Analysis of Forrest Gump Trailer

The film is based on the life of Forrest Gump, a naive and slow-witted yet athletically prodigious man from Alabama who witnesses, and in some cases influences, some of the defining events of the latter half of the 20th century; more specifically, the period between Forrest's birth in 1945 and 1982.

The camera work used within the beginning of the Forrest Gump trailer consists of a rule of third to begin with, showing Forrest offer chocolate to some pensioners on the bench and two shots of him with his mother and good friend Jenny. Already it is bringing in the protagonist of the film interacting with a variety of other characters. Due to the camera zooming into the shots it is clear that Forrest Gump is different to most beings, as further reinforced by the close-up of the professional, head teacher of a public school as he states “Your boy’s different” contradicting the statement in the previous shot of his mother saying “You are no different.” When introducing the character ‘Jenny’ the use of camera techniques and shot reverse shot editing shows Jenny and Forrest interacting before a two shot shows them shaking hands. This emphasises how fast these two became friends and a few more two shots show them being together on multiple occasions as children before returning to the present day with a close-up of Forrest saying “my only friend.” As Forrest continues to narrate, flashback show long shots of him and Jenny in the past walking through a meadow, therefore showing the setting of the movie. On top of all this there are a variety of close up that convey characters emotions in the movie. A low angle shot of men in a crowd watching Forrest run creates an illusion of them being bigger beings, this maybe because they are of a normal mind whereas Forrest is quite obviously different. Within this shot dialogue between character further introduce Forrest Gump with the question “Who in the hell is that?” and with a close up on Forrest’s face and the response “That’s Forrest Gump coach” acting as a voice-over works well in stating the protagonist of the movie. Establishing shots show Forrest Gump in a variety of settings such as an American Football stadium, a cut to a close up of him in his American Football kit shows that he was of a sporty nature as well as being fairly successful as further shown by another establishing shot showing signs in the crowd reading ‘GO FORREST.’ Following this is a panning shot showing multiple empty bottles and behind them is Forrest in a suit. This is yet again putting him in another situation and a long shot of Forrest behind a close of hands shaking show that he is in a fairly sophisticated environment, eventually we understand why because another two shot shows him and President John F Kennedy interacting. More medium shots show Forrest Gump in college attire and two shots of him and Jenny at a young show that the movie trailer is showing many parts of his life. Forrest Gump eventually joins the Army and yet again Forrest is meeting more and more new character such as his Drill Sergeant and his friend Bubba in a variety of two shots. Two shots are very effective in drama movies in order to show the character interacting in a variety of different situations, this gives the audience a much more accurate inside look into the life of Forrest Gump or any other protagonist. A lot of the same camera techniques are repeated in the trailer, more establishing shots show him in a war zone and more two shots show him with more people. All of these techniques work effectively in illustrating the basic story line of the movie and giving enough detail about Forrest Gump for the audience to get to grips with him.

As stated many times previously, the character within a drama is a very important aspect and within the Forrest Gump trailer it is clear that a main priority was to promote his character and show him in every scenario possible. He is not of a normal nature and it is made clear throughout the trailer, which is really important as it is the unique quality of Forrest Gump that makes this story line and character much more interesting.

There are many locations with the trailer, but to begin with it shows where Forrest had been brought up, in Alabama. It shows a fairly quiet a country scene which is why it is so impressive when Forrest makes it into a large, crowded and loud environment such as a Football Stadium and a life threatening location such as a war zone  These contrasts in locations really highlight the journey of the protagonist.

As for mise-en scene within the trailer, there are a variety of costumes that Forrest wears. As he begins life he is wearing his leg braces that enable him to walk. This already distinguishes him from other character of his age. As he grows older he wears the same sort of outfit, such as a blue shirt, which conveys how he still hasn't changed much since he was a child until eventually he is in a American football costume and then in an army uniform. Like the contrast in locations, the costumes have the same effects. By placing Forrest in different scenarios and environments it highlights his journey through life. As for props in the film there are varieties that coincide with the scenario. Whilst sat on the bench Forrest in holding a box of chocolates, this becomes a key part of his character when he relates back to what his mother use to say to him. “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.”

A main part of sound techniques within the trailer is the dialogue being used as a voice-over  The plot of the story is Forrest sat on a bench talking about his life and dialogue from this overlaps scenes with the movie. For example, in the scene when Forrest is running from a car Jenny shouts “Run Forrest Run!” which becomes quite the catchphrase for the movie. However, in the scene Forrest states “I run like the wind blows” as well as “I never thought that it would take me anywhere.” This is obviously contradicted when we see him in the stadium when he was put “on a thing called the all American team.” He then introduces another scene by saying “Where you get to meet the President of the United States.” The dialogue is very effective in showing the narrative of the film. In the background of the trailer is an orchestral soundtrack which conveys a celebratory situation, which would relate to the life of Forrest Gump, something that is worth celebrating.

Altogether this film uses specific techniques effectively in order to promote the film as well as introduce the character Forrest Gump, these are techniques such as close-ups, two-shots and voice-overs.