Throughout Shutter Island, there are some very interesting scenes, which describe the characters in greater detail, forming a more secure story line. According to Les Edgerton, author of Opening Scenes: An Overview, he states that an opening scene has four main components, the inciting incident, the story-worthy problem, the initial surface problem, and finally the setup (Edgerton, Les). These elements are all apparent in the opening scenes of Shutter Island. In the opening moments of film, an extreme long shot can be found, which shows Ashecliffe Hospital, the central set of the film. The Ashecliffe Hospital is a facility for the criminally insane. The facility is located on Shutter Island, which is set in Boston Harbor. The view is set from
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The note states “THE LAW OF 4, WHO IS 67?” Daniels finds this note, while inspecting the cell of the apparent missing women at the Ashecliffe Hospital. As the first part of the note states, “THE LAW OF 4”, this portion is actually an anagram. The names a part of the anagrams are Dolores Chanal ( Daniel’s wife’s maiden name) which was rearranged to Rachel Solando and the second, being Andrew Laeddis which was rearranged to Edward Daniels. The second portion of the note, “WHO IS 67?” refers to an apparent 67th patient at Shutter Island. Early in the film, Dr. Cawley states that Shutter Island only contains 66 patients, specifically 24 in Ward C and 42 in Wards A and B. However, the note suggests that there is indeed a 67th patient. We later learn that Teddy is the 67th patient at Shutter Island. The close up of this shot plays a major factor in a reveal in the film, which is that Teddy is in fact a patient at Ashecliffe Mental Hospital. The close-up angle shows very little background, emphasizing the importance of the note. In this case, the close up is focused on the words on the note, displaying the information that leads to the reveal. The reason the director did this is so the camera acts as the eyes of the audience to place the viewers in the …show more content…
The creepy old lady does the shush sign to Teddy because the doctors had told everyone in the hospital about the experiment they are conducting with Teddy, and that they are not supposed to say anything to him about it. The lady is mentally ill and she was telling Teddy to be quiet, in essence not to spoil the secret. This scene was a crucial event in the film, also showing various techniques used in the film. The scene of the lady is a textbook example of a medium shot. This shot, also known as an intermediate shot, show actors from just above the knee/waist. The camera is just close enough to record the character’s gestures, facial expressions and movements. The background is slightly blurred out, drawing more into the creepiness of the
The note states “THE LAW OF 4, WHO IS 67?” Daniels finds this note, while inspecting the cell of the apparent missing women at the Ashecliffe Hospital. As the first part of the note states, “THE LAW OF 4”, this portion is actually an anagram. The names a part of the anagrams are Dolores Chanal ( Daniel’s wife’s maiden name) which was rearranged to Rachel Solando and the second, being Andrew Laeddis which was rearranged to Edward Daniels. The second portion of the note, “WHO IS 67?” refers to an apparent 67th patient at Shutter Island. Early in the film, Dr. Cawley states that Shutter Island only contains 66 patients, specifically 24 in Ward C and 42 in Wards A and B. However, the note suggests that there is indeed a 67th patient. We later learn that Teddy is the 67th patient at Shutter Island. The close up of this shot plays a major factor in a reveal in the film, which is that Teddy is in fact a patient at Ashecliffe Mental Hospital. The close-up angle shows very little background, emphasizing the importance of the note. In this case, the close up is focused on the words on the note, displaying the information that leads to the reveal. The reason the director did this is so the camera acts as the eyes of the audience to place the viewers in the …show more content…
The creepy old lady does the shush sign to Teddy because the doctors had told everyone in the hospital about the experiment they are conducting with Teddy, and that they are not supposed to say anything to him about it. The lady is mentally ill and she was telling Teddy to be quiet, in essence not to spoil the secret. This scene was a crucial event in the film, also showing various techniques used in the film. The scene of the lady is a textbook example of a medium shot. This shot, also known as an intermediate shot, show actors from just above the knee/waist. The camera is just close enough to record the character’s gestures, facial expressions and movements. The background is slightly blurred out, drawing more into the creepiness of the