While you were sleeping- Assessment

How do the filmmakers establish character, genre and narrative in the opening?
Write about:

• Camera
• Editing
• Sound
• Mise-en-scene

 'While you were sleeping' establishes the characters: the main character being a single woman and other characters include her father, a handsome man she has had her eye on and her neighbor. It introduces the genre, being romance and comedy and it also establishes narrative with simple signifiers in the mise-en-scene in the shots. 

'While you were sleeping' instantly establishes the genre which is a romance, comedy film. We immediately get this happy vibe, a feeling of love and to create this atmosphere they used a familiar soundtrack. That is usually listened to when in a good mood and also the lyrics refer to love too; this soundtrack is the signifier of the genre romance. Along with sound, the filmmakers introduce the genre romance also using the font of the opening credits and title in the film. Which is in a White and elegant font, what one would see as a very pretty font. This adds to the state of equilibrium, giving off a normal balanced feeling, but you would normally see that type of font in a wedding card or when in love, connoting that maybe someone will fall in love or is in love.


We get the first sense of the genre comedy, when we see a long shot of a ice rink and a man slips and falls. Even though the denotation of this shot is just a simple man trying to skate but slips in return, this is a classic move for comedy and this is a subtle way to first connote this genre to the film. A while later in the film, when the various shots of the train passing goes closer into the window to see a woman in the ticket booth dealing with a costumer, it goes into a flashback, with the music changing. That is when we hear a voice-over of the main character, the woman speaking, and the sarcasm in her dialogue gives off the comedy. For instance, when she was describing her childhood with her dad. "There are two things I remember about my childhood, I just don't remember it being this orange." They edit the setting they are in, her and her dad on a bridge looking over the river and sky, making the sky more orange to help understand the sarcasm in her dialogue, thus making it funny. In addition, they also use a prop and the setting to show her sarcasm and the comedy in the movie. First, when she is with her father [him chasing her and putting her on his back] she says how her father would take their adventures and he would talk about how exotic it is, and how amazing that her childhood town 'Wisconsin' wasn't. The filmmakers use the setting to add to her sarcasm and next they use props. When she tells the audience that her dad knew he loved her mother when she tells the audience that her dad knew he loved her mother when she gave the world to him, but it ended up being a globe with a light in it.

Other than the music, The first thing we see is, railway track along with the opening credits, usually the filmmakers make the first thing the audience see the establishing shot of where the film will be set. So this connotes that the train station or the tracks will play a key part as important events may take place in the movie. We know this is definite because we get following shots a while later of a train station platform with a train going. The next various shots establish the settings in the film. We see a wide-shot of scenic buildings, busy streets informing the audience first that this film is set in the city, than the filmmakers gradually inform the audience that the is set in Chicago, as we see a low-angle shot of a skyscraper with two Chicago flags and also an establishing shot of the Chicago stadium. However, the filmmakers could've showed any sign to show they film is set in Chicago, instead he uses the Chicago stadium, which  goes to a close-up shot of the stadium advertising basketball game tickets, letting us know what type of sport is played in that stadium. This shot, may be foreshadowing what events and where the events may take place, as we see more shots referring to basketball. We get a shot of a statue of with two men fighting over a ball confirming that basketball will be referred to in this film, or that it may play a good role in the narrative. We also get an idea of what time of year the movie is it in, with the people on the streets are fully covered in clothes. The shots of the city buildings are very misty, suggesting that the weather the movie starts with, will be winter weather. We also get a shot of an ice rink confirming that it is winter and more specifically it may be Christmas, as that it the time in which people like to go ice skating most. Nevertheless, that does not only tell the audience of what time of year it is, but introduces an additional genre to the movie.

During the flashback, we see that her dad plays a important role in her life and in the narrative because she talks about him with a lot of admiration, copying her action and playing with him. It also introduces her character with her dad being her role model; he really influences her thoughts. On the other hand, not only does the voice-over establish the genre of comedy but it also shows what type of character she is as well with the flashback. With her dialogue, the audience may find her confused, clueless, with her first line about not remembering it being this orange, but as the sarcasm continues you find that she is really genuinely nice and friendly, as she talks about her childhood with the real emotions. How she talked about her favorite memory with her dad was when he said told stories about her mother and the love between them, you can tell that she is like any other girl searching for love. However, as she talked about how she will get her true love, maybe one like her fathers you can tell she is naive, but we find her naive more because she believes she will fall hopelessly in love with her costumer, whom she hasn't gotten the courage to speak to yet. All summing up to her being influenced by her childhood with her father.

That is in when the filmmakers show the audience an important aspect of the narrative of the film. After the flashback, we get a middle shot of a particularly handsome man walking in a hurry towards the ticket booth and giving money walking away. This is when she realized him and a point of view shot of the main character watching the man and her thoughts continue. "The first time i saw him, he didn't exactly give me the world it was a dollar fifty and a train ticket. But i looked forward to it every single day... he was just perfect, my prince charming. Well, we never actually spoken but i know someday we will" Not only does this connote that she is single but it adds to her character, her not giving up hope and holding onto her dream, the filmmakers edit in score to that shot, adding to her feelings. The score created for the scene makes it sound so loving and perfect like starts twinkling and creating her fantasy in her mind. Plus, you know that this film will be based on her getting her love, that being her aim that one day she will get her 'perfect prince charming'. However, she sells tickets in a train station connoting that she isn't very successful and maybe why she is struggling both career and in her affairs or in physical beauty. This may suggest that this may be her flaw or the problem in the film, because he seems very successful with high standards, with his costume being a nice, clean, pressed suit. Nevertheless, him taking a train may show that he is open-minded and that there may be a chance for her. With the long shot of him getting the door open in the last minute we see him holding open a bit longer for an old lady. From this shot, we get introduced slightly to his character, he seems very helpful and friendly, hence, why she finds him 'perfect', so this suggests to the audience that there might be a big possibility that these two characters may come together.

To finish the opening we get a shot of a Christmas tree than being slightly pulled up, than we see a side-shot of her pulling something up the window sill with a rope, so we know that she is struggling to get the Christmas tree in what seems to be her apartment.  We know she struggling because she complains and groans, slipping on the rope and dropping it. Not only does this add to the comedy genre, but it connotes and confirms two things. That it is winter and that she is not only single but she has no male figure around to help. Showing the contrast from the past and the present in the movie. She is in a baggy jumper and looks too comfortable to be considered pretty and that she has many men on her tail. The end to opening almost informs the audience that the narrative of the film will take place in an key part in her life and that she may have to change drastically to get her love. It sums up the opening, informing the audience of the characters genre and idea of the narrative of the film. Making them wonder what will happen, as her journey begins of her getting her perfect prince, her love.

Farjana Reshma Rahman