Shutter Island Analysis.

Shutter Island was directed by Martin Scorsese in 2010. It comes under the sub-genre of mystery thriller. Leonardo DiCaprio plays Marshal Teddy Daniels who is investigating a murderess who has escaped from a hospital for criminals who are insane. This is a different sub-genre of thrillers to the other ones I have analysed so far, and will be useful in planning my opening sequence of a thriller film. 

Codes.

Camera Range:

The film uses a variety of camera angles. The first establishing shot is of the boat that Daniels is on, setting the scene for the first part of the film. Another establishing shot is used a little later on, showing Shutter Island in its entirety and indicating the fate that awaits the two detectives. A series of close-ups are used on Teddy as he convinces himself not to be affected by the water. First we see the side of this face looking out the window then we see his hands getting water from the tap and finally his face. This all depicts his mood and his expressions of his face in great detail giving us an idea of how he is feeling and the mood the director is trying to create. The first time we see Aule is from behind a meshed fence. This could represent the entrapment of either of the two as at the time Daniels is trapped in and Aule is on the outside but it could be viewed that Aule is the trapped one because the camera is in his direction. Similarly is could also indicate that the both of them are trapped just not together. During the conversation between Daniels and Aule lots of shot-reverse-shots are used in their conversation swapping sides every few seconds, this creates a fast paced scene making it seem more exciting than it really is keeping the audience's attention. 

Camera Angles:

The whole time that Daniels and Aule are on the boat the camera angle stays pretty much the same. It is always at eye level with the two, portraying them as neither vulnerable nor strong. The camera moves and wavers as the boat moves on the water creating effect of being on the sea and making it much more realistic than keeping the camera dead steady throughout the sequence. Here the truck looks large, intimidating and strong however, a high angle shot from a helicopter zooms in on the truck driving across the island, and this puts into proportion how small and insignificant the men are and perhaps indicates how little power they have over the situation on the island. Similarly a shot from the truck looking up to the big building of ward C shows the inferiority of the detectives compared to the power of people inside and the building itself, this can make the audience feel uneasy about what it inside and consequently what is to come. From the perspective of the Deputy Warden we look slightly down on the two detectives, this doesn't necessarily depict the two as vulnerable but highlights the authority of the marshal over the situation. 

Composition:

Usually Daniels is placed in the centre of the shot. When the three men are walking up to one of the hospital buildings he takes up the centre place indicating that he is the main character of the film and that he is also trustworthy and perhaps the hero of the story. Right at the beginning of the film we view him from the view of the mirror as he is looking into it. Once again he in the middle of the shot indicating his role in the film.

POV:

The main POV shot comes when Daniels focusses on the lady doing the garden. As he carries on walking the audience views her from his perspective as he walks past her and locks eyes with her. This encompasses the audience in the film very much as combined with the sound it makes you feel like you can't look away and makes you feel uneasy, a common feeling when watching a thriller film. 

Editing:

The editing at the beginning of the film is very interesting. Each frame of the title sequence fades in to the next and then at the end it fades to grey. After a few seconds out of the grey a boat emerges as the grey turns to mist bringing a very dull and mysterious mood over the opening sequence, as the audience waits to see the entirety of the boat emerging from the mist. 

Music:

Before the film even starts the music indicates the nature of the film and is very typical of a thriller film. The normal sound accompanying the 'Paramount' titles is replaced by an eerie suspenseful piece of music making the audience on the edge of their seats an in anticipation for the film. The same music carries on when the film starts and we see the opening shot of the boat. During Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo's conversation the music fades down and almost out but as the flashback begins the volume is increased to it's previous height, implying something is a miss about it and creates once again a sense of tension and mystery. It very much contrasts the expressions on the twos faces as they both look happy when the music is clearly not, this suggests that this is a distant memory and now everything is a sinister as the music. Deep string music is used a little later on as they approach the island once again to increase tension and suspense and indicate the mysterious nature of the island. 

Sound:

As Daniels is walking up to enter the hospital building he notices a lady patient doing some gardening. As he focusses on her the voice of the marshal drowns out and becomes muffled as all his attention turns to this one lady. The bird and wind can still be heard but everything else is drowned out and a ringing sound is apparent, perhaps reflecting the mental state of the woman.

Graphics:

The font used for the title sequence is very straight cut. It gives an industrial feeling and having the colour of grey makes it seem, sombre and dull foreshadowing the mood of the following film and the characters.

