Shutter Island (2010) - Film Opening Deconstruction

Synopsis

"Shutter Island is a 2010 American neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese, based on Dennis Lehane's 2003 novel of the same name. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as U.S. Marshal Edward "Teddy" Daniels, who is investigating a psychiatric facility on Shutter Island after one of the patients goes missing. Mark Ruffalo plays his partner officer; Ben Kingsley is the facility's lead psychiatrist; and Michelle Williams is Daniels' wife. Receiving generally favourable reviews from critics, the film grossed over $294 million at the box office."

Shutter Island (2010 film) n.d. In Wikipedia. Retrieved 23rd November 2016 from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shutter_Island_(film)

Producers & distributors : Paramount Pictures

"Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film studio, television production company and motion picture distributor, consistently ranked as one of the "Big Six" film studios of Hollywood. It is a subsidiary of U.S. media conglomerate Viacom. Paramount is a member of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA).
In 2014, Paramount Pictures became the first major Hollywood studio to distribute all of its films in digital-form only.
Paramount is the fifth oldest surviving film studio in the world, the second oldest surviving film studio in the United States, and the sole member of the "Big Six" major film studios which is still located in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Hollywood."

Paramount Pictures n.d. In Wikipedia. Retrieved 23rd November 2016 from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramount_Pictures

Productions of note include:

• Ghost (1990), directed by Jerry Zuger. Budget: $22 million Box office gross: $505.7 million.

• Forrest Gump (1994), directed by Robert Zemeckis. Budget: $55 million. Box office gross: $677.9 million.

• Titanic (1997), directed by James Cameron. Budget: $200 million. Box office gross: $2.187 billion.

• Transformers (2007), directed by Michael Bay. Budget: $150 million. Box office gross: $709.7 million.

• Kung Fu Panda (2009), directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne. Budget: $130 million. Box office gross: $631.7 million.

• Shutter Island (2010), directed by Martin Scorsese. Budget: $80 million. Box office gross: $294.8 million.

• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), directed by Jonathan Liebesman. Budget: $125 million. Box office gross: $493.3 million.

Distributions of note include:

• Thinner (1996), Budget: $14 million, Box office gross: $15.3 million.

• Over the Hedge (2006), Budget: $80 million, Box office gross: $336 million. 

• Flushed Away (2006), Budget: $149 million, Box office gross: $178.1 million. 

• Shrek the Third (2007), Budget: 160 million, Box office gross: $799 million.

• Bee Movie (2007), Budget: $150 million, Box office gross: $287.6 million.

• Iron Man (2008), Budget: $140 million, Box office gross: $585.2 million.

• Megamind (2010), Budget: $130 million, Box office gross: $321.8 million.

• Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012), Budget: $145 million, Box office gross: 746.9 million

Timeline

• 00:00 - 0:04: The video begins with a black screen. It then fades to a shot of a darkly lit corridor. The music starts and is low and tense. The words 'A Film By Martin Scorsese' appear in red capitals, transitioning in as if it is representing a flickering lightbulb- typically used for dark themed settings. (1 shot)

• 00:04 - 0:09: It then fades into a sequence of a spinning shot of a spiral staircase. This adds an element of illusion and confusion. The words 'Produced by Micky Medavoy Arnold Messer' appear in red capitals using the same transition. A high note is added to the long low notes to add more tension. (1 shot)

• 00:09 - 0:12: The scene then fades to a sequence of a shot of a gate that is lit with lowkey-lighting. There is also visible rain happening in this scene which adds to the morbid mise-en-scene. The music is still eerie and briefly goes quiet adding to the tension before carrying on whilst the words 'Screenplay By Laeta Kalogriois' transition on the same way as the previous scenes. (1 shot)

• 00:12 - 0:16: The scene then fades to a close up of a hand that looks as if it is shaking and is pressed against the floor- adding to tension. The words 'Based On A Novel By Dennis Lehane' appear at the same time but this time in white text, not read suggesting a change in scene. (1 shot)

• 0:16 - 0:25: The music suddenly becomes a loud crash and goes dark as if someone is walking in front and covering the camera. It then quickly cuts to a long shot of an opening of a gate and the camera is moving forwards at a fast rate. As the camera nears the gates they are opened and the camera goes through whilst the music is a long quiet low note. (1 shot)

• 00:25 - 0:30: The music then becomes louder before reaching its loudest point and the screen suddenly goes black. It then cuts to a close up behind shot of someone before starting an 180 degree shot around them. There are flames that are clearly visible in the background adding suspense and danger. (1 shot)

• 00:30 - 0:36: The sequence then fades into a shot of a gun and a foot stepping on top of it and dragging it away. This adds a sense of crime or danger to the scene. (1 shot)

• 00:36 - 0:40: This then fades into a dark shot with snow falling down across the screen. The music becomes one long eerie note during this shot, creating a sense of tension and danger in the mise en scene. (1 shot)

• 00:40 - 0:45: The long note of music carries onto the next shot which depicts a dark room only lit by light coming through a barred door. There are handcuffs and chains in the room presenting a prison-like theme which links with the shot of the gates earlier. (1 shot)

• 00:45 - 0:52: The music suddenly takes a dramatic turn and becomes loud with many short beats playing. It fades into a black screen with the music still playing and then fades into one long note before playing a loud note at the same time a match is struck, adding more tension. (2 shots)

