Analysing Film Openings - Dr Doolittle

Doctor Dolittle 2

Scene Summaries

The scene starts with a tram going up a hill with a river shown behind which is an establishing shot because it’s setting the scene for the viewers to show what type of society the film is set in. We need to establish a posh setting at the beginning. Then there is a tracking shot along the road to show the houses and then a POV shot because it’s as if someone is watching while the car’s driving. The movie then shows the bridge again but it has been zoomed out and is seen from the outside perspective which then changes to the evening shot of the city which is an establishing shot of what goes on at the evening time. Lots of changes in perspective but it's not confusing - our ideas are quite busy, but maybe that's ok.

There is a shot with no head shown when the scene changes to a man wearing a medical coat wearing a shirt and a tie flicking through a file which shows there is going to be an introduction of someone. It also shows that person is important and has an important job because of the costume that he is wearing, which is the main focus. The lack of face makes us focus on his job / status rather than his character. This is a good idea for how to introduce our boss character.  Then a few seconds later the mysterious man is introduced in the scene and is talking to a nurse and is also talking to a dog which shows the business of his life. His discussion talking to the nurse creates a two shot and the discussion talking to the dog creates a POV shot.

The scene then changes to the room where the lead character is in a room with dogs and it starts with a dog introducing itself with a close up. Then it shows the rest of the room which gives a sense of unity to this scene. There are also various close ups that are used on the dogs and the lead characters to show their emotions. There is also a use of POV which shows who the dogs are looking at and also who the lead character is looking at their perspective.

There are many uses of credits early in this film and some are used when a character is speaking. We will probably have actor names come up when they are speaking. The opening shows how the place is a wealthy enough society and it is small and homely and it seems to be a friendly neighbourhood because of the fact that the trams are being used and also how the lead character is portrayed.

In the two minutes, we get the impression that the lead character is someone that is looked up to by animals and the setting seems to be a friendly environment. The voiceover is setting the story and also is giving an introduction to the dog and the lead character. There is also a use of synchronous sound which goes with the story because it is a rushed scene and the sound is pretty quick. There is also a use of bright colours which illustrates the fact that this movie is going to be a light-hearted movie.

This is an establishing shot which shows how this is a small society and it’s not a busy day usually. This also shows that the neighbourhood is near to the sea which sets the scene.

The establishing shot used shows that the movie that is placed is going to be in the city which shows on some ways wealth because of the skyscrapers. It also shows how people are still working at night because of the lights turned on.

Shot with no head used is to show that the person is about to be introduced and it also shows how the camera is looking up to the person which makes it looks as if he has a high status and is going to be an important in the movie. The mediacal coat is clearly the most important thing. This is something we could use when we introduce our boss character.

This photo is a close of the person’s emotion. It also puts the camera down looking up to give this character authority.

This is a rule of thirds shot because it shows the character and the dogs sitting on the chair and the character to the left which engages the audience to watch.

This is also a POV shot because it is exactly what direction the dogs would be looking at from their view which engages the audience and also gain their attention.

This is a POV shot and also a close up because it shows his emotions and it also shows what the dogs are seeing when they look directly at him.

Titles and Credits - Dr Dolittle 2

These four separate title slides before the movie and during the movie. There are 3 production and distribution company credits and logos. The last picture is the title of the movie.

Use of Sound-Dr Dolittle

The ‘20^th century Fox’ theme comes up first which shows the introduction and also tells the audience that the movie is about to begin. Then the credit appears which has  non-diegetic sound and also an ambient sound of the tram which gives a sense of a daily life in that particular environment. When there is a view of the bridge and the river the voiceover comes in to tell the story and begins with an introduction to set the scene. We might consider voiceover - narration from the boss character? The sound goes with the ‘Dolittle’ because it is jumpy and has a very fast beat.

When the dialogue begins, the sound of the music seems to get higher pitched and quieter and it also gets faster because there is more action going on. Our music needs to match our action. The second part of the dialogue has silence at the beginning when the dog introduces itself to the class and also there is silence when the main character is speaking at times.