Sing, Hollywood, of a man, not cunning and wise, nor of twists and

turns. Give us our own hero, one forthright and warm—one without guile.

 

For we are all Forrest Gump. Perhaps we are

Ulysses & Aeneas & Beowulf too but

it’s hiding behind a brick wall

or a shiny patina, I’m not sure which.

 

We will never let the old poet at us to

read our livers beneath the skin but

it takes no cuts to see an American hero.

We cannot become Achilles but

we already are Forrest.

 

I don’t remember Vietnam or Watergate,

Lennon or Kennedy.

They live as they are retold, not as they were.

I have seen & even touched

ping-pong paddles and Apple computers:

these things, too, will pass away

but Forrest’s story will never pass away.

 

 

Introduction

 

Forrest Gump is a 1994 epic romance comedy featuring a captivating performance by Tom Hanks. The movie follows the growth of Forrest Gump, a good-hearted man from Alabama. From becoming a college football star to fighting in the Vietnam war to captaining a shrimp boat, Forrest inspires others with his childlike optimism.

 

The world embraced the movie. Forrest Gump was one of the highest grossing films at the time. It won Best Picture, Best Actor in a Leading Role, was nominated for 7 Golden Globes and still remains on the Greatest Movies of All Time.

 

But what is it that made Forrest Gump so successful? What was it that touched the hearts of millions?  In this section, we’ll explore Forrest Gump’s presence at Universal Studios and how the movie immerses the audience in a new reality.

 

Bubba Gump Shrimp Company

 

The sound of laughter and clinking glasses. Families sit on bright red and blue chairs circling wooden tables. Each table has a mini centerpiece seemingly blaring “Run, Forrest Run.”  Welcome to Bubba Gump Shrimp Company Restaurant & Market. 

 

Started in 1996, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company is a continuation of the movie Forrest Gump in the real world. It’s located in Universal Studio’s CityWalk, three blocks of food, shopping, and entertainment from around the world. Visitors pass through American Rock ‘n Roll at the Hard Rock Cafe and Mexican Mariachi bands at Camacho’s Cuisine, taking a whirlwind trip through time and place. This concentration of culture creates a unique place self-proclaimed the “crossroads of culinary delights.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So how does Bubba Gump Shrimp Company create its own sense of place along Universal Studio’s CityWalk? In fact, how can they recreate a place and time that was fictional to begin with? Let’s take a journey along Universal Studios Citywalk.

 

Lured in by the neon lit quotes loudly proclaiming “shrimp is the fruit of the of the sea” and New Orleans style filament lights, visitors are instantly transported into a lively, bustling restaurant. From the wooden walls and tables to the hodgepodge array of framed photos from the movie, the atmosphere instantly evokes the carefree and wild ride of the Forrest Gump movie. The “Run Forrest Run” signs on the buffet, the quotes on the table, and the waiters playing Forrest Gump trivia surround guests with snippets and scenes from the movie. Even the food itself, from “Jenny’s Catch” to the “Bourbon Street Mahi Mahi” hearken back to the famous characters and scenes, and the flavor further transports visitors into the world of Bubba Gump Shrimp Company. It’s impossible to be in this restaurant without being swept in Forrest Gump, and from the small details to the larger atmosphere, everything helps engage the visitors and evoke this sense of place.

 

Interestingly, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company isn’t even portrayed in the original movie. Rather, it extends the storyline past that of the movie itself. In Forrest Gump, Forrest meets Bubba in the army, his best friend and soldier from New Orleans who dreams of going into the shrimping business after his time in the army, and the two promise to start a shrimping company together after the war. Bubba dies, but after being discharged from the army, Forrest builds a shrimping company in his memory. The shrimping company is never pictured in the movie, but is one of Forrest’s many serendipitous ventures. Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, the restaurant, creates this imaginary shrimping company and makes it a reality, reenvisioning the influences of New Orleans and Forrest Gump.

 

In front of the restaurant, is the iconic Forrest Gump bus bench. This place is one of the most memorable from the movie: in the opening scene, a feather lands at Forrest’s feet as he sits on the bench with a box of chocolates. The movie returns to this place several times, and each time, the scene focuses only on the bench, Forrest, and his shoes. The original bench is located in Chippewa Square in Savannah, Georgia, but the Forrest Gump Shrimp Company brings this bench to its restaurants. Here, visitors can put their feet into Forrest’s running shoes and sit on a bench like the one from the movie, with their briefcase and box of chocolates on the side. While obviously not the same as the movie set, sitting in this place transports people to that iconic scene in space and time, letting them envision themselves as Forrest ready to tell his life story. In this case, it is a few iconic items - the bench, the shoes, the briefcase, and the chocolate - that singlehandedly evoke the atmosphere of the movie.

