Neve's textual analysis of 'shutter island'

Textual analysis of 'shutter island'
 -Camerawork
-Sound
-Mise en scene
-Editing
-Media terms

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Scene 1- The thriller starts with a white screen, This confuses the audience because they're wondering why the screen has turned white, The camera fades until we can see the shape of a boat coming towards us, This is filmed in an extreme long shot and wide shot. Because it shows the audience the boats surroundings. The boat looks old perhaps a workingman ship. This setting  feels eerie and dangerous because we cant see much, This makes the audience wonder whats going on. The shot shows how isolated they are and how vulnerable they are at sea alone.
There is non-diegetic sound of the sea splashing against the boat calmly however there is also a sound of a low loud horn that makes us feel unnerved and the feeling that the journey may be over.
The lighting is natural bright light however the mist makes it seem darker.

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 Scene 2- There is a cut, This scene we can hear and see is  a man being sick, Presumably sea sick. This is shown in a long shot, The props they have used are metal chains hanging from the roof, immediately this makes the audience think that this is a place where they keep people hostage and hurt them. We can also hear the chains hitting the wall the sound makes us feel like bad things have happened here, And chains are a sign of danger in most thriller films. The lighting is low key lighting however. His clothes look dark and smart, This suggests he might be on some kind of business deal.

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Scene 3-This is a mid/close up shot of the man looking into the mirror with an angry expression on his face this forshadows what he may feel later on, He has washed his face to hide his feelings and hide his weakness from anyone else on the ship. He tells himself to get himself together as he lifts his head, shaking in appearance is starting to look rough and show weakness in him. The stress he puts on himself to get together creates a feeling that makes us think he needs to be strong for something, a fight? The lighting on his body unreflected is limited, It is almost a shadow of darkness behind him. He looks angry and fed up however his body language suggests that he is ready for a fight. There is another close up of him talking to himself, however this time we are in the mirror as if he was looking into us, this gives the audience the feeling that they are involved in it.

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Scene 4- After he gets himself together he walks up to the top of the boat with the camera dolly tracking him through the chains and into a natural bright light on deck. Where he sees a man standing on deck  character 1s body language and facial expression began to look tense and slightly confused. We see a mid shot of his head and shoulders looking at a man on deck. There is a quiet sound of water and low noises that resemble boat noises, the non diegetic sound is heightened and makes it seem creepy because the boats making weird noises like they did many years ago.we then see a long shot p.o.v of the man on deck through a metal fence this initially makes us think that the man behind the wire and below deck is the protagonist, why would he look at the other man like that if they didn't know eachother.

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Scene 5-   In this scene both characters meet for the first time greeting eachother as new partners, partners in what? the costumes imply they are of the same level and neither one of them is in control. The continuity editing techniques in this opening are mostly p.o.v and cuts, side on shots.the characters discuss there past relationships this makes us relax as they get on and there is no tension however there is a flashback when the man says about his wife dying, his body language changes and in the flashback we are shown his wife, the slow motion creates the effect that something will happen, and creates a dangerous feeling. we see a close up cut in shot of both there feet, the wife is helping him get ready and she is not getting ready i can connote that she is a stay at home wife and perhaps she dies whilst he s at work. this is forshadowing there future relationship.

The narrative is linear and subjective at times, It has been made chronologically except the flashback scene. However in my opinion it doesn't seem like a thriller opening because it doesn't create suspense or worry.