This first
shot is an extreme close up shot of a single shell casing lying on the ground.
This denotes that a bullet has been fired from a weapon, inferring that an act
of criminality or violence has just occurred. Through the use of techniques
such as rule of thirds and the golden mean, it is evident that the shell casing
is intentionally placed in the centre of the shot and is made to be the most
important and most apparent object to the viewer. This is further supported by
the out of focus and blurred background, forcing the viewer to remain focused
on the object in the foreground. Tension and suspense is effectively created
through framing, as due to the fact the camera focuses solely on the shell
casing, the audience are not immediately privy to the identity of the shooter,
where the bullet has travelled and the purpose of the shooting. Dull and
relatively poor lighting infers to the viewer danger and creates a sullen and
sombre atmosphere. The previous and following shots similarly are close ups and
serve the purpose of slowly piecing together the events of the shooting without
identifying either the shooter or the victim.
The second
shot is of a canted angle view of the ground with blood evidently running up
the screen. Using a canted angle supports the chaotic and unnatural nature of
the opening scene, due to the entire opening scene being played backwards.
Similarly to the first shot, the centre of the shot is the key point of
interest, emphasising the brutality of the events the viewer has not yet seen.
The position of the camera itself is quite low down, almost lying on the ground
similar to that of a low angle shot. This may be inferring power and
intimidation, and the shooter’s advantageous position above the victim. Due to
the shot’s ambiguousness, it is possible that this shot could be a point of
view shot from the perspective of the victim, lying on the ground. Both the
left and the right side of the shot are blurred, with the only remaining point
left in focus being the trail of blood, a successful way of isolating the
viewer’s line of sight through effective use of the golden mean. This sequence
of close up shots focusing on a single object still manages to give the viewer
a sense of foreboding and suspense, despite the fact the shots are being played
in reverse time, and the incident has already occurred.
The third
shot is a low angle mid shot of Leonard standing over an unseen figure,
immediately suggesting Leonard’s dominance and power in this specific
situation. This shot remains playing for a few seconds longer than most of the
shots in the opening scene, in order to allow the viewer to reflect on
Leonard’s actions alongside the character himself. Leonard’s body language is
significant, as his tensed and nervous stance, (which the viewer is
intentionally meant to identify due to the decision to use a mid shot rather
than a close up shot showing only the face) along with the anguished facial
expression infers to the viewer that Leonard has committed a potentially deadly
act, despite the fact that the shot does not show the condition of Leonard’s
victim, thus increasing the tension and suspense. This is one of few shots in
the opening that also utilises framing to hint to the viewer a potential
location. A light source is clearly visible through muddied and ripped
curtains, denoting that the scene is that of an old potentially abandoned area
and not entirely hidden away from outside view. However we are intentionally
given no further location information, making it impossible to establish a
definite location until later on in the film.
This shot is
an extreme close up shot of a gun that has just been fired. The entire gun is
not entirely visible, meaning that focus of this shot is not the gun itself but
the shell casing, which is being loaded back into the gun as the shot is being
played backwards. Similarly to how we are forced to focus on the blood on the
ground in a previous shot, here we are focused on the shell casing, due to the
importance of noticing that the scene is indeed being played backwards, which
would not have been entirely obvious had the camera not placed the actual
objects travelling backwards in the centre of each shot. We can use the rule of
thirds to confirm this notion that the most important and most visible objects
are being placed in the centre of the shot. The only visible lighting in this
shot is the slight reflection of light off the silver shell casing, again
inferring to the viewer the importance of the centre of the screen.
Throughout
this entire reverse scene we are not clearly shown the victim up until the shot
following this shot, in order to keep the identity of the victim a mystery
until this point.
In this final
shot, a high angle point of view shot, we are finally able to see the identity
of the victim, with the reason the victim had not been shown in the all the
previous shots likely being because he is dead, with his lack of presence
denoting the character’s death. A high angled shot denotes the peril and
hopelessness of the victim, with the corner of the room being intentionally
visible in the background so as to suggest the victim’s inability to escape his
fate. This shot is only played for a couple of seconds, with no information on
who the victim is or why he has been killed, due to the fact the character,
Teddy, is a key character, meaning the viewer is forced to wait until the end
of the film to discover the reasons behind this killing.
By using a
point of view shot, we are given the opportunity to understand the power and
authority Leonard briefly has over his victim.
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