This is my similar product analysis of 'Limitless'

1. Joey Pinder HL
Film Opening – Limitless
Mise-en-Scene:
The film’s opening scene is set inside an apartment that looks to be located in a large apartment
building in New York. The outside suggests it is set at night and later in the opening scene, a
camera shot goes through the streets of New York.
The opening scene doesn’t feature any props that are massively significant to the film however
there are some decisions that have been made that help indicate the current situation. When we
first see the apartment, straight away we can see that someone has recently moved because of
the boxes that are scattered about. Furthermore, on the boxes we can see an image of a truck
and the words ‘two men and a truck’ which gives the impression that it’s a delivery company. Also
from the apartment, we can see that it is very modern and expensive with a grand piano in the
centre of the shot. Moving on in the opening scene, we then see a set of computers that show
‘signal lost’ and ‘system error’ which show us that something bad has, or will happen and then we
see dead bodies which suggests that the people by the door are armed and dangerous. Finally, to
create ‘New York’, we can see the yellow cabs and other typical, everyday props that’s likely
outside of the films control.
The opening 2 minutes doesn’t show us many characters therefore, there’s not much to be said in
the way of costumes in the opening scene. The first sign of clothing is the dead bodies, which
shows them in suits which is likely because they are workers in the apartment building. Then we
see the main character, who is also in a suit and has greasy hair which could show that he is
important and wealthy which is backed up by the expensive apartment. Finally, the neighbour that
gets killed next door is show to be wearing a night-gown, further implying that it is set at night.
The only facial expression we can see throughout the opening scene is the main character when
he is on the balcony. At first, he has closed eyes as he looks like he is about to fall off of the
balcony but, as the neighbour gets shot, his eyes open and looks in shock which turns to a
serious, thoughtful face as the monologue is heard in the back ground.
There is a heavy use of lighting in the opening scene due to the time of day. The apartment is
brightly lit in all of the rooms we can see and as the camera pans up the building we can see that
only a few rooms have their light on because it is set and night. And across all the shots of New
York, the car lights, street lights and buildings are all bright.
Cinematography:
The first shot we see is of the metal door that the people are trying to break into then, there are
shots of the apartment to show that there’s no one there. There are very few, still shots in the
opening scene as the camera pans across the rooms and computers. Next, the camera moves out
of the front of building and up the side which helps the audience understand the height of the
building later on when we see the man on the edge. When we first see the main character, there

2. Joey Pinder HL
is a wide shot to make the man look smaller in comparison to the building. This then switches to a
mid-shot where we can see the character’s face and clothing. The use of close-ups are also used
when we see the feet of the character and this creates significance as he looks as if he is going to
fall. Also, a close-up is used to show the character’s expression when he hears the gun shot and
the other man shouting at the door. Finally, during the opening credits, a unique shot takes us
through the streets of New York.
Sound:
When the opening credits are shown, we can hear banging noises that are in-sync when the text
on-screen changes. Then we hear the start of the monologue that suggests that sound bad is
happening with the continued banging on the door and music is faded in. Next, we can hear the
voice of the man on the other side of the door say ‘Eddie’ which we later on find out is the name
of the main character and also that he is coming for him. The banging then becomes faster as we
then hear a chainsaw. The monologue continues and the volume music in the background
increases as the camera pans up the building. When we first see the character, the music becomes
quiet again and sirens and the sound of wind can be heard during the shot of the city from above.
The gun shot can be heard and the music completely stops which helps create tension. Shouting
can be heard again from the man on the other side of the door and the monologue finishes with
music increasing once more as the opening credits are shown.