• 00:52 - 0:55: The screen goes black again before quickly cutting to a long shot of an island at the same time of the loud beat. The whole mise-en-scene is dark and looks isolated- linking to the prison theme. (2 shots)

• 00:55 - 1:01: The screen suddenly goes black and plays out the long note before playing the loud note and the words 'SHUTTER ISLAND' suddenly appear on the screen in big red capitals. As soon as the words appear they start to zoom in towards the 'audience', adding a visual tension. (2 shots)

Mise en scene

Setting

• The first aspect of setting we see is outside a building with gates with guards standing by them. This suggests that it is either an important place such as a royal castle or a prison. Even though it is daylight, the dark surroundings looming over the building suggest it is a dark negative place. The guards standing outside suggest the people inside are trapped and isolated, adding effect.

• This shot then depicts of a dark room with handcuffs and chains, only lit by the barred door and small window, giving the impression of a prison. The limited light emphasises the lack of freedom and positivity.

Lighting

• Low-key lighting is used throughout the film opening to create a dark and eerie atmosphere. It also represents how the themes of this film is dark and not bright and cheerful. The dark atmosphere creates shadows and a sense of fear. As well as little lighting, dark colours are also used in the mise en scene such as blacks, greys and browns which are bleak and link to the setting of a prison.

Key Shots, Camera Movements, and Edits

00:00 - 00:04

• The movie opening begins with a black screen before fading into a long shot of a corridor from a setting similar to a prison. The frame is lit by the dim lamps hanging from the ceiling, creating many shadows and the majority of the shot being dark, exaggerating the tense atmosphere. There are also drips coming down from the ceiling showing that, by there being a leak, it is not well looked after. The prison cells look empty suggesting that it is abandoned. The music is an elongated low note to highlight the tension.

00:08 - 00:12

• This shot is a long shot of a gate in the distance. The frame is dark as the low-key lighting is only provided by the light in the distance acting as a spotlight on the gate. The addition of rain adds to the morbid mise en scene. The music that had been playing throughout the rest of the shots goes silent, adding to the tension, making the audience anxious as to what is going to happen.

00:12 - 00:16

• This shot is an extreme close up of a male's hand, with the identity of the person being hidden as only the hand is shown. It is pressed against the concrete ground with some force suggesting that this person is putting some of their weight onto it. This is also shown by the hand shaking quite viciously as if they were supporting themselves on it, as well as showing a sort of physical struggle. The music gets louder throughout until the end of the shot when the hand moves suddenly and part of the ground moves by the force of their hand. A noise similar to thunder suddenly plays over the music before the screen goes blank.

00:16 - 00:26

• After the loud crash of music and blank screen, the camera then shows a long shot of the front of a building with a large gate, and moving towards it on a tracking shot. As the camera gets closer, the gates are opened by two guards adding more tension as there is suspense as to what is behind. As the camera moves through the gate the music plays an elongated low note before gradually getting louder before making a loud noise similar to before and the screen quickly cuts to a dark blank screen.

00:30 - 00:36

• This shot is a close up of a silver gun laying on the floor and a foot gently stepping on it and dragging it away. The sense of discreteness suggests that they shouldn't be with a gun and adds a sense of crime and danger to the thrilling theme. As the gun could be seen as hidden, this may be interpreted as a metaphor for the hidden identity of the person taking it. The music goes quiet and plays a low note that sounds like it is from a wind instrument, adding to the tension.

00:40 - 00:45

• The shot is faded into a dark lit room, with the only light provided from the door which looks like a cage door, linking to the idea of the prison setting. The room has dark tiled walls giving a cold feeling to the scene, as well as the empty room with no belongings as if anyone who had possibly been there before doesn't exist, or anyone who is put there is stripped of their identity. The handcuffs and chains also present a prison-like theme and adds to the idea of torture and discomfort. The limited lighting emphasises the lack of freedom and positivity, especially as both the door and the tiny window are barred. The music throughout this scene slowly becomes louder and higher-pitched, highlighting the growing tension.

00:45 - 00:51

• The music then takes a dramatic turn and the beats are closer together and loud. This implies that the tension is at its highest. The screen turns black whilst playing the loud sudden beats and on one of the beats, the darkness is suddenly interrupted with a strike of a single match, emphasising the tension, and makes the audience feel anxious. The hidden identity of this person, as only their hands holding the matchbox and match are shown in the close up shot, suggests that they are not meant to be there, adding to the thrilling theme.

00:51 - 00:56

• The screen goes black instantly and the music goes silent. Then the loud beat plays again whilst the screen presents an extreme long shot of an island. The frame is dark with the colours of blue and black being emphasised, giving a cold feel to the shot. The use of colours also gives an idea that this island is isolated as no sign of life or colour is shown. This leads onto the idea that this is where the prison is held, linking to earlier shots. As well as this, the idea of the isolated island may link to the title of the film of 'Shutter Island' perhaps meaning 'shut away island', foreshadowing the rest of the film.

From this film opening, low-key lighting and low beat music contribute to building up suspense to keep the viewer on edge. Unlike other thriller films, this opening sets a fast pace which I think is more effective. Therefore, in my film opening I will consider using these conventions to create a suspenseful thriller.