Analysis of Butterfly Effect- Opening Scene

Directed by Eric Bress & J. Mackye Gruber
Duration: 2:00 including credits

The opening scene of the film shows the protagonist Evan, looking into an office from the outside. He then kicks the door open and shuts it behind himself. He pushes a couch and puts it infront of the door to block anyone from getting in. He grabs a box and runs over to a desk. He grabs a pad and pen from the desk and hides underneath the desk. He begins to write a note on the pad. Evan reads the note out loud as he he writing. During the two minutes of the opening, there are 7 key shots.

The scene uses a variety of shots, such as tracking shots, close up, medium shot and high angle shot. The camera movement is fast paced and the cuts from shot to shot are quick. Slow, tense music builds up throughout, adding suspense to the scene.
The scene uses diegetic sound, such as; the crash of the door being kicked and the heavy breathing of the character, in order to make it more realistic.
The scene ends with a close up of the notepad which falls apart to reveal a butterfly and the title of the film, The Butterfly Effect. The scene then fades out.





The first screenshot shows a close up of Evan hiding under the desk. He looks desperate and scared. He is mumbling to himself as he writes the note. Evan looks shabby and doesn’t look like he takes care of his appearance. There is no lighting used in this shot. This is useful to the shot as it gives the scene a gloomy and grim appearence, allowing the audience to get a feel for the rest of the film. The soundtrack also adds to the atmosphere of the scene.



The second screenshot shows a high angle shot of Evan hiding under the desk. He is wrting in the notepad and looking rather anxious and nervous. Again the lighting is very low key. He is isolated in the room by his surroundings giving him a sense of vunerability. The angle of the shot also gives the idea that he is vunerable and weak. His attitude and behaviour sow that he is desperate and lonely.





The third screenshot shows an extreme close up of the notepad that Evan is writing in. It shows the two words ‘save her.’ At this point, the audience doesn’t know much about what is going on in the film and it is unknown who 'her' is. This is a very complex film as there is a lot of jumping back and forth in time to add confusion and suspense for the audience, meaning they have to work out who 'her' is.



The final shot of the film opening shows the title of the film. There are no opening credits establishing who is who in the film. This adds to the whole mystery of the film. Behind the title is an image of a butterfly, which is obviously linked to the title of film.