Opening Sequence To Momento

We watched the opening sequence of the Thriller film 'Memento'. I enjoyed it because it felt mysterious and made me really think about what was going on. I like this in a Thriller film because it adds suspense and keeps the audience at the edge of their seats, this is something I want to come across in my film when we make a Thriller.

Starting with the Titles...

I liked the effect of the blue text on the black background, I think it stood out well to the audience. They used blue for the text which is a 'cold' color that creates the right mood for a thriller. The text was big, bold and in the centre of the screen which makes it easier to read. The music in the background added to the mood as it was mysterious and eeary. 

Shots and Movement

After looking at different shots with my class, it made me notice them a lot more whilst watching it. Before, I would watch films and pay attention to the plot or the actors, but it is very interesting when you concentrate on how it was actually filmed. An extreme close up is the first shot used in the film, which is of a polaroid photograph. The polaroid keeps gradually changing; this made me intregued to find out what the photograph was showing. It looked like a crime scene because of the red blood colors, this built suspense and felt very intense because of how long the camera concentrated on it.

The camera stays on the shot of the polariod for a long time in the beginning and doesn't change for at least a minute, it is a POV shot which means from a persons point of view, as if someone was looking down at the photo changing. When the camera changes to be focused on the actor,  the camera focuses on him taking a picture without showing his face, making the audience want to know who it is. Then the camera slowly starts to look up at him, which makes him look powerful. Soon after, he looks like a victim which is when the camera is looking down at him from a birds eye view. This shows how important the shots are during a film because it helps portray how the character should be seen by the audience. 

Genetic Themes

By starting the film with a murder scene makes the first scene interesting for the audience and is  a good start to a thriller film. It keeps the audience interested in what is going on.

Sound 

The music over the titles created a mysterious feel to the film, using strings in an orchestra, building up the suspense. When the polaroid comes into view and he starts shaking it, they are using diagetic and non-diagetic sound at the same time. The speech over the first scene, non diagetic, was as if it was his thoughts which was effective instead of having him talk into the camera. The sounds are viteral which means realistic, for example when he shakes the keys. 

Mis-en-scene

The contrast of black and white and color was effective and made the shots more interesting. The clothes they are wearing are normal so they look average and nothing special, which makes it look realistic.