Ten pictures taken from Shutter Island and analysed in detail.

2. Eerie Music:
Eerie music here is used to
highlight the woman and what
she is doing. This could signify
that she is important, however,
we find out later that she's not.
The eerie music creates tension
and makes the audience feel
uneasy. This creates an
unsettling atmosphere, which
leads to foreshadow the ending
and also a lot of the action that
takes place. Also, the fact that
nothing happens at the end of
this scene, puts us into a false
sense of security believing that
since nothing happened this
time, nothing will happen next
time, making everything a little
unexpected.
Chiaroscuro:
This is used on her face.
This could symbolise
the contrast in patients
and the people who
work there: how they're
treated; what they are
like; how they see
themselves; how they
see the world and how
they see each other. It
could also be used to
symbolise the contrast
between oneself, and
the battles going on in
ones subconscious,
when suffering from a
mental issue, for
example, who Teddy
thinks he is and who
Teddy actually is.
Clothing:
The clothing she is wearing are very old,
and don't look very clean. This could be
because of the murky grey colour all
patients are made to wear, or because she
is so mentally unwell that she is unable to
look after herself properly. This could be
backed up by the state of her hair on her
ECU/CU:
A close up is used to focus all attention
clearly on her. Despite the fact that she
is, in the end, a red herring, she is shown
to be important, and the line across her
neck makes us wonder who she is, and
what happened to her. This draws our
attention away from the main plot

3. Body Posture:
Here, the scene shows Teddy Daniel's slouching. Now, given his
title as a high ranking detective, he should be more alert, ready for
anything. His inability to be prepared at this point causes the
audience to worry about him, and it builds up a character- audience
relationship. It also puts forward the question of whether or not he
is as qualified as we believe he is, and if he's not, why not? This
foreshadows the ending.
The Storm:
The storm which is
forecast in this scene
could be a literal storm,
which it does become,
but it can also be
perceived in a
metaphorical way. The
'storm' could refer to
the changes Teddy
goes trough, and the
damage that is left
behind. It could also
refer to the damage
that was caused in the
last storm, and that
Uniform:
Throughout the film, I believe that
uniform is a very important feature. It
separates who is who and helps us to
define what each character should be
like, so that when they are not like that,
it's noticeable. When Teddy and Chuck
lose their uniform, they become less
separated from the people who are
there, and that's when the action kicks
off. Uniform symbolises the separation
of people, and the difference in how
they act and treat each other.
Dramatic Angles:
The shot is taken from a low angle. This makes the characters seem
powerful and important. This is effective because, due to their high ranking
jobs, they are powerful. It demonstrates the power they hold at the start of
the film, and different camera shots will demonstrate the gradual change in
power, and will show Teddy's power levels throughout the film. This is

4. Long Shot:
This has been
used to show
the island at its
most terrifying.
It shows just
how isolated it
is, and how
secluded the
main two
characters will
be. This also
foreshadows
that something
bad will
happen whilst
they're there
because it
shows the lack
of escape
routes. If
something bad
were to
happen, the
characters
would be
trapped and
Chiaroscuro:
This has been used to show the clear contrast
between the blue sea and sky, and the island. The
sky shows a nice day, reflected on the sea in a
fairly pleasant way. This could foreshadow that
soon, they won't look so pleasant, when the storm
The Sea:
The sea pretty much foreshadows the whole of the
ending. Teddy Daniel's turns out to actually be a patient
at the mental asylum, because he shot his wife. He did
this because she drowned their three children in a lake.
This makes the sea very important. Like the island is
Multiple Lines of Action:
At this point in the plot, it switches between the boat pulling into the island, and Teddy
and Chuck on the boat. This is to show the reaction of both Teddy and Chuck, seeing if
all is as it should be. To begin with, we may think nothing of it, but as we watch it, we
realise the reactions were not as normal as we may have trusted they should be. This is
used to emphasise the foreshadowing used in this scene of the film.

5. The Woman:
The woman in this scene is his dead wife. He
knows she is dead, but hallucinates her up a lot.
This is just one indication to the fact that he is truly
crazy. The fact that she is falling apart could
indicate the mass trauma he went through, and
show that his heart is now just dust – like her.
The House:
The house is being ripped up and turned to ashes.
This could be used to foreshadow the confusion
he is going through. That is his world, and it's
falling apart in front of him. I think it's being used to
demonstrate how being in the mental asylum is
tearing his world – or what he thinks his world is –
apart.
Low Key Lighting:
The house, and everything in it, is a dull colour.
Even the light has a very dull glow, nothing too
powerful or bright. This could be indicating how his
life is now dull and gloomy, and there's nothing
Facial Expressions:
In this scene, Teddy's facial expression is pained
and he doesn't care if he gets the ashes of his
crumbing wife all over him. He is just determined
to hold onto her, and make every moment last

6. Low Key Lighting:
This sets the scene. Teddy is wandering through Ward C – filled with the
most dangerous patients in the asylum. The place is very dull mutual
colours, the only exception being the green, which adds some colour to it,
but also makes it seem very militarized. This suggests the people kept here
are very dangerous, and emphasises the idea of needed guns on site.
Over-Exaggerated Sounds:
Sounds such as footsteps, dripping, doors creaking and chains rattling are
over-exaggerated in this scene. This is to add a tense atmosphere, and
demonstrate how Teddy is feeling. The audience then gets a feel for the
tension Teddy is feeling, but also his fear. Subconsciously, he fears this
place as it is where he usually stays, as he is Andrew Laites. He, however,
doesn't know this, because he has created Teddy for him to be, but he still
feels very anxious, probably more than would be expected, which is
Red Herring:
A man jumps out and says
“Tag, you're it!” to Teddy and
Chuck. This is effective
because Teddy chases after
him, causing the audience to
believe he is a very
important part of the story.
They chase him all over the
ward, before he strangles
Teddy and Teddy beats him
up. This demonstrates
Teddy's uncontrollable side,
and the fact that he is in
Ward C highlights that,
however, the man who
tagged them is irrelevant to
the film, and only buys
Teddy some time alone in
Ward C to reflect on his days
there. One man who is
important, however, is the
man in the cell he speaks to.
He says lots of confusing
things, but puts forward the
idea that Teddy is Andrew
Laites in a very subtle way.

