Shutter Island Opening

Shutter Island Opening Sequence

 The first shot shows a dark, wet prison corridor with low lighting and shadows. There are no characters within this yet there appears to be a figure laying face down on the floor in a cell. This could link with a crime/ horror sub-genre as the audience is unaware if the figure is alive or not.  The music is mysterious and dramatic, while the corridor zooms in with water dipping down and lights fading out into darkness. The director Martin Scorsese, famous for thriller films, gives the audience a feel of what type of storyline it will be. 

 This scene shows a dark lit room with only a small window for light and a caged door slightly open. Water is shown dipping down to create a sense of mystery, usually associated with the thriller genre. There appears to be a cannon in the corner of the room, relating to themes of violence. The low lighting  effects the audiences senses creating a tension of what could happen.

 This features a close up of a mans hand, portraying that he is leaning down to uncover something under the floor by removing a floor board. This makes the audience contemplate what could be hidden under there and why it was hidden from others in the first place. The director has used a close up so the characters face, location and figure is not seen, creating a mystery of who it could be. 

 This shows four security guards dressed in their uniform opening wide two sets of metal gates to a location that is seen to be of high importance, closely monitoring who enters. In the distance there is a big building with small windows being blocked out of view by trees. The scene zooms closer to the second set of gates making it seem like you’re in a car driving in.

This is a close up of a high raised arm chair which blocks the focus so the audience cannot see who the character is that is sat on it.  The location is not shown giving mystery as to what could be going on. The actor “Ben Kingsley” is credited as he is clearly an important character within the film and promotes him in other previous roles.

This scene shows a mans black shoe resting on a shiny silver gun symbolising violence, relating to a sub-genre of crime and themes of murder  that are suggested to occur throughout. Yet again the director has chosen to use a close-up to not give the character away, so the audience continues to contemplate. Furthermore another very famous actor is credited  “Leonardo DiCaprio” who frequently appears in crime films. 

Simple text is used to not take the attention away from the scenes that are appearing and fading in and out in the background. Rain is commonly used within thriller genres as it creates a dark eerie mood, along with the low lighting throughout the opening.  

 This shows a prison looking location with little lighting, featuring chains and hand cuffs, portraying a theme of violence.

Yet again the character's face and figure is not shown making the audience wonder who it is. The lighting of the match shows that the scene is dark and there must be low lighting.

This is an establishing shot showing an Island that appears to only have a few buildings. As the title is "Shutter Island" it is apparent that this is where the majority of the film will be set, the lighting is dark still with low clouds making the island look even more mysterious.

By Rhianna Henson-Smith