This visual essay analyzes still shots and elements from the movie Memento to infer the genre and themes. The opening scene uses editing techniques like fading letters to draw the audience in. The sounds and music create an intense atmosphere of uncertainty. A close-up shot shows details like distress in a character's eyes, indicating dark themes. The remote warehouse setting provides an edgy location for thrills. Characters introduced are a killer and victim, though more are hinted at. A low camera angle suggests an advantage or impending harm. Reverse editing in the trailer plays mind games with the audience. The crime and violence depicted identify it as a crime genre film.

1. Mementoes Visual Essay
Sam Warner

2. Editing
This still uses a close up of editing by the way it shows the word
“Memento” and then spaces the letters out and also fades out to
make the opening scene more interesting and eye catching.
This connotes that the director of the movie wants to pull more
people in to watch the movie and to want to know what is going to
happen.
This links to the physco/thriller genre as it looks very creepy and
plays with your mind which gets you wanting to watch it.

3. Sound
In this movie, the sounds and music is very intense like you don’t know what is going to happen next and you could
either be worried or frightened of what you are going to see.
This connotes that the movie is going to be a very strange movie and you are not going to know what is going to
happen whatsoever and is a chance that it will mess with your head because of how weird and disturbing the movie is
going to be.
This links to this genre because it shows the aspects of what is in this kind of movie and what happens and the kind of
music and sounds used in the movies.

4. Cinematography
In this movie the type of angle in this picture is a close
up of the guys face. This is a good close up because it
shows the details of what is happening in the scene just
by looking at his face.
This connotes that the movie is going to be dark as you
can see the disgust and intensity in his eyes in this
screenshot of the movie.
This screenshot links to the movie as just by looking at
the person, you can see that it is going to be a thriller
genre as you wouldn’t see a comedy movie with blood
all over their face.

5. Setting
The setting of the movie looks like it is located in
some abandoned remote warehouse which is a
good location to set these types of movies as it
gives the movie a bit of edginess and thrill.
This connotes that the movie is going to be based
around what is happening in the opening scene of
the movie and that the thrill and not understanding
what is going on will stay with you for the whole
movie.
This links to movie in the fact that you can see that
the place where it is set looks run down so it is not
going to be a happy movie but one that you need
to think through.

6. Characters
In this movie the characters that we have met are the killer
and the victim. Its good that it shows properly who are in the
movie at the moment and we know that later in the movie
we are going to find out more about the characters.
This connotes that there are more than just two characters in
the movie but are showing us a glimpse of what is going to
happen and obviously who the main characters are.
This links to the movie because it shows someone getting
shot and dying making it a movie that has thrill and
disturbing imagery in.

7. Cinematography
The angle in this still shows that it is a low angle shot(the
camera is looking up at the actor) It is showing that the actor
is more superior and has a advantage over the guy on the
floor. It also shows that something bad is going to happen
because (over the movies that I have seen) this angle is
shown when there is the bad guy.
This connotes that this movie is going to be a dark scary
movie if there is a physco villain.
This suggests that the movie could be a jump scare thrill
movie that will give you nightmares.

8. Editing
The editing in the opening scene shows how the picture that
has been taken is fading instead of increasing which means that
the trailer is in reverse. This is very cool editing and plays with
your mind because you don’t know what is happening.
This connotes that the editor wants to mess with your head
and wants you to work out what is happening which makes you
want to go and see the movie.
This proves that the movie is a very head bending twisted
movie. The movie also proves that if its hard to work out the
first time you watch it then people will go out and watch it and
buy it on DVD making more money.

9. Narrative
This movie is in the crime genre because it involves a gun which means that the movie will be involved in that kind of
scene. Also it shows in the opening scene that the guys who shoots looks like he should be in a mob in the mafia or some
sort which makes it that type of movie.

10. Titles
The titles in this movie show nothing much about the
movie but the names of people in the movie and the
colour. The colour is blue which symbolises peace but
from what we know so far from the opening scene,
there is no peace.
This links to the movie that it could be any movie.