been shot. During this, there is a male voice in the background. This is the speaker, explaining to the audience some background knowledge which allows them to establish the plot. The mise en scene effectively conveys the protagonists past by the sound of bullets and the camouflage costume. This allows the audience to grasp the concept of his past and helps to set the scene.

The camera then gently zooms out, allowing the audience to have a better insight into the setting.
The male speaker then goes on to speak about coins and how coins are made.

 The sound effect of coins falling then becomes evident and there is a close up shot of a coin. This could suggest to the audience how so much detail has been put into an object, each and every coin being examined. This may indicate how precious everything is and how much we take for granted.

The camera then goes back to a shot of the soldier on the floor and the male speaker goes on to say how 'right before everything went black, you want to know the very last thing that entered my mind? You.' This demonstrates to the audience the genre of the movie.

 The camera then goes black and the audience are then welcomed with a bright long shot of the sun set. This setting is romantic. The beach could indicate a holiday romance destination, having romantic connotations.

The music then turns into a relaxing, tranquil but upbeat pace which conforms to the romance genre. The font of the film credits are a white, soft and italic font which appeals to the target audience and once again reflects the mood of the genre. The long shot of the setting helps the audience to establish the area and helps the plot to unfold.

There is a close up shot of the main female character. This is used to highlight the emotion being expressed and introduces the character to the audience. This is important so that the audience can make a decision to whether they like the character or not.

 The last shot is a establishing shot which highlights the surroundings that the characters are in and at the bottom it depicts the time of year.