The document analyzes the lighting and shots used in the movie Shutter Island. It discusses how the director uses low key lighting in the first aerial shot and corridor shot to set a mysterious tone and hide details. An extreme close-up on a hand is then brightly lit to draw attention to its potential importance. Later shots contrast high and low key lighting to confuse the viewer and emphasize mystery around corners of a room being in total darkness. The overall low key lighting and dull colors establish the gloomy, mysterious atmosphere of the film.

1. Shutter Island Lighting and Shot
Analysis
By Mary Hainsby

2. The director has created the first shot using low key
lighting, this makes it difficult for the audience to see what is
featured in the aerial shot. The low key lighting sets the tone for
the genre and contents of the film, not being able to clearly see
the shot translates to the viewer something is being hidden and
there is a mystery. The first shot then fades into a long shot of a
corridor, the long corridor is only lit be one central hanging light.
The single light again creates low key lighting which emphasises
the mystery to the audience. The low key lighting also makes the
corridor look cramped, dark, gloomy and dingy.

3. A fade is used again to transition into an extreme-close
up on what we presume is the central character’s hand. The
use of an extreme-close up focuses the audiences attention
on the hand suggesting it holds some importance and
relevance to the story. The lighting in this shot reiterates the
possible importance of the hand, the hand is brightly lit
meaning the action is completely visible to the audience
unlike the previous two shots.

4. The sudden switch to the outside and high key
lighting tells the audience that the action in the previous
shots is either hidden or happened in the past. The
camera angle and shot gives the impression it is a point of
view shot. The angel is off centre and not central with the
gate which distort the audience.

5. This shot uses both high and low key lighting, this
contrasts and confuses the viewer as part of the room is
illuminated. The corners of the room being in complete
darkness emphasises the possible mystery that the film
will focus around. The outside lighting coming through
the doorway suggests something/someone is being kept
away from the outside world.

6. The title sequences fades into the Foley. The
low key lighting adds to the overall mystery. This
establishing shot tells the audience where the film
is set. The dull and gloomy colours featured in this
shot set the atmosphere and tone for the movie.