Remember The Titans Opening Scene Analysis

In the opening scene of Remember the Titans a riot breaks out over the death of a black student. During this scene there are a number of cinematic techniques used to set the scene for ‘chaos’. These techniques include the medium close shot, characterisation, camera movement and sound that combine to create a sense of impending doom. Medium close shots were used effectively, to allow the audience to see the facial expressions of the black and white crowd and the size of the crowd. Characterisation can be seen through the actions and speech of the white and black crowd. Words like “murder” were used the black crowd and signs quoting “where is the justice”. The white crowd shouts in anger towards the black group demonstrating their strong hatred towards black people. Camera movements such as panning, both left and right were used with great effect, to highlight the deterioration in the

The theme of friendship is seen through characters such as Coach Boone and Coach Yoast, Nicky and Sheryl, Julius and Gerry. However, in my opinion, the most significant pair is Julius and Gerry. At the beginning of the film Julius and Gerry did not get along, this was because at the beginning Gerry showed extreme discrimination towards the African Americans. However, during their time at training camp Gerry and Julius were forced to learn about each other, this didn’t change how they felt towards each other. Gerry confronts Julius about his work ethic, Gerry learns that he been fulfilling he’s duty as the team captain. Gerry and Julius were seen as role models for their two races, so when Gerry and Julius became friends this influenced other player to form relationships between players of an opposite race. In conclusion friendship is a significant theme in Remember the Titans because through the friendship of Julius and Gerry not only did they bring a team together they also brought the entire city came