Juno - Film Opening Sequence

Juno is a quircky, indie film which is a teen comedy drama the genre we want 'Science Boys' to fit into. I'm looking at its opening sequence to get inspiration for mine and Kirsty's final project and an idea of this genres code and conventions.

General Info.
Genre: comedy/drama ("off-beat")
Director: Jason Reitman
Box Office Takings: $231,411,584
Distributer: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Starring: Ellen Page, Jennifer Garner, Michael Cera

Analysis
The entire openeing sequence consists of the character Juno walking through town to her destination of the drug store. 11 seconds into the sequeucne however, it become a mix of real-life captured footage and also drawing and animation which adds to the films quicky edge and instantly shows the audience it is an original film concept. The way the character is walking and what she is wearing represents she is not a typicl teenage girl instantly without any dialogue required and this make her intriguing and captures the audiences attention. Close-ups on her shoes and her drinking from the alrge bottle highlight these quirkcy features of the character to the viewer. The use of the simple animation makes the film less heavy - when it's going to tackle the topic of teenage pregnancy - but also adds an element that the film isn't totally realistic and is going to be far-fetched or exaggerated which helps add to the comedy vibe the film will have. The opening sequence shows the setting the film will be set very well and portrays how normal and typical it is which makes the film easier for more people to relate to. I alos like how the animation is mostly kep to the setting so the chracter Juno appears like the only 'real' thing in this unreal surrouding which foreshadows some of her emotions to come in the film. For an opening sequeence, it really portrays the vibe the film is going to have which I like as audiences immediatly know whether it is a film they will enjoy, or not. Also, the music in the clip is interesting as it seems very old-fashioned and would not be related to teenagers and a teen film usually which adds to the films quirckiness and portrays that the setting which Juno is travelling through may be a bit backward.

Credit Sequence

1. Distributer
2. Prodcution/Picture
3. Whose film it is
4. Title of the Film
5. Cast names
6. Casting by
7. Costumes by
8. Music & Songs
9. Music supervisor
10. Co-producer
11. Film editor
12. Production Designer
13. Director of Photography
14. Executive producers
15. Produced by
16. Written by
17. Directed by

Influence on 'Science Boys'
From watching the opening sequence of Juno, I love how the tone of the film is instantly conveyed. Also, I like how the character Juno is portrayed without dialogue through her mannerisims and think that quality could be really effective in 'Science Boys' as a way of showing what the chracters are like without them speaking. It also adds intrigue as viewers are almost guessing what the characters are like and I love the idea of an opening sequence which really sets questions about the rest of the film. Juno use of music I think makes it stand out and very different, but it has made me realise in 'Science Boys' I would like to use more modern music associated with teenagers to help contrast the nerdy characters with the 'hip' music - Kirsty mentioned a possible song we could use Jay-Z 99 Problems.

However, since our inital concept for the 'Science Boys' opening sequence to consist of introduing the characters with freeze-frames and it basically being them walking down some corridoors in school, Juno showed us that that sinario can still look effective and be interesting. It alos taught me that things need to be happening in the background to build a better idea of the setting and situation but these must not draw away from the main character/s. The credit sequence also showed what people need to be recognised at the beginning of a film and how many names and roles we need to include in our final project to make it look authentic. The representation in Juno is also going against the stereotype of teenage girls who get pregnant and tries to show a different view on the subject matter; however in 'Science Boys' because we want there to be more obvious humour we want to play-up to those stereotypes of science-nerds and not really show another side: however, it is a possibilty.