Textual Analysis

Forrest Gump



Visual codes:

• The way the children are dressed in this scene gives us an idea of the time period; they are all wearing rather old-fashioned clothing, which makes the audience realise that it is set in the 1950's. It is easy to tell who are the bullies and who aren't, as Forrest is wearing 'nice' clothes and looks pleasant and approachable, also Jenny is wearing a girly pink dress and is carrying school books which would suggest that she is a good girl, whereas the bullies are wearing typical 'mean boy' clothes that make them look mean and unpleasant. 
• Also, the leg brace gives away the time period as now-a-days there are many more advanced medical cures. When Forrest is sat at the bench, we realise time has passed and it is probably closer to the 1970's now, due to the clothing and general personal appearance.
• Forrest looks quite confused and upset at the start, as he is frowning. Jenny also looks the same, however the bullies seem happy and somewhat proud as they have smirks on their faces.
• It is set near a field, down a tree-surrounded path, until there is the flash forward and Forrest is sat at a bus stop. 
• There are a few colour connotations in this clip, for example: Forrest is wearing a blue shirt which symbolises calm and tranquility as he keeps his cool when the boys are bullying him. Jenny is wearing a pink dress which symbolises love and acceptance, as she helps Forrest during the bullying and accepts the way he is. 

Technical codes:

• At the beginning of the scene the camera is still, and there is a long shot of the bullies and a close up of Forrest and Jenny. This is so we can see what the bullies are doing and we can tell read Forrest and Jenny's facial expressions. The lighting is natural, and high key, and all the way through you can see the environment that they are in. The editing is relatively fast when the shot changes from the bullies to Forrest and Jenny.
• After this the camera tilts up when Forrest is on the floor and there is a moment of handheld camera movement. 
• When Forrest begins running, the camera tracks his movement and gives us a close up of his legs. 
• Soon it changes into slow motion as the braces break off his legs. As he speeds up the camera speeds up with him and it goes back into normal speed.
• When Forrest is talking to the lady on the bench, the editing is of a medium speed and there is a lot of close ups. 

Audio codes:

• At the beginning the sound is just diegetic, and we hear the sound of the bikes and stones crunching. Then Jenny and Forrest are talking and it is still diegetic, however it changes when Forrest begins running and we hear quite slow victorious music that speeds up as he does. 
• There is also a voice over while he is running and the voice over then turns into an actual scene of Forrest when he is older. 

The Vow



Visual codes:

• The way that the pair are dressed in this scene suggests that it is set in modern times, as the clothes seem rather up-to-date. Also the way that they have their hair also implies that it is set in the 21st century as they seem to be quite common hair styles for the present day.
• At the beginning of the clip, Paige looks rather confused and worried, whereas Leo has a look of mischief on his face. The audience can tell that Paige is confused as she raises an eyebrow and then her face completely drops when she realises that Leo is taking his shirt off, and the audience notices the mischievous look on Leo's face when he does not stop smirking. Towards the end we see happiness from them both as they are laughing and smiling although they are freezing cold.
• It is set at a lake in America, but the main place that we see the characters is the car. The car is a good visual code as it indicates that the film is set in quite recent times as cars only really became a big thing after the 60's.

Technical codes:

• In this clip, there is a large number of close ups. This is to show facial expressions and feelings, it is used when the pair are talking to each other so we can see how they feel about what they are saying, and hearing. There are also a few extreme long shots when the couple are in the lake, this is to show their setting and how they feel about that particular environment.
• There is a lack of camera movement as the camera is always still and focusing on something. This may be because it is quite a calm scene so there is not much movement needed. 
• The editing is of an average speed in this clip.
• Towards the beginning of the scene, the pace is quite slow as Leo and Paige are just talking, however when they run into the lake the pace picks up a bit as we see Leo rushing to get ready, and then running into the lake and picking Paige up.
• The lighting is a natural low key as it is set at night time in what seems like a rather secluded area so there are no street lights or lights from buildings. The only light is the moon, in this scene.

Audio codes:

• For the majority of the clip there is just diegetic sounds varying from talking, to the water in the lake. However, when Paige is contemplating going in, non diegetic music begins but we still hear the diegetic sounds at the same time. The volume of the music becomes quieter when they return to the car, and becomes more of a soft tune.
• There is quite a bit of ambient noise in the scene as we hear the lake water crashing and splashing, and we also hear noises in the car such as talking and movement of seatbelts and doors.