Analysis of Memento 1

Cinematography

In the opening sequence of Memento we see mainly close up shots of images and a hand holding them. As a viewer we feel agitated towards this for the reason that we cannot see the character holding the images but only his hand. This then cause confusion for us so we want to continue to watch the film to piece together the information we have witnessed. There is a low angle shot of glasses which have been splattered in blood and remain on the floor in a shabby walk way. As viewers we may believe the glasses have been shot at a low angle, maybe because the glasses are seen as a significant prop. We may recap on the glasses later on in the film which let us perceive more clues. As an audience we feel spooked out by this and try to develop the scene which has been observed. Even more, we see an over the shoulder shot. The shot is over the shoulder of a victim who has been shot in the head. This particular shot may have been used to show the low status which the character may have had. As an audience we question why he has been killed.

Mise en scene

Mise en scene plays a huge part within the opening of Memnto, the setting the film is almost mysterious, we are not given an establishing shot so we are naive to exactly where the film has been shot. However we do see what we believe is a dark but dull walk way where we see various props such as glasses, blood and a film capsule. As a viewer once again we do not know what to expect because of the close up and mid shots used. We have not been given many traces so we are unstable. For an audience, to make us feel at ease we try to make up other predictions of the storyline. This is a very effective and innovative way to capture the audience and make them be at the edge of their seats as they are oblivious to what is going to happen. One of the male characters within the opening sequence looks as though he is a well-dressed hit man, he is in low key clothing so we do not automatically believe he is mistrustful and we may think he is innocent. However the guilty facial expression leads us into the trap of believing he is an assassin.

Sound

Furthermore, sound in Memento’s opening sequence adds to the atmosphere of a thriller. The soundtrack is a low and mellow instrumental which induces the audience to believe that something terrible is going to happen. There are also sound effects of the gun reloading; we hear a loud click which immediately makes us think another character is going to be shot. Because of this sound effect we are more involved. There is also emphasised diegetic sound of the flicking of the photographs. As an audience we feel that we are meant to notice the sound so we then believe that the photographs are a very important prop within the opening sequence. There is also ambient sound which raises the tension of the film. This music is added to sink the viewers in and then suggest to them that something corrupt is going to happen. We then see a character being shot in the head, which makes a viewer feel very hostile towards the situation.

Editing

Within the opening sequence of Memento, there is a lot of editing which has been used to add to the strain of the viewers. There are many short clips which hinders the audience. Once again they do not want us to have too many clues; we begin to quiz the film so we can advance the story line. I believe slow motion effects have been used when the character is about to shoot the victim. This outcome gives more detail towards the shots and it slows down the pace of the film so a viewer builds up more tautness. The director does not want us to feel relaxed whilst watching the film. This works very well as we are not being spoiled by all the hints. There is a shot of eye line match. We see this when the character looks at the victim and then shoots him. This then makes the audience believe that we are in the characters shoes. This is effective as we feel a part of the film so we want to spend more time watching it to see what happens next.