After the suicide of Brooks, a former a prisoner at Shawshank, Andy turned the prison library from being just a few books into the most popular place in the prison. This resulted to him becoming even more popular with the other inmates. He had managed to put a whole new meaning to Shawshank Prison.
When Andy disappeared from his cell one morning in 1966, no one had a clue as to what could have happened to him. Ripping back the poster of Raquel Welch, the Warden discovered the enormous hole Andy had managed to dig out with the tiny rock hammer; though it took nineteen years Andy had not given up hoping in escaping from the hell of prison life. His escape lead to chaos in Shawshank as nothing like this had ever happened before. Whilst Andy took off for a brand new life with a new identity back at the prison, guards were being arrested and the warden had no other choice but to end his life before the police arrived. With hundreds of thousands of dollars in his pocket, and starting a new life in Zihuatenejo, Mexico, Andy urged Red to join him by leaving a letter buried under a tree. Red would only receive this letter if he was out of prison and luckily after 40 years of attempting to be granted patrol he was finally accepted. Upon his unexpected release, Andy and Red were finally able to meet again but it was different than before, this time they were both free men.
The first sequence we get of Shawshank prison is a LS which is filmed firstly at ground level whilst it follows the van into the prison. It then leads to a bird's eye view and serves into an establishing shot which is when we experience the intimidation and power of the prison. As the camera soars above the building the music is very orchestral and multilayered giving great emotion and although the shot is of a prison the music is not harsh in any way as it glides freely with the camera. As the shot still continues, the prisoners are shown making their way over to the prison entrance to taunt the new arrivals. Still in LS and over head it shows the prisoners to be very small and vulnerable. With the music still being played and the camera still towering high above the pathetic looking inmates, a diegetic sound enables us to hear the prison flag blowing in the wind. Soon after, Red's voice over begins as he introduces Andy Dufresne to Shawshank Penitentiary.
Red's voice over follows over to the first cut of the interior of the prison van. The music quietens as a MS of Andy sitting at the back of the van begins to gradually lead into a CU. His face is completely expressionless as the van enters the prison gates.
The next cut is a tracking shot of Red showing him jogging across the prison courtyard to greet his fellow inmates. As he greets them the camera angle lowers giving Red a sign of authority and to show him to be an important character.
After the very long lasting shot at the beginning, it has been followed by a number of short cuts, the next being a cut to the prison gates opening as the van enters. The inmates are seen in the background right up against the fences, tugging at the wires and taunting. This is when the music starts to become much more intimidating.
As the guards are shown bringing out there rifles on the prison roof the mood becomes drearier, with the music now much less inviting. The guards are looking down on the inmates giving them a sense of power as they are much higher up and are armed with weapons.
The cut now leads to the new arrivals getting out of the van one by one. The music has now having come to a stop. All that is heard is the taunting and shouting of the inmates behind the fences. This is done by diegetic sounding. A CU of the new prisoners entering shows their intimidated faces as they walk in single file to prison.
Red and his companions are then shown to be betting on who the think will break down first. They are not up near the fences and are stood well back from the taunting crowd which shows them to be "old timers" at Shawshank. Yet again the camera angle is looking up to Red to give him authority. This is filmed in MS.
There is a cut to a MS as Andy walks stiffly into the prison. Red narrates telling his own first opinion of Andy. As he does so, the orchestral music fades in again. Red then chooses Andy as his "horse", as they call it, to break down first. The background music then turns more sour and threatening than ever before.
A CU of Andy shows him just before he is to enter through the large prison door. A tilted camera angle shows the height and power of the building Andy is entering. This then cuts to the inside of the prison.
The music has yet again died out to a ringing silence. Feet are seen walking into the room where the new arrivals are greeted by the prison warden. The feet slowly become closer to the camera; at this point no faces are seen just the feet of the prisoners. A cut then shows them all in a dark room with only small barred windows letting in little light. As the guard tells them to do so, the prisoners turn to face the front. This is followed by a diegetic sound of the door slamming shut showing there is no escape now and they are actually inside there new home.
A MS of the prison warden is filmed directly in front of him showing that he is good, honest man. He asks if there are any questions to be answered from the new arrivals. One man asks "when do we eat?” Instead of getting a decent answer a guard approaches him and uses abusive language against him then kicks him. As he kicks him diegetic sounding is used to add the sound of the "thump". The governor is then shown again completely straight faced. He holds out a bible to prove his honesty and goodness. He ends his speech with a smile and says "welcome to Shawshank." This phrase although sounding friendly is telling the prisoners that they are actually there and it's no longer a nightmare but reality.
This opening scene we get of Shawshank Prison itself completely sets the mood and gives the viewer an introduction to the film. It gives a brief outlook of the main characters and provides a good understanding to the plot.