Film Opening Analysis: To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill A Mockingbird (1962) — Art of the Title

The film I will discuss is called To Kill A Mockingbird (1962). Adapted from a novel, this is a crime drama directed by Robert Mulligan and produced by Universal International Pictures. Set in 1930s Alabama, this film follows the two year journey of a young girl learning about racism when her lawyer father defends a black man. The opening that I will discuss has duration of 3 minutes. 

The film opens to the production company graphic. This fades black to an opening with piano music and the sound of a young girl, the protagonist humming. The first object shown is a close up of a box. A hand is then seen opening the box to reveal items including crayons, keys and coins. The audience get an impression that the box is full of keepsakes. The first actor credit is displayed over this shot. The camera then zooms in to the box and fades to the angle of a crayon being picked out of the box. This clip fades to a big close up of the beginning of the title which is being formed as a crayon drawing. The camera returns to close up of the movie title. 

The camera then tracks the movement of the crayon drawing in big close up framing. This fades to a big close up of the pocket watch. Credits of other actors start to appear over these shots. Other pans are seen of other from the box. Coins with the year “1900” and “United” of United States, establish the setting of the film after which flute music starts. There are numerous close up shots of the protagonist drawing on lined paper with crayons. A rolling marble is then tracked by the camera building up to the “Introducing” of cast members.  After a child’s laugh is heard, the drawing is ripped. The credits end with the appearance of silhouetted branches on a low angle mid shot of a tree.

The notable technical aspects of this opening sequence include the domination of close ups. This allows the audience to focus on small visual details that hint at the protagonist. Also there is camera movement to keep the audience engaged by the point of view perspective. The child’s humming and laughing suggests to the audience that the girl has an innocent character. Her drawings cause the audience to infer her young age. I also noted that most transitions were fades which significantly slows down the narrative pace and are linked to the drama genre. It also creates the impression of looking into the past or memories of a character. 

The events in the opening sequence are fully connected however they encapsulate one moment over a longer period of time. The events seen here do not directly lead into plot, they are rather foreshadowing of the plot. Other characters’ appearances and involvement is deliberately withheld so the audience can focus on the main character. Only the hands and arms are seen of the protagonist here, causing enigma to build up. 

For my own film, I think the audience need a further understanding of the setting. I could use a similar style with introducing a character from the objects that are associated with him/her. I could use slow camera movement in conjunction with close ups to project a character’s point of view onto the sequence although I would cross cut these shots with wider framed shots to give the audience a sense of physical space.