Home Alone Opening Analysis

The film begins with an opening shot of a full moon in a dark sky, giving viewers a sense of what time it is. This calm shot of the moon is replaced by people manically rushing around a house - the contrast heightens the impression of the people being in a hurry. Kevin, the main character is then introduced. The viewer immediately get a sense of his character through the conversation with his parents - he is portrayed as a confident boy who likes playing pranks on people. This allows the viewer to form a idea of what the film is going to be like - comic.

Because the opening is mostly compromised of dialogue, it can be assumed that the film is aimed at older children. Films targeting a younger audience tend to have a very fast paced opening sequence to keep young viewers interested, and this film does not. The target audience is likely to be young children around Kevin's age - roughly 7-11.

Music is not a main factor in the opening sequence as it is masked by the dialogue. However, before anything else can be seen the music lets you know that it is chistmas through its array of bells, a common factor in such songs.