Shutter Island

Opening Credits Analysis

Shutter Island is a psychological thriller directed

by Martin Scorsese in 2010, and features Leonardo
DiCaprio who plays a US Marshall in 1954, who is
called to investigate the disappearance of an
escaped female murderer, on an island which is
also home to an asylum for the criminally insane
and is presumed to be hiding somewhere on the
island

Opening Credits

Scorsese creates tension through the opening titles through the use of sound, lighting
and the type of font used.
- begins we hear music before the titles even come up, which makes the audience
want to know how the film is going to begin and makes the first scene feel unexpected.
- blacked out screen which sets the mood for the film, and also makes it look more
mysterious, followed by the white faded/shadowed writing of the 'Shutter Island' film title,
which is also written in quite a sinister font.
- the music sounds similar to a boats fog horn, and makes the audience slightly on
edge as they wont know what to expect of the film yet, and the music slightly changes
when the film title comes up which gives the film a chilling sort of feeling.
- the title sequence carries on, the music also becomes increasingly louder which
makes it tenser and builds the film up to the start where we first see the boat coming
through.
- slowly the audience start to realise that the white screen is a boat coming out of
the fog and things become more clear for the audience to be able to start guessing where
the beginning setting is going to be.

Sound

Before we see the boat coming out from the fog in the opening of the film;
- we hear its boat horn and this immediately creates an enigma as it
makes the audience start to ask questions.
- These questions again create tension for the audience as they will
anticipate what is to come next.
- shackles and chains that are hanging from the ceiling which also make a
clear clinking sound, this emphasis that the director wants the audience to look at
them as it gives away a clue to the audience.

Camera Angles

In the opening scene;

- we see a close up shot of Teddy's face that he has just splashed water
on as we can see that he looks quite fragile as he is clearly sea sick and feeling
physically unstable.
- over the shoulder shot of Teddy talking to himself in the mirror, this
camera angle is shot in this way so it almost looks as if he is having a conversation
with someone else, and it allows us to see the emotions on his face easier.
- a close up shot when he is looking through a round window on the boat
and we also see his sense of panic as it looks claustrophobic and makes him look a
little trapped another potential clue as to what could happen on the island.

close up shot of some sort of shackles and chains;

- this shot makes us focus on those chains as it is clear the director
wants the audience to look at them and gives the clue again of feeling restrained and
trapped.

Lighting

When Teddy comes out from inside the boat;

- a close up of his face which is illuminated by the use of under
lighting on one side of his face which makes him look clearly seasick, as the part of
his face that is highlighted is extremely pale, and creates a shadow on the other side
of his face.
- point of view shot from Teddy, which highlights really well the
chosen colour scheme that Scorsese has used as most of the colours seen in this
opening is a pale/light blue colour.

When the characters are introduced to each other their conversation is brought
onto whether Teddy is married which then changes the shot to a flashback of
Teddy and his wife before she died;
- The colours and lighting in this shot are completely different to
the setting beforehand they become lighter, and brighter.