 

Bubba Gump Shrimp Company now has locations in Florida and even San Francisco. It brings this same strong sense of place of Forrest Gump and New Orleans dining to each of its locations. To some it might seem that its conspicuous presence creates a strong incongruity of place that detracts from the places it's in. However, it is this very incongruity that is most reminiscent of a movie. Movies serve as an escape from our reality, an experience that transports us out of our day to day lives to that of the protagonist. Similarly, the experience of walking into the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company instantly transports its visitors to the world of Forrest Gump and New Orleans cuisine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forrest Gump Creating an Alternate Reality

 

Humans like to be in control. We like to be able to determine our own fate or, at least, know what is going to happen to us in the future. However, as we all know, life does not always work out as we plan. No matter how hard we try, we can never make things go exactly as we want them to. There are too many variables, too many what-ifs, too many things left to chance. Humans cannot control their reality. So, we create realities that we can control, that we can anticipate, so that we can escape from our reality of lost chances and broken dreams. We create virtual realities that allow us to forget our world and visit a new one, at least for a little while. We create movies.

 

The writers, directors, and actors of a movie create a new world, a new reality, for the movie’s viewers. When we watch a movie, we become fully enveloped in it. The characters become our friends, our family, or even ourselves, the sets become our homes, the plot becomes our life. This artificial reality becomes our temporary reality, and we completely buy into it. Why do we buy into it? Because in movies, everything is controlled. We know that, in the end, everything will turn out well. The protagonist will win and, therefore, we will win. This assurance gives us comfort and stability, and we hold onto this in the transition back to our real life. The reality of the movie gives us a break from the tolls of the real world but, more importantly, it gives us hope that our reality could also have a happy ending, that everything can workout, that there is light at the end of the tunnel. We watch movies to alter our reality with an artificial injection of hope and blind faith.

 

If we hone in on one movie in particular, Forrest Gump, we find this archetype holds true. Forrest Gump’s life is full of surprises. Forrest Gump travels all across the world, from Greenbough Alabama, to Vietnam, to New York City and Washington D.C. Somehow he manages to fall into every historically relevant event from the 1960s to the 1980s, he chases the love of his life for decades, he loves his mother, and he approaches everything with a blind faith that everything is going to work out. So what happens? Everything works out! Of course he is met by adversity, and his best friend, mother, and wife all eventually die. But in the end, he has a beautiful son who he loves more than anything in the world, he has millions of dollars to sit on and a beautiful old house, he has wisdom and insight into what life is really all about, and, most importantly, he has an incredible story to tell.

 

When we enter the world of Forrest Gump, we connect with his character, we see ourselves in him. Therefore, when he gains this wisdom so do we, when he follows his heart and succeeds, so do we, when he approaches life with blind faith and hope, so do we. The movie is two hours and twenty five minutes of hope and faith. We enter this reality and latch onto this hope and faith right alongside Forrest. And, when we return to our own reality, our own lives, we hold this hope and faith with us. We incorporate them into ourselves and, as a result, our lives become a little brighter and our reality becomes a little easier to bear.

 

This is the goal of the movie. Not just to tell a story, not just to send a message, but to deeply affect the viewer. The movie injects hope into the viewer’s life which truly is a magical phenomenon. But is the reality of the movie real? When we watch a movie, do we actually leave our current reality and enter a new one? Does this alternate reality truly exist?

 

Yes it does. When we watch a movie, we leave behind our perception of the world around us. Time no longer depends on the clock, it is relative to the events of the movie. Space is no longer defined by the walls of the theatre or living room, it is defined by the world within the screen. Space and time are the primary tools with which we interact with reality, so when we transfer over to the time and space of the movie we are actually transferring over to the reality of the movie as well. What we see and hear, what we perceive, is real and these senses allow us to interact with the alternate reality of the movie. However, there is a more subtle, but equally as important, piece of evidence that proves that the reality of the movie is, in fact, real.

