In the beginning of the scene, we hear music which is quite happy and upbeat. We also have ambient sound to make it seem more realistic. This shows the audience what type of film it may be and what genre they are about to watch, as films such as horror do not have happy and upbeat music in them. The camera cuts from one person to another and back again. It shows the evolution of how three different couples meet and fall in love. This is all whilst someone, whom we can assume is the main character, is doing a monologue voice-over. This helps to set the story and tells us who he is. It also shows us that the film will most likely centre around him. The monologue makes the audience trust him and focus on him throughout the opening. The monologue cuts from being a voice-over to him being in the scene and speaking to the camera. This makes the audience feel involved in the story and as if they are in the film talking to him. The monologue repeats "basic principles" at the beginning and at the end of the scene. This relates to the language aimed towards the audience and perhaps shows what the movie will be about. The continuous cutting from couple to couple makes the scene feel fast-paced and keeps the audience intrigued to see what is going to happen next in their relationships. The fast pace is also shown by the smooth way he completes tasks, such as passing on the dog. The way he walks around and speaks with such confidence makes him likeable to the audience and be the person that the audience hope to meet or hope to be. The use of rack focus as he stands across the street makes him seem important to the different couples' stories as it always comes back to him. We then cut to an establishing shot of New York City, which we can infer is going to be the main location for the movie.
In the beginning of the scene, the music is quite happy and is very obviously country music which helps to set the scene for the movie. The camera pans across the stormy sky and the beach, creating an atmospheric mood and also helping to further set the scene for the audience. The storm is very loud and dramatic which greatly contrasts the happy music. This contrast possibly alludes to the relationship between the children, or later as adults. A long shot of the beach then shows the children running. This makes us think that these are the main characters and that this moment is important to the story. The way that the children are shown to come into focus after the lightning hits, shows the importance of them in the moment and in the movie. We then see the use of close-ups in a shot-reverse-shot of the children. This shows their connection and the nerves between them. It helps to show how each of them is feeling towards the other. Their accents as they speak are quite obviously Southern, which helps to, again, set the scene and the story. The music slows down to increase the amount of suspense within this part of the scene. The medium shot zooming in to a close-up of their kiss shows us that they're an important piece to the story and they are who the audience should relate to. When the lighting strikes a second time, the music dims in comparison to the sound of the storm. The fact that it strikes twice (which is extremely rare) shows the use of foreshadowing and symbolism to suggest something might happen later on in the characters' lives and their stories. The extreme close-up of her face shows the fear in her eyes. The burst of light across her face, in slow motion, similar to when someone dies in a movie, connotes peace and tranquility which strongly contrasts the stormy, angry weather. The scene then cuts to her dreaming about that time. The dreaming aspect contrasts the storm, however the fact that she is dreaming about that particular moment in her life makes us wonder about why its so important, which is what the movie goes on to show.
