Shutter Island opening

What does the set up reveal to the audience about setting? Where is this place? What gives you this information?

When you first see the island it is rainy, dark and in the middle of nowhere; this gives connotations that it has a dangerous atmosphere. This then promotes the tension and that something bad is going to happen. Also the fact that the island is in the middle of nowhere gives off the feeling of being trapped. This already foreshadows that Teddy (the main Marshall) is trapped on this island and won't be able to leave. As the boat gradually gets closer to the island the dark scary music becomes louder - which infers there is something to be worried about.

                 

What does this set up reveal to the audience about characters? Choose one character and explain how the set up reveals this information?

One of the first things you notice is that Teddy is quite uneasy and strange. The first thing he says in the film is 'pull yourself together Teddy' which is strange for it to be very near the start as you have no idea what this means and it already gives off mysterious vibes. He has flashbacks of his wife - then shortly after confirms that she is dead. This implies that he has had a passed, and he is struggling with it. Chuck (Teddy's new partner) seems pretty normal throughout the set up. He seems to be playing his character very well. It isn't till the point where he struggles to unhand his gun where you start to get a more mysterious view on him. As a Marshall he should know how to use a gun, so this piece of information is very important.

                  

What does the set up reveal to the audience about interrelationship between characters? About their goals? Are there any things you learn here that become important later on?

I feel that there is two very important relationships in the set up. Those are Teddy and Chuck, and Teddy ad the guards. Teddy keeps giving Chuck funny looks - particularly when he cannot remove his gun - which stats to suggest that Teddy does not trust Chuck yet. This makes the audience question our trust for chuck. When their boat reaches the island the main guard is very arrogant towards Teddy. This foreshadows the power he has over Teddy. Then, when Teddy is in he car from the gates to the actual institute, he says to the guards "you seem a bit on edge". When first watching the film you think this is to do with the fact that the patient has escaped (Rachel), however later on you realise that it is because they re sitting next to the most dangerous patient in the institute.

What is this 'world' like? How do you know?

The worlds clearly not a very happy place. You can tell this because dark colours are usually associated with danger, or bad things. Also as the film actually set in a mental institute you can already tell it's not going to be the happiest nor safest place in the world.

What possible conflicts or strains are there that will become part of the story later on?

Within the setup there a few little clues and hints that do become quite important later on. In the first few minutes Teddy has lost his cigarettes - this doesn't seem very important when you watch it but it does have some significance later on. You also notice early on that Teddy for some reason does not like the sea - then you see a flashback of him and his wife. This is a massive pointer when you watch it back, but obviously you don't think anything of it at the beginning. When chuck asks about his wife he says she died in a fire and 3 other people were killed with her - these 3 people being his children that she actually killed?

How does this film opening fit with the codes and conventions of Thriller films?

This particular opening fits very well into the conventions of a Thriller Film. The dark settings are very common in thrillers. Guns and crime are also very important in thrillers so the fact that they are surrounded by criminals makes it very thriller like. I noticed there are a few re herrings as well. The guards tell the two Marshalls that a mental patient has gone missing which is actually not true. Then the camera focuses a lot for quite a long time on and old woman holding her finger to her mouth which later on have absolutely no significance to the story. These red herrings confuse and complicate things so the story can be more complex. Almost every Thriller has a complex story line.