Goodfellas analysis

By 10usherm

  • 00:00 - Black screen - no sound

    Black screen - no sound

  • 0:16 - captions slides left - same - ‘An Irwin Winkler Production’

  • Period: to

    Goodfellas opening

  • 00:01 - Fade in - Warner Bros. logo

    Fade in - Warner Bros. logo

  • 00:12 - Fade out to black

  • 00:13 - caption slides left across screen - white bold text, black background - ‘Warner Bros. Presents’ - swoosh sound effect

    This is the first credit
    The text is bold and simple - white text on black background

  • 00:20 - caption slides left - same - ‘A Martin Scorsese Picture’

  • 00:23 - caption slides left - same - starring credit - ‘Robert De Niro’

  • 00:26 - caption slides left - same - starring credit - ‘Ray Liotta’

  • 00:29 - caption slides left - same - same - ‘Joe Pesci’

    These captions change every three seconds in succession

  • 00:32 - same -same - same - ‘Lorraine Bracco’

  • 00:36 - same - ‘and Paul Sorvino’

  • 00:39 - caption - ‘This film is based on a true story’ - no effects

  • 00:42 - cut to black screen - begin to hear diegetic sound of car

  • 0:44 - cut to behind car on road - diegetic atmosphere noises - nighttime

  • 0:47 - same shot - car moves lane - camera tracks it

  • 0:53 - cut to caption - white text, black background - ‘New York, 1970’

  • 0:57 - shot of Henry (more in focus), Jimmy and Tommy in car - Henry driving, Jimmy and Tommy asleep - latter in back - car’s headlights can in background - all wearing suits

  • 0:59 - same shot - Henry rubs face - could show that he’s tired

  • 1:01 - same shot - diegetic sound of car thumping along

  • 01:04 - Same shot - Henry speaks about diegetic noise to others

  • 01:08 - Same shot - Tommy begins dialogue - Jimmy awakes

  • 01:10 - Same shot - all talking in together about diegetic noises

  • Period: to

    Goodfellas opening

  • 01:21 - Cut to exterior shot of car in forest - red back light only light

  • 01:23 - Characters enter shot and go to back of car

  • 01:29 - slow zoom in on shut trunk of car - front headlights are on

  • 01:31 - mid shot of all three characters - Jimmy on left holding shovel - Tommy in middle unveils knife from jacket - Henry on right - red lighting from car lights - slowly zooms in towards Jimmy and Tommy to form two shot at 1:34

  • 01:34 - two shot of Jimmy and Tommy

  • 01:41 - same shot - camera pans over to Henry with car keys

  • 01:43 - cut - slow zoom in on Henry opening trunk with keys

  • 01:46 - same shot - zoom in - open trunk to reveal Billy Batts, bloody, covered in drape - Batts begins to protest

  • 01:48 - cut - two shot of Henry and Tommy

  • 01:49 - track Tommy with knife as he moves toward the trunk

  • 01:49 - track Tommy with knife as he moves toward the trunk

  • 01:50 - Tommy stabs Batts multiple times

  • 01:52 - close up of Jimmy looking on - diegetic sound of stabbing

  • 01:54 - cut to tracking mid-shot of all three - Tommy moves away as Jimmy moves in

  • 01:55 - same shot - Jimmy fires gun multiple times at Batts - diegetic gunshots

  • 01:56 - close up of gun being fired in focus - Batts being shot out of focus - diegetic gunshots

  • 01:58 - gun removed from shot

  • 02:00 - mid-shot of Henry

  • 02:02 - Henry starts narration (non-diegetic) and camera track in to Henry closing trunk.

  • 02:07 - Track in to close-up of Henry - freeze frame - soundtrack (‘Rags to Riches’ by Tony Bennett’) - non-diegetic

  • 02:13 - cut to black screen - soundtrack continues

  • 02:15 - Title card swipes across from left - ‘GOODFELLAS’ red text, black background

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