Juno Analysis

1.    Change from normal filming to animated sequence connotes its uniqueness and perhaps a theme of change throughout the film. The combination of both the hand drawn element and the actual footage conveys a sense that the film will be different to most films as the title sequence shows creativity and flair rather than high budget films that contain special effects and computer generated animations. The film starts off with a quirky kind of folk song by a child balladeer Barry Louis Polisar about love; ‘If I was a flower growing wild and free,

all I'd want is you to be my sweet honey bee’. This gives a sense that she is an innocent character as well as establishing a genre of love in the movie and that ‘Juno’ is a feel good movie.

2.    The hand drawn connotes a sense of childishness or boredom as they are almost doodle like pictures. The wide angle long shot could also connote the characters emotion of feeling alone or in fact her innocence as she is seen doing childish acts such as balancing on the pavement. This is denoted as unlike the rest of the sequence, she isn’t hand drawn. This also could connote of how much she sticks out from the rest of the setting and is perhaps an oddball character.

3.    The audience expect the main character Juno to have a simple outlook on life or perhaps lead a pleasant life as the drawings seem childish being drawn on graph paper and coloured in with primary colours that are associated with childhood like green, yellow and blue. This is further reinforced as throughout the sequence we see that the names of people involved in the film are coloured in with a felt tip pen. It also could connote her carefree attitude as she strolls through the title sequence and doesn’t seem to be reacting to the multiple changes of setting and pictures. 

4.     Her character seems to be detached from the real world as the rest of her surrounding are not only childish but dream like. This perhaps connotes a sense that she acts young and is not really aware of adult like issues. The film could be seen as (from this point) about the characters change of outlook on life as she currently views the world as it she is a child. The mise-en-scene of the juice bottle also reminds the audience of a childlike nature as juice is predominantly a child’s drink.

5. In some shots similar to this it only shows the bottom of her jeans and her shoes. This is a timeless unisex teenage outfit that indicates that she is a bit of a tomboy, rather than a pretentious typical American, preppy teenage girl. This gives the impression that the film has genres of teen drama of ordinary teenage life in America (setting of a dull town in America shown by Mise-en-scene of joggers with American sportswear) and coming of age. This also shows how she is different from the rest as she is not part of the group of joggers we see during the opening sequence. A theme of isolation is also present as she is given the most screen time. This shot seems quirky as shots of feet are not usually seen in most movies. This gives the audience an expectation that the film itself will be different from most mainstream or Hollywood movies and an indie or low budget aesthetic of the film. We also learn of the time of year is autumn as we see leaves falling. This shot also gives a theme of change as during the season of Autumn, everything changes.