Lighting:

The lighting at the beginning is very dull, (seen in first establishing shot at the top) The sky is overcast and a very sombre feeling is portrayed by this. The feeling of sombre is very much a key aspect of a thriller film. We are actually told by the captain of the boat that a storm is coming which could be indicating a serious, grave event that is going to occur. The lighting somewhat reflects the mood of Teddy as he remembers his previous life and enters Shutter Island in anticipation of what he will come across.

Mis-en-scene:

All of the items placed in the shots are there for a reason. The hanging cuffs from the ceiling of the boat show the nature of Daniels' job and his background. It also foreshadows the cuffs that are around the patients hands and ankles in the hospital. The pictures and the record player in the flashback show the happiness of his previous life as they are the standard homely items that really make a house yours and make it more homely. The flowers in the complex are there to represent the new life that they are trying to create for the patients and also create an ironic twist in that something so beautiful and bright could be in a place where the atmosphere is so morbid. 

Ideology:

This film presents the ideology that anyone can change and everyone deserves a second chance. The hospital takes patients that can't be kept anywhere else and aims to reform them or at least help them become slightly better. 

Conventions.

Props:

Ruffalo and DiCaprio both have cigarettes (shown in picture below), normally detectives in films will have cigarettes to 'help the stress' and consequently they have become a necessary prop when playing a role such as this, which are very typical of thriller films. We also see a close-up on the deputy marshal's badge showing the authority and the stock prop that is associated with police men or marshals. Driving along road to the hospital Daniels notices a sign saying 'Remember us for we too have lived, loved and laughed'. This could imply that later in the film deaths will occur or that they have already occurred and it was of innocent people who had ordinary lives. The sign is hanging from one corner which could portray corruption amongst either on the island in general or in the mind of the criminal who committed the murders. Teddy and Chuck are required to hand over their role defining fire arms as they enter the hospital. This somewhat strips away part of their character as they no longer have the power of defending themselves with it and you would expect detectives to always carry a gun in case trouble arises. When removing the pouch in which the gun is contained, Daniels removes it with one swift movement, but Aule struggles and takes a few seconds longer to fully release it, this indicates his lack of experience compared to Daniels. 

Costume:

The two detectives both wear fawn trench-coats, which immediately indicate their profession and therefore their likely role in the film, the two stand out from the standard navy uniform the the US marshals that are on the island when they arrive, this could indicate that they will be more important that the others who blend in more.

Setting:

Thrillers usually take place in isolated, run-down places. Shutter Island is consequently the perfect setting. When the detectives are approaching the island we see that it is completely alone  (once again shown by the establishing shot) with no surrounding islands and it is also thick with trees creating the perfect setting for the stock events of a thriller, like getting lost in the woods, being isolated and alone and getting confused as to where you are. The electrified perimeter of the hospital reflects the entrapment of the people inside and also the entrapment of Daniels and Aule in the case that they are about to become heavily involved in. Notabley ward A and B take on a much more pleasant appearance to ward C which holds the 'dangerous' patients; this gives the impression that C is the one that the two are unfortunately destined for.

Stock Characters:
Leonardo DiCaprio plays a detective called Teddy Daniels and his co-star plays another detective called Chuck Aule. The two are big stock characters of a thriller film. Thriller films usually involve a crime of some sort making it imminent detectives to play main parts in the film and this is precisely the role of Daniels and Aule.

Stock Events:

Within the opening of this film there are no real main stock events, however the debriefing from the Deputy Warden could be classed as one as it is a common ritual that all federal agents have to go through when working on a case so you would expect to see it in a thriller film. We also witness Daniels looking around and taking information in as he walks through the grounds of the hospital this could be seen as him noting evidence or knowledge as a detective should do in order to piece together a story later. For example we see him note the chains that connect a prisoners ankles, which he could use later when working out how murder escaped if they had this chains around their ankles.

Propp's Narrative Threory:
Using Propp's narrative theory of their being eight main characters in the film we can apply this to the first part of Shutter Island. So far we have been introduced to Daniels who will play the hero. Aule looks as if he will play the helper, and we know that there is a woman that has escaped who will be the villain. We don't have much more insight into any other of the main character types but it seems as if either the Deputy Warden or the Doctor they speak about could be the father figure. We are yet to find out who the doner, messenger  and heroine will be, but so far it supports his theory.