Film Opening Analysis HW

Shrek
Film: Shrek
Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy
Setting: Shrek's swamp
Time Scale: Night time (4mins 43secs)

Sequence summary: Begins with a fairytale book showing a story, then into an establishing location shot of the swamp, then goes into Shrek's daily routine (eg teeth brushing etc.) followed by an angry mob armed with flame torches trying to attack Shrek. Shrek then scares them off and sees wanted poster that they left behind, demanding fairytale creatures. This order of events is significant to the story telling because it makes the genres clear by introducing first fantasy, then adventure and comedy. Using an establishing shot at the beginning means it is also a master shot because the image then shows inside the actual house which was shown in the master shot as well as the angry mob on the grounds which was also shown in the master shot.
The events are linked to each other because the opening shot of the fairytale book is directly related to Shrek who, being an ogre, is a mythical creature. His daily routine is done inside the location which was shown in the initial establishing shot - the swamp. The angry mob is also connected because they are on the grounds from the establishing shot.

Characters introduced and their roles:
Shrek - main character. We know this because he is the focus of the opening sequence.
Angry mob - they give a basic insight into the plot. We find this out because of the wanted poster they left behind and their actions towards Shrek.


Story information revealed: Shrek is wanted because he is a fairytale creature in a human world - we know this because of the wanted poster left behind. Also, there is a quest to be completed because of the very first shot of the fairytale book opening its pages and telling the story of a princess who needs to be rescued - this implies that that particular quest is going to be included in the plot.
Deliberately withheld information includes the actual reason why fairytale creatures are wanted, and other main characters in the plot.


Audience needs to know at start: Why Shrek in particular is so wanted.