Shot by shot analysis of “Memento”
Introduction credits, in a medium size blue font. It fades to black which then instantly brings another title to someone involved with the film.
The title appears “Memento”, the letters are spread out showing its difference from the past pieces of text.
The black background dissolves into a extreme close up of a man holding a Polaroid picture of blood covered tiles.
The title then fades and actors names appear in the same fashion as they did before.
Sad music in the major key, of violins playing sorrowful music, goes in tone with the picture, connoting death and sorrow.
The picture hasn’t moved for almost twenty seconds by this point, adding emphasis to it allowing the audience to fully experience the gore of the photos.
The picture is then shaken, still keeping with the same camera angle and (XCU) of the hand, however when the movement stops the picture appears to be slightly less clear.
Approximately eight seconds later the picture is shaken again and when the movement stops it appears even less clear, this implies that the process is going backwards connoting time reversal.
The same thing happens again at around the same time interval, but the picture becomes less clear, barely recognisable, possible connotations of memory loss could be enforced by this.
The picture is then shaken a fourth and final time, still keeping with the trend of less vision of the photo, its barely recognisable as blood splattered tiles.
A cut to an angle of behind the photo, a (CU) shot revealing a mans torso.
The camera stays focused on the photo and tracks it as he passes it from one hand to the other.
It is then placed back inside the camera and is sucked back into it with the diagetic sound of a camera producing a photo keeping in tone with continuity.
The sound changes at this point as the credits stop. It changes from violins to a mysterious kind of music building suspense and tension.
The camera tracks up to the mans face, the use of meis-en-scene with a splatted of blood on his cheek connotes he is the murderer.
A cut to a close up of the mans mid section as he places the camera in his jacket.
Cut again to his face at a (CU) shot, a low camera angle reveals his dominants in the situation that he is in, his eyes give a hint of sadness, but the lighting manages to make him look angry.
Cut to a (XCU) of a wall covered in blood, the blood appears to be flowing up the wall, which further reinforces the idea that time is being reversed, the blood adds a sinister and scary tone to the sequence.(P)
Cut to an (CU) of an empty bullet shell, the camera has been chosen keeping the rule of thirds in mind, with the cross section of the tiles at the top right and the bullet at the top left. (P)
Cut to a pair of glasses on a ledge, covered in blood, also the wall is dripping with blood connoting fear.
Cut to a (POV) shot of the man with a high camera angle looking down at the man as if he doesn’t really care about him and is dominating him, there is blood splattered all around the man’s head. Showing he has been murdered.
Low camera angle (MS) of the murderer, again showing his power and dominants, a gun flies into his hand further giving evidence to show that he was the one that shot the man.
The murdered kneels, a cut on action and panning down to a (MCU) of his face and torso, keeping the camera at his eye level.
Cut to the same angle of the bullet, the bullet rolls backwards and to the left.
Cut to (CU) of the glasses, lifting from the ledge showing time reversal.
Cut to a mid close up of the man with a gun, pointing it at the man with glasses.
A cut to an (XCU) of the bullet re, entering the gun(P)
Then the diagetic sound of a gun shot
A cut to a over shoulder shot of the manwith a gun, looking at the man on the floor.
The man on the floor screams and then it cuts to the beginning of the film.
Introduction credits, in a medium size blue font. It fades to black which then instantly brings another title to someone involved with the film.
The title appears “Memento”, the letters are spread out showing its difference from the past pieces of text.
The black background dissolves into a extreme close up of a man holding a Polaroid picture of blood covered tiles.
The title then fades and actors names appear in the same fashion as they did before.
Sad music in the major key, of violins playing sorrowful music, goes in tone with the picture, connoting death and sorrow.
The picture hasn’t moved for almost twenty seconds by this point, adding emphasis to it allowing the audience to fully experience the gore of the photos.
The picture is then shaken, still keeping with the same camera angle and (XCU) of the hand, however when the movement stops the picture appears to be slightly less clear.
Approximately eight seconds later the picture is shaken again and when the movement stops it appears even less clear, this implies that the process is going backwards connoting time reversal.
The same thing happens again at around the same time interval, but the picture becomes less clear, barely recognisable, possible connotations of memory loss could be enforced by this.
The picture is then shaken a fourth and final time, still keeping with the trend of less vision of the photo, its barely recognisable as blood splattered tiles.
A cut to an angle of behind the photo, a (CU) shot revealing a mans torso.
The camera stays focused on the photo and tracks it as he passes it from one hand to the other.
It is then placed back inside the camera and is sucked back into it with the diagetic sound of a camera producing a photo keeping in tone with continuity.
The sound changes at this point as the credits stop. It changes from violins to a mysterious kind of music building suspense and tension.
The camera tracks up to the mans face, the use of meis-en-scene with a splatted of blood on his cheek connotes he is the murderer.
A cut to a close up of the mans mid section as he places the camera in his jacket.
Cut again to his face at a (CU) shot, a low camera angle reveals his dominants in the situation that he is in, his eyes give a hint of sadness, but the lighting manages to make him look angry.
Cut to a (XCU) of a wall covered in blood, the blood appears to be flowing up the wall, which further reinforces the idea that time is being reversed, the blood adds a sinister and scary tone to the sequence.(P)
Cut to an (CU) of an empty bullet shell, the camera has been chosen keeping the rule of thirds in mind, with the cross section of the tiles at the top right and the bullet at the top left. (P)
Cut to a pair of glasses on a ledge, covered in blood, also the wall is dripping with blood connoting fear.
Cut to a (POV) shot of the man with a high camera angle looking down at the man as if he doesn’t really care about him and is dominating him, there is blood splattered all around the man’s head. Showing he has been murdered.
Low camera angle (MS) of the murderer, again showing his power and dominants, a gun flies into his hand further giving evidence to show that he was the one that shot the man.
The murdered kneels, a cut on action and panning down to a (MCU) of his face and torso, keeping the camera at his eye level.
Cut to the same angle of the bullet, the bullet rolls backwards and to the left.
Cut to (CU) of the glasses, lifting from the ledge showing time reversal.
Cut to a mid close up of the man with a gun, pointing it at the man with glasses.
A cut to an (XCU) of the bullet re, entering the gun(P)
Then the diagetic sound of a gun shot
A cut to a over shoulder shot of the manwith a gun, looking at the man on the floor.
The man on the floor screams and then it cuts to the beginning of the film.
all in all i believe the 2 minute opening has been able to create an enigma from many uses of meis-en-scene, such as blood dripping off walls and an obvious use of time reversal. a murder has been used initially to draw the audiences in and get them interested in the film and a want to find out why he murdered the man.
Excellent technical breakdown, but you need to use bullet points (very hard to make sense of at moment) and add more detail to your final observations.
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