Thriller Project (Part 1) | Research (Section 3) | Shutter Island

Shutter Island (2010)

Shutter Island is a psychological thriller directed by Martin Scorsese. The film was based of a novel by Dennis Lehane and follows the character of Edward ' Teddy' Daniels who is investigating  a psychiatric facility on Shutter island.

Clip Analysis

In the opening scenes of Shutter island the first thing we see is some sort of asylum, it is damp, dark and lonely, this instantly creates a gloomy atmosphere and creates the setting that the movie will be based upon. We then see a spiral staircase, going down and spinning fast, this represents a person with mental health issues, which links to the films main story line. We then see another empty room which helps with the mood and setting the scene. We then see a close up of a shaking hand, also representing a mental person, enforcing the 'asylum' feel to the film. Next is a shot where it is moving quickly toward the asylum gates, with the security opening the doors. This puts you in a first person narrative, making it feel like you are experiencing going through the gates with the direct link to the viewer. We then see a fireplace in the background of the shot with a chair in the foreground, followed by a gun on the floor with a shoe stepping onto it and dragging it across the floor. This is then followed by a shot of a prison cell will cuffs on the wall that could hold a person. There is then a shot of a match being lit and then to finish, a very long wide shot of the island. 

The camera work in this opening scene is used to portray emotion, using direct link to the owner through camera work. Still shots are used through the scenes that show the setting of the movie. This will put an effect on the opening scene that symbolizes loneliness, through the fact you can almost see the silence, with no movement apart from the natural wind or rain. 'Loneliness' and 'natural silence' apart from the nature, is highly associated with mental health. The next shot is a very high shot looking directly down a spiral staircase. This long, tunnel looking, staircase, from a high shot, represents, the long, dark journey the people in hear go through, with no light at the end, suggesting there is no getting out. This camera work it great for this type of effect. The next camera shot is the extreme close up of the man's hand. This is used to clearly highlight he is shaking, which clearly shows the emotion and getting the 'mental health' theme across. The next shot is a moving shot into the gates, this has a direct link to the viewer, making them feel involved and there looking through the shot. It looks like it is a free hand camera, to get the effect of a real persons eyes as they approach the asylum. An extreme close up of the fire and the gun, helps develop the scene and setting, with guns associated with an asylum and the story, and fire helping with the gloomy atmosphere. The last shot is a wide shot of the island giving a whole overview of what the setting is like. As the camera shot shows it is an island surrounded by water, this symbolizes loneliness and isolation from the outside world.

Credits

The titles in this opening scene is in red and white. Red is used to symbolizes blood, or fear, which foreshadows action or terror in the movie. The titles flicker very fast, and pan in very small movements very fast. This represents, the mental health in this movie, showing fast flickery thoughts almost, linking the viewer directly to the emotions of the future characters and the asylum as a whole. Firstly the director is mentioned, then the producers, screenplay manager, 'based on the novel' and then finally the actors. The titles appear over the more still shots with not much happening.

Editing

The editing in this scene, uses a slight slow zoom while showing the setting, this slight movement, as the camera work, shows loneliness with little movement, giving it that gloomy atmosphere. The next shot is the spinning spiral, this creates the effect of 'mental health' as previously mentioned. The transitions between shots, are usually long fades, the shots turn black before the next shot. This effect, when goes to black creates a dark atmosphere, and also symbolizes dark, loneliness and almost nothingness. Between fire and matchsticks there is two quick straight cuts, this adds a tiny bit of fast pace, and is a contrast to the slow, lonely feel, to a fast pace shot for 3 seconds, then back to the long edits. This suggests the mood change in the asylum, as it could snap at a fast pace. The setting in this is dark and gloomy, and looks very damp, which corresponds with the atmosphere of the film. The props like the matchstick and the gun relates to the theme of an asylum, and small possibility's of danger, if it gets out of hand.

Sound

The sound in this scene is a critical for setting the feel of the whole movie. The sound consists of all non-diegetic sound. The music consists of quite strings and then loud deep horns giving a creepy, gloomy  atmosphere to the film.