Inception - Analysis

Inception Opening Sequence - Analysis

Camera

In the beginning of the extract there is a close up on a man who seems to have just been washed up on the shore. As he is shown first we can assume him to be the protagonist. The close up allows us to the his face and the expression and emotion he is conveying. It allows us to see that he seems quite confused, suggesting this surroundings are unfamiliar, creating a sense of tension and mystery for the viewer as the character obviously does not appear to know why or how he is on the beach.
Later in the extract when we are presented with a japanese style room there is a close up behind a bald man who appears to be sitting at the head of a table. The camera is positioned behind the mans head so we can not see his face but can easily assume it is him who is speaking. The effect of not seeing the man's face creates mystery as to who he is and a narrative enigma which is unclear to the audience creating several questions, as a typical thriller would do in the beginning. Also being behind the mans head allows us to see clearly the character at the end of the table and the distance he is sitting away from the bald man creating an idea that they are not close or have no relationship with one another, therefore forming further tension and questions as viewers wonder why they are together in the room in the first place.

Sound

In the beginning a dramatic score plays, the non diegetic music is full of low but loud trombone sounds with an exaggerated use of string instruments blasts throughout the titles setting a dramatic and tension filled tone for the film, which is stereotypical of thrillers in most openings. this gets the audience very intrigued with the movie right away as the loud noises have caught their attention and make them want to found out why it is so dramatic.
This then cuts almost instantly and very smoothy to much softer but still quite violent diegetic sounds of waves crashing on the rocks and shore. the violence of the waves could suggest storms or strong winds, this could then suggest that a storm is the reason the protagonist is on the shore, possibly having fallen from a boat or been in a plane crash due to strong winds bringing down the aircraft. Questions present themselves all over adding to the narrative enigma the protagonist and the opening scene are, leading to viewers wanting to know what happens next and keeping on the edge of their seats.
Dialogue is used also to create tension as the tones they use are quick dramatic to show the urgency of the situations they find themselves in.

Editing

When the protagonist gets washed up on shore in the beginning there is an eye line match used, we see the man look up at something and then it cuts to present us with two children playing with what appear to be a sand castle. the fact that we are shown them instantly after the man looks at them suggests that they are possibly his kids or he has a close relationship of some kind with them. The children appear to be distorted and we are not shown their faces leading us to believe they are in the protagonists imagination and are not really there. this further represents the protagonist as possibly slightly deranged or mentally unstable, presenting questions that the audience will now want answered, who are these children? This is an effective convention to use in a thriller to present a character in not simple boring "black and white".
When the scene takes us to the japanese area the bald man starts to spin the spinning top, then the extract uses an insert to show us the top closely and to make us focus on it. This starts to imply that it has a level of great importance in the plot line, however we are given no answers to what degree. This adds to the narrative enigma of the man and who he is as the top belongs to him, and viewers will want to know why and how it is significant.

Mise-en-scene

Around the 2:20 mark when the 3 men are talking to one another at the table they are all in a similar costume, black, white and smart. the two on the sides have expensive looking suits, giving off a sense of class and sophistication. However the man at the head of the table is in a kind of traditional japanese attire possibly associated with a sensei of some martial art, this implies he is a very powerful character and the antagonist to the two other men as he does not share their outfit choice, he also seems relaxed as he is eating a bowl of food and the other two have their full attention on the conversation at hand, signifying them as wanting to get the most out of it as it must be important. This creates questions for the audience intriguing them to these characters and wanting to know why they are so sophisticated, possibly due to business, therefore making viewers want to know what kind of business as it seems important and urgent.
The darkness of the setting also adds to the verisimilitude of the whole scene creating a sense of dread and danger among the characters.

Titles included:

• LEGENDARY PICTURES
• SYNCOPY

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