Film: Memento
Director: Christopher Nolan
Year: 2000
0:00-2:25
Sound
One aspect of this is the non-diegetic strings score that is used up until the point where the camera flashes. Over the course of the opening, this score builds up as more and more instruments join in and this builds up a sense of expectation, something that is always expected of thrillers. The nature of the strings creates an incredibly melancholy feel to the clip and this works as an unsettling contrast to the violent imagery seen in the shot. The strings also get gradually higher in pitch which also works to increase the sense of expectation, but also to heighten the emotion of the scene.
The diegetic synchronous sounds used throughout the clip of the Polaroid being shaken, the camera noises, the grabbing of the gun, the bullet rattling across the floor and the man shouting "What?" are all utilised to create the unsettling atmosphere and the tension in the opening. As they all sound separately against the background score they are clearer and more obvious to the audience. This makes them all the more potent and set the audience on edge. The repetition of the Polaroid being shaken is incredibly unnerving because it feels so constant. The scraping of the bullet is unnerving because of the high pitched screech it creates as it moves across the ground. Finally, the unexpected loud bang of the gun shot is shocking and because it seems louder, thanks to the quiet score at that moment, it adds a thrill factor to the clip.
Camerawork
About half of the clip is an extreme close up of a hand with a Polaroid picture of a man lying dead on the ground with blood spattered everywhere. The extreme close up creates an intimacy with the picture and blocks our view of anything else making us focus solely upon the picture and what is in it. The stillness of the entire shot is incredibly unnerving and was most likely used for that exact purpose.
Most of the opening is in close up, either of the Polaroid, the blood spattered wall, the bullet, the glasses and the dead man’s head. This furthers the idea of the audience’s intimacy in the murder, and allows them to have a clear and detailed understanding of the murder.
Editing
The key piece of editing in this clip is the fact that the entire opening is in reverse. This creates a rather surreal experience for the audience but it makes them think and forces them to focus on what is happening so that they can understand it.
Every single cut is incredibly simple and all of them are rather quick to give the audience that sense of tension. The simplicity of the cuts appears rather brutal and as such adds to the brutality of the scene.
The length of the first shot at 1 minute and 10 seconds is incredibly important to the film's narrative. The length makes it obvious to the audience that Polaroid pictures are important to the plot, especially this particular picture. It also makes sure that the audience will recognise the motif of the Polaroids in later scenes.
Mise-en-scène
As previously mentioned, the key prop in the scene is the Polaroid picture. By focusing on the picture for such a long time it is clear that the picture and its contents, a dead man, are incredibly important to the plot. The picture relates to the title of 'Memento' as pictures are usually seen as mementos of events, and the dead man is clearly a very important character in the narrative, as is the holder of the photograph.
The glasses of the dead man stand out against the blood spattered tiles in the location, as the hold connotations of intelligence but also of a naive innocence. This makes it appear to the audience as if the man was an innocent victim. This is contrasted against the young looking murderer, Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) who looks incredibly upset and this suggests that appearances can be deceiving.
Titles
The titles in this clip are incredibly simplistic, opting for a a light blue serif font to stand out against the reds and whites in the shot of the Polaroid picture. The blue links in with the melancholy soundtrack as it too connotes sadness. This suggests to me that the titles of a movie should link into the themes and the soundtrack to make a tighter experience for the opening.
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