Shutter Island Film Opening Textual Analysis- Ella

Firstly, when the main character is coming out of the door the zoom and pan moments cut between the foreground and the background, shifting the focus. First the focus is on the handcuffs dangling from the ceiling, it then shifts to the main character walking across the room. The camera then zooms and pans around him as he moves to the other door, indicating that we're following his every move. Through the use of colour, music, montage shots and quick cuts it distinguishes between the reality and flashback. This draws the audience into the main characters reality. 



The film starts with an establishing shot of a boat in the middle of a mist covered sea. The lighting throughout the boat sequence is low-key/ gloomy creating an eerie atmosphere that hint towards a thriller genre.

When the main character is first introduced in the bathroom, the light comes through a single window and is stark. The light is cast on the left side of his ace where as the right side is lost in shadow. This use of lighting indicates a personality split, a dark side and a light side, reinforcing the idea that the genre of this film is a thriller. This type of setup is a typical convention in thrillers. However during the first scene there is no dialogue implying that the director is unwilling to definitively expose the genre right away, so keeping the audience guessing.

During the first scene with the boat there is a low orchestral sound which sounds like a steamship horn. This also helps create a mysterious and tense feeling right from the start and throughout the begining.

During a flashback scene the steamship horn sound is still there but is complemented with a lighter soundtrack which could resemble a woman's voice. This intrigues the audience as they haven't been introduced to a second character, this scene could also give a clue to the women's character. Later on in the opening the second character is fully revealed and is the main characters wife.

In the background of one of the flashbacks there is a record player, shown playing a song however, you cant hear it, at this point the audience is only allowed to see it.

Right at the beginning the company logo of Paramount Pictures is prominent. The font used has been identified as Agency FB Bold, with white text on a black screen behind. They have continued to use the same font for the opening credits, the font looks quite old suggesting that the film is set in a different period of time. Using different coloured text highlights the credit and due to the fact that it is red signifies that the film is to do with danger or maybe death. however it only chooses certain credits to be in colour as the rest are in one reinforcing the importance of the people.


The very first moment you're introduced to the main character you see him from the distance however you only see the bottom half of him, which still leaves the audience guessing. Seconds later you see his face reflected in the mirror giving you a clear idea who the main character is.

During the flashback  you see two characters, one woman, one man (the same man, main character). They are both lit up by directional back light creating a surrealistic look compared to the dampened light of his reality in the film opening.

The women's face is frozen in a freeze frame, this is the only freeze frame throughout the whole opening, emphasising the focal point of the plot, allowing the audience to acknowledge her role in the film.
The camera tilts with the waves, provoking a feeling of seasickness from the audience side as well, connecting us to the characters physical state.Camera angles play an important role in convincing the audience of the characters reality from the start.

During the freeze frame (of the woman's face) it is the first time you hear the water and it carry's on into the freeze frame linking the water and the woman together.

The main character is talks to another man on the boat. When the other man speaks the camera is usually static, however when the main character talks the camera tilts reinforcing the audience to his physical state.

The scene on the deck consists of medium shots resulting in the ramping up of tension and at the same time making it difficult for the audience to grasp a sense of location, adding to the sense of mystery.

The colours out on the deck are monochrome with a blurry background creating a flat space, contrasting with the cold blue and green atmosphere in the scene. The flash back scenes are  colourful, made up of mixed colour temperatures; yellow, green and red. creating an almost sickly feeling.