Textual Analysis of the "Goodfellas" opening scene.

The opening sequence of Goodfellas presents the audience with an impression of the plot, foreshadowing the nature of the events to come. The opening sequence sees a gang brutally kill a man and introduces the central character through a voiceover and camera framing. To begin with, camera angles and movement play an important role in the displaying of events whilst complementing the setting of the tone to the movie. The first shot displayed to the audience is a tracking shot of a moving car. Typically, a tracking shot follows the action and eventually pulls backward from the action. However, this opening scene denies this convention, tracking onward past the moving vehicle.