 

The reality of the movie has evident effects on the viewer. After watching a movie, the viewer retains ideas and emotions that have been absorbed while existing within the realm of the movie. This ideas can impact the way we live, the way we interact with one another, and the way we perceive our own reality. For example, after watching Forrest Gump, many viewers ponder whether things in life happen for a reason as part of a larger plan or whether there is no rhyme or reason for it all. But they have been swayed by Forrest’s view and by the events of his life. Forrest present a very interesting idea near the end of the movie:

 

 “I don't know if we each have a destiny, or if we're all just floating around accidental-like on a breeze, but I, I think maybe it's both. Maybe both is happening at the same time.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This idea is absorbed by the mind of the viewer to contemplate and consider. Therefore the reality of the movie has taken an abstract shape in our reality. Furthermore, the hope created in the reality of Forrest Gump travels across the threshold into our lives as well. The beautiful moments of love, compassion, empathy, and victory in the movie affect the viewer in a very positive manner which can create a response of hope in our reality. Movies allow us to enter a new reality and this reality leaves footprints within our reality and life.

 

So take advantage of these alternate realities like those in Forrest Gump to get a boost of hope and faith. Absorb the love and compassion in the reality of the movie and allow it to shine in your own reality and life. The magic of the movies is not simply the story, the magic of the movies is the ability for the movie to positively impact the real world.

 

Forrest’s Run Across America: How Movie Treats Place

 

One of the most memorable movie scenes of all time is Forrest’s run across the United States. Just on a whim, Forrest decides to go on a jog, and his jog turns into a three year journey across the United States. He passes through Mississippi, Santa Monica, CA, Flagstaff, Arizona, and Marshall Point Lighthouse in Maine. Each of these places whizz by, and in only 7 minutes of movie time, his jog is over, having taken us on a lightning tour of the United States.

 

This scene treats place and travel starkly differently from other movies. Usually, as a character travels through place, he learns and grows from his surrounding environment and changes because of his journey. In contrast, Forrest decides to go on his run for “no particular reason,” and as Forrest nonchalantly travels through scene after scene, he remains the same - carefree and running on a whim. The iconic background scenes flash by, and each passes by overshadowed by Forrest running in the foreground. Here, place becomes a tool to build the character of Forrest Gump.

 

We recognize each of these places, and yet many of these scenes were filmed in completely different locations. For instance, the scene where Forrest runs across the Mississippi river with the film crew is filmed on the Beaufort River in South Carolina. It’s the narrative of Forrest Gump and the signs on the bridge that convince the viewer that what they are seeing is the Mississippi River. Using filming techniques like these to take advantage of travel and place, the movie creates a sense of Forrest Gump’s carefree luck and serendipity. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interview with Award-winning Producer Andrew Adelson

 

Movies like Forrest Gump transport viewers into a new reality whether it is through their story, the scenes the hero lives in or the commericialization of the film. Most of us experience movies through watching the final edited cut or visiting renditions of the movies’ iconic scenes like the Forrest Gump Bubba Gump Shrimp Comany restaurant. As viewers, we do not experience the process of making the movie except for a few “behind-the-scene” clips or “inside looks” with directors and actors. The creative team behind a movie includes producers, directors, writers, actors, designers for costume, light, sound and more. The creative team works together over months to create the final video we can relish. To understand more the meaning of movie, we interviewed Andrew Adelson, award-winning film and TV producer. In the interview, he helps us understand the creative team’s point of view when creating a movie, developing characters, and commercializing blockbuster films, all to submerge the viewer into a new reality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a producer, what draws you to certain projects?

 

What always drew me to projects, the ones that loved I loved the most was--first of all, a protagonist in any story has to want something very very much and that’s the story--how they’re gonna get and what happens when they get it. 

 

And I was attracted to people who wanted redemption and there are a lot of movies like that. And if it wasn’t redemption it was a character who at the end of the second act was down to nothing and had a choice to make: stepping up or not stepping up. and how were they going to step and in so doing, achieve what they wanted. 

 

If you look at the story structure, the first act is establishing of what the journey is going to be—a journey that takes somebody out of their normal world and sets them on their way. The second act is going after that goal, but hitting one challenge after the other. In each one of those challenges sets up a decision and a choice that the protagonist has to make and that tells the audience what kind of person that person is. At the end of the second act, they hit their lowest point and I always look for that lowest point and I felt that if I saw a story that had a clear lowest point, I had a movie. 

 

You say the protagonist is pulled out into a new world, does that apply to the audience when they watch the movie?  

 

Well the audience is in a new world just by being there—from the beginning. There’s a thing called the "suspension of disbelief" that goes along with the film and the audience has to suspend their sense of disbelief. The audience has to be with the protagonist as he or she goes into that new world and accept that choice and believe it.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you to make the movie believable and credible? 

 

Just try to be honest. I didn’t do big commercial films, I did big commercial television projects-mini series and I had different demands. My approach was to keep it honest—inside the character, the audience should see honesty. If you do that, most people want that—they want that from other people, they want that for themselves. Let’s say it’s a business situation, is the character going to screw his partner or not? Whatever choice he makes has to be honest to his character, and if it isn’t the audience will know it, they will absolutely know it. That’s the psychology of each character—not just the protagonist but each character. 

