Visual essay on film in Sub-Genre

By Sam Warner

Shutter Island

The opening sequence starts with a shot of a darkly lit corridor. The music is sharp and suspenseful and the intense, bold red credits create visual tension. This is good because then the viewers know what type of movie they are going to be in for.

There is then a quick snappy editing cut to a spinning shot of a spiral staircase. This adds an element of confusion and illusion for the audience. They are wondering why they are being shown a staircase and what relevance it has to the movie.

Another quick cut from the spinning staircases to a darkly lit shot of a gate. The rain and the music adds to the morbid mise en scene, which makes the audience anxious as to what will appear and happen next.

The camera then switches to a close up shot of a hand. The identity of the person remains hidden, and the tension that the hand has to the concrete floor alludes to some sort of physical struggle going on in the movie.

A loud crash of music then switches the camera to a shot of a gate. This is a very big shot that is then followed by the camera closing in on the gate. This adds to the suspense as to what will be behind the gates and what the audience will find later in the movie.

The scene then changes to a close up shot of a room engulfed in flames adding the suspense and danger.

There is then a close up shot of a gun, with a foot gently stepping on it and dragging it away. This adds a sense of crime and danger, both which intrigue the audience.

It then fades to a dark shot with falling snow. The use of colours such as black and red and the music that is powerful yet suspenseful makes the overall mise en scene full of danger and tension.

A dark room then appears which is shown to contain some sort of handcuffs and chains. This gives the audience some sort of clue that the film contains some prison like features and themes. This is also shown earlier in the opening sequence when they show the gates.

The music then takes a dramatic turn when the darkly lit scene is interrupted with the strike of a single match. The powerful editing makes the audience tense and anxious, and keeps them on edge of their seat.

There is then a long shot of a dark isolated island which could connect with the idea of being isolated in some sort of prison. This was earlier shown with the use of bars, chains and gates.

The title is then shown in big bold red letters, ones that really stand out. The title then appears like it is veering towards the audience, which adds to the visual tension.