shutter island opening scene analysis

Shutter island analysis

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pD7jDzI5mg&list=WL&index=32

 I have chosen to analyse the opening scene to this movie as it is has a similar sort of layout to the movie myself and Morgan want to produce for our final opening scene. Our main genre we want to focus on is mystery. Our movie as a whole will have a twist at the end and will include a person with a mental disorder which is very similar to this movie.

This opening shot fades in from black giving the opening scene a dark feel. The shot is an establishing shot showing a corridor of what looks like a prison. It’s confined and empty which adds to the creepy atmosphere. The red font intones danger and gets the viewer prepared for a dangerous movie with hint of blood. The fact that no character has been shown helps build tension and confusion for the viewer. The lighting is dulled to add to the dark storyline and help set the scene. The music in the background sounds like a harp playing and its out of tune, this makes for a very stereotypically creepy atmosphere. It’s like something you would hear from a horror movie when you hear a wind-up toy. The shot instantly sets you up for a mystery movie with a lot of suspense.

 

The first shot then dips into black and back out again and fades into the next shot which is an aerial shot that is spinning. It shows a spiral staircase and this could represent that the character will spiral down a deep hole and that the movie will end up spiralling into chaos. The black and white in contrast with the red makes it stand out which makes it even more imminent and important as it reflects what the viewer is about to watch. This shot is something you would stereotypically see in a film noir film. This opening scene starts out with montage editing and tells a story, sets the scene and tone of the movie. This opening scene also used a lot of visual effects. All of the sound heard throughout the opening scene is non-diegetic with sound perspectives. As this shot plays, the sound intensifies adding a low pitch sound under the high pitched harp to unsettle the viewer.

Like every transition in this opening scene it dips into black into the next shot.In this shot the sound lowers getting rid of the harp and just having the low pitch sound underneath with lower sound to create a sense of emptiness. In this shot you see water droplets that make the room look unkempt and abandoned. If this room later links to the character it could represent how he is feeling and his emotional state. The hints of red behind the open door could show that freedom from this room could be dangerous. The shot is a long shot combined with an establishing shot. The open doors contradict the closed cell door in the first shot. These shots of the building make it seem as if it’s a labyrinth with no escape which further unsettles the reader.

This shot really grabs the viewer attention because it’s the first close up we see and because it is of a hand of an unidentified person it shows that they are very important. The hand moves agitatedly which make it seem that the character is unsettled and has problems moving. The hand traces the crack in the concrete as they may have a past memory of that place and they are tracing back to it and trembling as the memory is most likely unpleasant. The opening credit is now in a sharper font which gives the shot a different feel. White connotates innocence which could mean that the character is innocent. The change in colour and of font resonates with the change in shot type. Also at this point the music yet again intensifies shocking the viewer, also the moving credits show that the character is no longer innocent and also add to the intense creepy atmosphere.

As the shot fades to black the music instantly drops again and unsettles the viewer. The colour of the font now stays consistent as we now get brighter shots with more colour, the music intensifies to make up for the slight loss of creepy atmosphere. The gates open in this shot to reveal the place with what we presume the rooms that we have just seen in it through an establishing shot. The shot is edited with a zoom alongside what seems to be a track. This makes the reveal of the setting even more powerful and dramatic. The shot shakes at it moves to again unsettle the viewer. Some of these shots may be flash backs or forwards but in is unclear. The music yet again intensifies as the shot comes to an end.

 

We then get a dramatic silence as we get another shot showing one of the characters, maybe the protagonist in an over the shoulder shot. In the background you can see flames which are usually a sign of danger and destruction. Yet again in this shot we see the red tones. The fire could suggest that the character has a burning passion abut a certain thing or that the character is destructive, violent and dangerous to others.

Before the next shot we see a quick glimpse of something gold and then it fades into this shot with a character standing on a gun. This implies that the character is fed up of violence and is angry; he wants to stand against it. The foot also drags it away as if the character is determined to get rid of it themselves. At this point the music in the background is still relatively quiet and keeping the tone of the atmosphere. The gun shown implies that someone might get shot or injured during the movie.

 In this shot it goes back to the film noir affect. The snow shown contradicts the fire we see in the earlier shot. It makes the character that we see for a brief second at the edge of the shot seem like a cold hearted character that is isolated in the dark. The white snow could again hint at the characters innocence. Also in this scene we have a bit of the harp come back into the music almost making the montage do a sort of loop. The music slightly intensifies midway through this shot as if its building up again. The shot is a long shot.

 

In this shot violins start to play to help intensify the moment and to add slight diversity to the music and moment to get the viewer to pay attention to this room. This is an establishing shot with a slight tilt from a low angle. The room that we see seems to be a prison cell. It unnerves the viewer as it is empty and still seems to be locked. The light shining through the door and window make it look as if the outside world is so much brighter and offers freedom. The dark colours make you feel as if you are trapped and can be used to create a clostraphobic feel.

 

Before this shot you see a gate with a dark background to again enhance the trapped feel the scene gives off, then see dark for a long time until a character lights a match as stereotypically seen in horror movies. As the character lights the match the music intensifies for a moment to add effect and make the viewer jump. The match can represent the characters last little bit of hope that they are clinging onto. The shot is an extreme close up.

There is a long period of black before the next shot fades in; this is to make the viewer really pay attention to this shot. It’s an extreme long shot with an establishing shot. It shows how big the island is and how isolated it is.  The shot zooms which help intensify the creepy effect and look of the island as it does this the music also intensifies and at the very last shot it builds into a sudden climax. You can see a building in the background which is most likely the building we see earlier on that looks like a prison of some sort. It’s very similar to Alcatraz.

As the final shot plays (the final shot is the one seen at the top of the post) you see the title of the movie in red in the same font we saw in the beginning. This brings the opening scene into a loop. Also as the shot zooms in on the title it makes the end of the scene very climatic and the viewer is dragged in on the edge of their seat wanting to know every story and reason behind every shot and finally who the character is.

  





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