2. MEMENTO
New Market, in association with Summit
Entertainment, Team Todd
Director: Christopher Nolan
Actors: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe
Pantoliano
Plot: A man juggles searching for his wife’s murderer
and keeping his short-term memory loss from being an
obstacle
Mise en scene: Picture of man that’s been attacked
and blood which is murder and maybe deliberate,
wearing a suit shows his role in society as being high
(professional)
Camerawork: Close-up/extreme close up shot is very
intimate, tilt reveals the character
Sound: There’s contrast between the non-diegetic and
diegetic sound, where the soundtrack is soft as the
opening begins but as the scene progresses, the
sound of the gun meeting his hand and the scream of
the man being shot is harsh and emphasises danger
Editing: Rewind the shot of the scene which is linking
to his memory loss and it’s going backwards
3. SE7EN
New Line Cinema, an Arnold Kopelson
production
Director: David Fincher
Actors: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman
Plot: Two detectives, a rookie and a
veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses
the seven deadly sins as his modus
operandi
Mise en scene: Low key lighting
shows mystery and danger
Camerawork: Extreme close-up
Sound: Non-diegetic sound is the
soundtrack and it gets more intense as
it builds up
Editing: Superimposition, random cuts
and transitions
4. SHUTTER ISLAND
Director: Martin Scorese
Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily
Mortimer, Mark Ruffalo
Plot: In 1954, a U.S. marshal investigates
the disappearance of a murderess who
escaped from hospital for the criminally
insane
Mise en scene: Costume is two men,
who look important/professional and are
wearing suits and looks like it was filmed
in the 50s, low-key lighting creates
shadow and fear
Camerawork: Close-up, long-shot, over
the shoulder
Sound: Non-diegetic is the soundtrack
and shows the man that is being
approached and is mysterious, diegetic
sound is the dialogue and talking of death
(girlfriend maybe)
Editing: Pace of editing varies
5. THE SIXTH SENSE
Spyglass Entertainment, Hollywood Pictures, a
Kennedy/Marshall/Barry Mendel production
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Actors: Bruce Willis, Olivia Williams, Haley Joel
Osment, Toni Collette
Plot: A boy who communicates with spirits that
don’t know they're dead seeks the help of a
disheartened child psychologist
Mise en scene: Costume of woman wearing bright
and coloured dress and contrasts the darkness of
the room (also relate to colour)
Camerawork: Close-up of light bulb to show/set the
scene, eye level shot through shelves as if the
audience aren’t meant to be there, rule of thirds –
she is at the edge of the shot which shows she is
less important and there’s something more (death?)
to come, POV shot from ‘ghost’ in the film
Sound: Diegetic – ambient sounds where you can
hear surroundings, no music which creates tension
Editing: Slow paced to try not to break the
quietness in the room and build up and make the
audience anticipate what’s about to occur
6. VERTIGO
Universal, MCA Company, Paramount,
VistaVision
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Actors: James Stewart, Kim Novak,
Barbara Bel Geddes
Plot: A San Francisco detective suffering
from acrophobia investigates the strange
activities of an old friends wife, all the while
becoming dangerously obsessed with her
Mise en scene: Costume – policeman
wearing black uniform showing darkness in
the character and then the man being
chased is wearing white which can mean
innocence which is a contrast and this is
reverse as the ‘criminal’ is in white (rooftop
scene)
Camerawork: Close-up shot of hands
holding on ‘for dear life’, aerial shot
showing where the man could fall to his
death
Sound: Use of dramatic tense orchestra
soundtrack (non-diegetic), gun shot sounds
are an element that create thrill for the
audience
Editing: Slow pace but then goes into fast
pace as scene carries on
7. BLACK SWAN
Fox Searchlight Pictures, Cross
Creek Pictures
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Actors: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis,
Vincent Cassel
Plot: A committed dancer wins the
lead role in a production of
Tchalkovsky’s “Swan Lake” only to
find herself struggling to maintain
sanity
Mise en scene: Low key lighting as
it’s dim and dull and you can see the
shadows being created
Camerawork: Tracking shot of the
chalk moving around, extreme close
up of the chalk being intensely used
Sound: Non diegetic – piano being
played starting soft and elegant but
starts to get more intense and
matches the speed of the chalk
(These can relate to the movement of
the ballet dancers)
8. THE PRESTIGE
Warner Bros, TimeWarner
Company, Touchstone Pictures,
New Market Films
Director: Christopher Nolan
Actors: Christian Bale, Hugh
Jackman, Scarlett Johansson
Plot: Two stage magicians
engage in competitive one-
upmanship in an attempt to
create the ultimate stage illusion
Mise en scene: Costume – the
magicians wearing suits
Camerawork: Wide shot of the
stage and audience
Sound: Non-diegetic voiceover –
dialogue shows direct mode of
address
Editing: Fast pace, parallel
editing – both indicate the chaos
of being a magician