7. Bright Lighting:
This sets the scene. Teddy is in a good mood. He has not began to doubt himself or
those around him. He is completely wrapped in his better life. It is not the perfect life –
his wife is dead and the man who is responsible got away with it, but at least he is a
fully functioning man who isn't suffering due to the madness of his wife and the loss of
his three children, or so he thinks.
Uniforms:
The uniforms of the people witnessing are white. This could be to show their blank,
irrelevant personalities, and make them blend into the background. They are
unnecessary characters. Teddy's uniform is of very similar colours to the person they
are interviewing. This could be to indicate that actually, they are both equals, both from
the asylum, and Teddy is not as superior as he thought. This is another foreshadow to
the end plot point. This is also reinforced by Chucks dark suit. The colours completely
Misdirectio
n:
Throughout
these interviews,
Teddy sees that
the inmates
seem to be
hiding
something. At
first it seems like
they're hiding
something from
the observers,
but then the
woman sends
Chuck away and
writes in Teddy's
notebook. This
indicates that
Chuck is not to
be trusted, and
that the place is
working against
Teddy, trying to
kidnap him to do
brain tests on,
like they
Dramatic
Angles:
These are used to
show the
interviews in a
more exciting
way. The angles
used show the
room in all
different
directions, but
what's interesting
in this shot is how
the camera is
angles so the
height difference
between Chuck
and Teddy is
made very clear,
and it shows
Chuck to be of
greater

8. Police Guard:
The police guard is interestingly placed in this shot.
Although we assume the police guard is where he is
because he is guarding the patient Teddy and Chuck
are interviewing, it could be seen that he is actually
guarding Teddy, which foreshadows the end. This is
an important thing to notice, because it shows just
how dangerous Teddy really is, and emphasises the
whole idea of taking his gun, making him follow
The Plaster on his Head:
This arises many questions: What is the plaster?
Why is it there? What has he done? When did he do
it? This could be an indication of the fight he had
with a man because he said he was Laites, or just a
red herring, used for effect and to make the film
more interesting. In this particular shot, it is very
noticeable and this could emphasise how
dangerous he is, highlighting issues raised about his

9. “To live as a monster or to die as a good
man?”:
This is from right at the end of the film. Teddy has been told
who he really is, what he has done, what he has been
through, and how if he doesn't learn to accept this, he will go
through brain surgery, removing who he is from his brain,
creating a sort of 'empty' body. He then alerts someone very
important that he knows who he is, etc, and he is told that he
made this progress once before, and then regressed again.
The ending shows him having regressed again, and as he is
being taken to get the brain surgery, he turns to Chuck and
says “You know, this place makes me wonder... Which would
be worse? To live as a monster or to die as a good man? This
puts forward the suggestion that he hasn't regressed. He has
decided that he would rather die as a good man, as Teddy
Daniel's, a man who lost his wife in a fire, rather than to live
as a monster, as Andrew Laites, a man who shot his wife who
he loved dearly.
Uniform:
The uniform Teddy is wearing is old
and dirty. It is not the outfit of a
detective, but it still doesn't sway his
knowledge of who he thinks he is.
Also, Chuck's outfit has changed.
He has got a more expensive suit
on, with a green tie. His hair is
combed back, and he looks more
like a psychologist than a detective.
These emphasise the idea that
Teddy does actually know who he
really is, but is hiding it, so he can
'die as a good man.'

10. Facial
Expressions:
In this shot,
Teddy's facial
expression is very
serious and on
task. This
portrays how
strongly he
believes in the
lies he has woven
into his own mind.
The idea that they
are lies comes
from the facial
expression his
partner is pulling
at him. He is
looking at Teddy
like Teddy has
some serious
issues – which he
does, but we
don't know it yet.
This helps to
foreshadow the
ending, where we
Dramatic Angles:
This shot shows a low angle shot of Teddy Daniels. This is effective because it shows
him as the powerful detective we believe him to be. This keeps us hooked to the idea
that he is in fact a detective, and keeps us from guessing and ruining the plot twist at
the end. Another thing which emphasises this idea, is the way in which his badge is
subtly revealed. A badge, especially one like Teddy's, is a symbol of power and so this
suggests that he is the most powerful character here, and that that is how he plans to

11. Chiaroscuro:
This shot shows Teddy with a very bright, lit up side of his face, and a dark gloomy side of his face. This
is the moment in the film where he's just been alerted to his true identity, and the two contrasting shades
of colour on his face could be an indication to how he is feeling: he has just realised part of him is very
dark and is dying to come out, and the other side is Teddy Daniels, still fighting to stay the more
dominant side of Leonardo, because it is his most preferred side. It could also be portraying how he has
managed to keep himself in the dark for so long, believing that he is not Andrew Laites, but is in fact
Focus:
The focus of this
shot is on Teddy
alone. This is
done by blurring
out the
background –
the people are
still there, just
not obviously –
but also with the
use of cigarette
smoke. This is
done so the
audience
focuses solely
on Teddy,
witnessing the
change in him,
and due to the
fact that they
have created a
high level of
empathy for him,
this is very
powerful. They
see him become