Memento - Analysis of the Opening Sequence

The title of the film - when and how does it appear on the screen?

The title of the film first appears in a black background and then the background becomes and image of a hand holding a picture. This hand then starts to shake the picture, although the viewer may think it is to get the picture to appear, it is shown not to be when the picture disappears. The title appears in blue writing and takes up most of the screen as it slowly fades in making the film look a bit creepy.

When and how is the setting/location revealed to the viewer?

The viewer does not really see a setting during this opening sequence as there are so many shots and close-ups of the main actor, we don't see a setting. There is a location shown to the viewer quickly in this opening sequence of a dark gloomy place where a man has just been killed. The setting/location is revealed to the viewer just after we see the close-up of the main character, he is shown to be in a motel room.

Key props - what shot types are used to reveal these to the viewer?

Most of the shots to reveal the props to the viewer are close-ups, for example; there is a close-up of the main characters gun, although it may not be his gun. The viewer will see at the beginning of the opening sequence a close-up of a hand holding a photograph, the viewer can see from this shot that a photograph perhaps could be one of the main props used within this film, this could make the mood a bit scary because if a photograph is taken of most things the viewer may think that the character is a bad guy because he takes photographs of unpleasant sights. There is also a close-up of a camera, also once again showing the viewer that most of this film could be about taking pictures.

Title font, placement and style - how do the actors' names, etc appear on the screen. What are the connotations of the font choice for the titles and credits?

The title font is very bold so it stands out to the viewer and the placement of the title taking up the whole screen also makes it stand out so that the viewer can see it. The titles, credits and actors' names appear on the screen in a blue colour, this makes the writing stand out to the viewer. The title appears on the screen to fade into a black background, because it is such as dark background it makes the mood creepy. The colours of the titles and credits are blue and the connotations associated with this show that this film could be sad as blue is the colour of tears as we know it.

Camera work and Editing

Some of the camera work shows a close-up of a hand holding a photograph which could show the viewer that the person holding this photograph is not a nice person because of the image on the paper. A close-up of a man who has blood down his face could show the viewer that he is either a victim of something or a bad guy at first until we see him with a gun. There is another close-up of a bullet but this is being rewinded as it shows the events in which took place. The opening sequence has quite slow paced shots, during these slow paced shots the viewer will see the event which have just taken place as it rewinds. The cutting of the shots at the beginning is slow paced until we see the shots rewind, the cutting of the shots start to get faster.

How does the opening sequence relate to the rest of the film?

The opening sequence of this film relates to the rest of the film as this shows what has happened between the two characters and what the main character is capable of doing. We can see from this opening sequence that the scenes keep going back in time and so that is what most of the film will be like. Also this opening sequence relates as the event which has just taken place could be what could happen at the end and so we are seeing the ending before the beginning and the rest of the film is showing how this event has come about.

The Four Elements

Cinematography
We see the title 'Memento' appear on the screen and then a person's hand holding a picture in a close-up shot, this close-up of the picture and hand could tell the viewer of what this film includes and by the look of the picture the viewer could get the feel at the beginning that the person holding the picture is not a good person. We then see a close-up of two hands as the picture has just disappeared, the viewer will see that this is being rewound. There is always the close-up of the picture and camera, showing the viewer that most of this film could be about taking pictures, this is a key part in the film. The viewer will then see a close-up of the man, this is the main character. There is then a close-up of blood going back into a wound, this shows that someone has been hurt. The viewer then see's close-ups of a bullet, gun, glasses and a dead man, this all rewinds so the viewer knows what went wrong.

Mise-en-scene
The composition of the titles for this thriller are set in the centre, although we don't see all of the titles in this particular version of the opening sequence. The setting of this opening sequence looks as if it is somewhere that no one would go to, somewhere that no one lives, this shows the viewer why the main character brought the man there as no one goes there. Some of the props used are a camera and gun, these props could make the viewer think; "Are these the key props being used?". The colors during this opening sequence are very dull and dark, this could tell the viewer that this is a dark film. The costume that the dead person is wearing could show that he is a normal everyday person, but the costume that the main character is wearing could show the viewer that this is someone important.

Editing
At the beginning the title is on a black screen and the hand and photo fade onto the screen. This opening sequence has quite slow paced shots and during this opening sequence the viewer will see that the event that has just taken place rewinds to just before the main character shoots the man. The cutting at the beginning is very slow but when we get to the part where the events rewind, then the cutting starts to get a bit faster. Also when the picture is disappearing at the beginning it could represent a memory fading away.

Sound
The sound in this particular opening sequence is non-diagetic, there is also no dialogue until the man who has just been killed says "no". We can also hear the sounds of the camera taking a picture, the gun being shot and at the beginning we can hear the photo being shaken to get rid of the image although it would be someone trying to get the image.