Memento Opening Analysis

Memento opening scene analysis

As soon as the scene opens we are introduced immediately introduced to non-diegetic sound with bright blue titles. These titles I think are not very effective because of the bright colour they don’t match the genre and bring away attention from the scene.

 The sound is calm which doesn’t match the genre of thriller however does build up to a louder sound and pitch which could build tension but this pitch goes up and down which also could cause uncertainty. Until 00:36 seconds the screen is black behind the titles then the title of the film ‘Memento’ is over the top of fading background from the black screen to a Polaroid picture. In the Polaroid picture the audience can see through a POV shot a dead bloody man.

As the opening scene is shot in reverse the picture begins to fade to the original shot it would have come out of the camera as. Whilst this is all going on the bold titles are over the top directly in the middle not changing position. Whilst the character is waving the Polaroid image you can hear this noise with also the non-diegetic sound. This shows how quiet the scene is as this is the only diegetic sound you can hear creating an eerie atmosphere in the scene as the audience begins to wonder where is the man in the picture as the photograph has just been taken. As it still going backward we see the photograph being taken in reverse and once flashed the non-diegetic sound disappears and the audience gets introduced to the character whose eyes they have been watching through. With the flash comes a noise like an echo through the ears.

We then see a close up shot of the blood running in reverser which is really effective as the audience can then realise what is going on in the shot as throughout it the scene it was causing complete confusion for the audience. We then get introduced to another character who has been shot and because of the reverse becomes dragged up to his original position with the bullet also being reversed into the gun.

From this opening scene I think the multiple close up shots of specific objects and also the polaroid pictures are effective because they give the audience small clues about what has happened in the scene therefore showing not telling which I would like to create for my own personal audience through my production.