 

Why do you think people go to watch movies / TV? 

 

It’s relaxing, it’s a release. Sometimes to learn something. Sometimes to have a thrillride. Sometimes to be with other people in a room and experience it with other people. To feel something emotionally. To empathize emotionally with the story and the characters. It’s a way of connections. 

 

People watch movies for entertainment. I don’t think it’s necessarily an issue of satisfaction—lot’s of people go to movies are perfectly satisfied with their lives. Generally, people love good movies and televisions. Because they’re fun and sometimes they’re excruciating.

 

Like Birdman! Did you see Birdman? 

 

No, I haven’t… 

 

It won the Oscar a couple years ago and it’s an excruciating movie psychologically and it's amazing. I just was lifted out of my seat just the way the filmmaker chose to shoot it which was remarkable and the characters and what they were going through.

 

Is there another movie that you admire? A movie that was made right? 

 

There was a movie—an old movie that taught me my biggest lesson in filmmaking. On the Waterfront with Marlon Brando directed by Elia Kazan and he’s a guy who’s kinda a bum, an x-boxer, he’s an enforcer for the union which is crooked kinda mafia-like on the docks. His backstory was his brother who was one of these guys made him throw his title fight—means lose it on purpose to make a lot of money betting on it—and in his lowest point he says “I could have been a contender.” Great moment. It just sums up his life. That line, “I could have been a contender” is something I look for. That’s the lowest moment I look for. 

 

Other good movies—Godfather2 is the best movie ever made. It had historical context, it had a full range of character that went to the dark side —it was brilliant. 

 

As part of the creative team, is there anything you do that people don’t normally think about in terms of preparatory work? 

 

I start before the script. I'd either buy a book or have an idea and then sell it to the network. Then we’d hire a writer and I’d work with the writer in developing the script. It’s kinda like being an editor. That’s what executive producers do. Then if the network says they want go forward with it, I work with the director. My job is to convey to the director what is important behind the scenes — the thought process of its development. I let it go to the next step which is the director adds something a whole lot better. My job is to shepherd from beginning to end and keep it in a straight line with my original intentions. It wasn’t that hard if the people were good. 

 

Some movies create a fanbase such as Harry Potter, Forrest Gump and people create real world manifestations like Bubba Gump Shrimp Company Restaurant—what are your thoughts when people create monuments of a movie? 

 

I think it’s great. I’m not a purist when it comes to film. Harry Potter is a commercial enterprise. It’s nothing but. I love the books. I love the films. But they’re made for big audiences, it’s a multi-billion dollar enterprise. They make restaurants, make merchandise and that’s the job of the studio. I have no problem with that. If they make rides at Universal Studios that’s the job, that’s the business. If you do it to an art film, that’s a bit tough to take but I don’t think anyone will because the audience isn’t big enough or it’s a different audience. 

 

Thoughts on Forrest Gump? 

 

I love that movie. Why?

 

After watching the movie, we were trying to figure out why do people love it so much—is it the stellar performance of Tom Hanks who portrays a slower-minded character, or that he travels to different places or that he gets caught in history? What is its appeal? 

 

It’s everything. It’s all wonderfully written, wonderfully directed, brilliantly acted. It was emotional and true to itself. Tom Hanks played a tough job.  

 

There’s a joke about a movie of actors going “full--excuse me for this term--retard” but Tom Hanks didn’t do that. He found a point that was really brilliantly held. It’s hard to say why people love something so much. It just works on every level. It’s all that stuff—everything you mentioned.

 

How do you choose where to film movies—for sets. 

 

It’s a combination of the look and the money. I did a lot of filming in Vancouver and Toronto for pictures that were American because at the time it was 80 cents on the Canadian dollar and there were tax incentives and the look was close enough. We made sure to limit the camera so we wouldn’t shoot anything not appropriate. Making movies is always a fight between money versus art. And you have to find the right combination. 

 

~~End of interview~~

 

This interview shows us how the creative team uses movies to make audiences feel something. From the get-go, they should be immersed in a new reality as in the suspension of disbelief and travel with the protagonist as he gets a call to action and steps out of his comfort zone. Commercialization of movies, manifesting parts of it through souvenirs or restaurants in the real world, is simply part of the movie business. Movies like Forrest Gump are an emotional experience that complements our real worlds.

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Written by Dunchadhn Lyons, Kate Park, and Brandon Yang
Poem by Tyler Dougan