The Notebook - Opening scene (analysis)

The opening two minutes to this film immediately conform the conventions of romantic films with the non-diegetic sound of a slow song. This flaunts the genre as it is calm and peaceful. We are thrown into the opening scene with a bright red sky with the sun arising across a large lake along a dark countryside. At this point a long/establishing shot is used to firstly set the scene and establish where the action will be taking place. The setting is established for long period of time to allow us to tranquil setting along with the synchronous sound of music which denotes the idea of peace and romance. Although the opening scene is very vague we are able to identify the setting and perhaps the main character, yet we are unsure of this meaning the audience could be intrigued to find out what is going to happen next. We are shown a boat sailing across the lake which creates romance as it is yet again calm and peaceful and it partially gives the imagery of beauty and happiness which could relate to the plot of the film. We know that Ryan Gosling is in the film who is a well known male actor and is seen to be quite attractive to the female audience. This is a convention of romance films as you would typically expect a famous, well known male or female character.

Once the scene had been said, we see some birds flying in a crowd towards some large white mansion, the camera follows them by using a tracking movement as they approach the house. They then use an over the shoulder shot of a women looking out her window into the distance as if shes in a world of her own. At this point we are unsure of who this women is and whether or not she is the main character, we are yet to find out. In reverse, we are then shown her from the other side of the window looking out. The birds continue to fly past her, possibly symbolizing freedom which could be something she doesn't have or alternatively it could denote her hopes for the future or even memories of what she has lost. As the audience are unable to identify or see the character rowing in the lake, there is a sense of mystery as we are clearly unsure if he is a main character and are intrigued to find out when he is revealed. The fact that the old woman was looking out across the lake suggests that the two characters could be linked or we could later on find out that they have had something in the past.

The target audience for this film would possibly be for women aged 16 to 20-30 for the reason that they would be more likely to relate to the situation. There is also a well known, attractive actor which would engage the audience even more.