Research Task - Inception (2010, Christopher Nolan) by Maria Beardall

Research Task

'Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a thief with the rare ability to enter people's dreams and steal their secrets from their subconscious. His skill has made him a hot commodity in the world of corporate espionage but has also cost him everything he loves. Cobb gets a chance at redemption when he is offered a seemingly impossible task: Plant an idea in someone's mind. If he succeeds, it will be the perfect crime, but a dangerous enemy anticipates Cobb's every move.'

KEY:
Camera
Editing
Sound
Mise en Scene

Inception (http://moodle.centralsussex.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=36507)

1st Scene:

First shot of waves

At the beginning of the first scene in Inception, there is a shot of the waves crashing into each other on a small, beach with good weather which seems rather peaceful as it's in slow motion and used with a Steadicam to take the shot. There is a non diegetic noise in the background to suggest that there is a sense of disorientation and the obvious diegetic sound of the waves which is calming as the focus on the crashing waves gives an establishing shot that is clear.

It can be assumed that these are shots to show the audience where they are and give them a false sense of security, but also give the character seen in a cut from the waves, who has washed up on the beach unconscious, a sense of where he is as he begins to wake up - these are visually his thoughts and his processes seen like he would see them so the audience know as much, or slightly less, than him; and this is confusion and realization, his senses trying to kick start again.

Shot reverse shot of mirage/hallucination

There is also a shot reverse shot/cutaways and cutbacks to him slowly waking up, yet in a state of delirium as he begins imagining there are children on the lone beach, as he begins to hear faint voices of laughing and talking children in mid shots which are echoed and the movements of them both slow like the waves, as they can still be heard too. The focus of the camera is on the young boy - the cutaways give the sense the character is staring 'at them' for a reason and the scene that is going on inside his head, and witnessed by the audience, is connected to himself. This makes the audience realize he is still not mentally ready to get up, and that he has been hurt badly - speculation to why and how etc. will begin. 

Threatened

He falls back out of consciousness and a strangely readily dressed army figure appears from behind him, as if waiting for him. The man is dressed officially and has a stern look on his face as raises a generic sign of danger - a gun - to the man. He finds a gun on the other man and gives the audience clues that he is dangerous also, yet the comparison of both their guns makes the audience feel threatened by the second character as the close up shots feel very close intense and full of potential danger. The non diegetic music sounds quite intense and parallel to what is going on showing that something isn't right, raising concerns.

Establishing shot for scene change

There is then a cut to a building which is another establishing shot we get to objectively experience whilst the man is presumably being taken there. The building looks majestic and expensive, which is a typical setting for a thriller as it makes it more exciting. The rocks and forceful waves give the place a feeling of uncertainty - which goes hand in hand with the man in uniform's reaction, instead of helping him up, and creates tension and suspense for the next cut. The soundtrack climaxes here to foreshadow the next scene and the trouble that awaits.

2nd Scene:

Powerful yet sitting

The next shot is a smooth approaching close up of the back of a man sitting down, sitting at the head of an empty table. This, and now that the multiple men in the same green clothing are addressing him as their leader shows he doesn't even have to lift a finger and can be sitting at a lower level than them and still have their full service and respect is very powerful and makes the audience question who he is.

 The mise en scene again shows that the building is very expensive and extravagant, yet oriental, giving the feeling that this foreign land could be potentially dangerous as stereo typically antagonists wearing dark clothing, pictured above, and aren't American. This uncomfortable and usual setting puts the audience out of their comfort zone, as well as the guards speaking a very harsh native tongue and makes them feel alert and skeptical as it's very unfamiliar. The gong at the beginning also has been rung as non diegetic noise in the background to suggest a shift from the previous scene, with an added rumbling noise to suggest that nothing is certain or stable here.

Protagonist dragged

There are concentrated Foleys like footsetps to really show the audience it is oddly quiet. 

Conversing

There are slow cut shots pieced together like a pan up of the man on the left eating and an OTS shift in depth of field shot to begin the conversation.

Calm and wise

Revealed face

The man in charge is not seen by his face until the washed up man, now defenseless with his possessions removed, (a vulnerable protagonist) begins to eat food that is less than ascetically pleasing, to then show the powerful antagonist who, in a CU, is wrinkled - making him seem less physically powerful yet wise, but old and possibly unwell. The unusual and unexpected make up that makes him look like that makes him seem unsettling, however him sitting down makes him look sinister as he is so composed and calm as his hand swipes over the gun and moves a smaller object, talking in slow English, unlike the others. The other man has a mid shot of himself hunched over seeming less threatening and less composed.

As they converse a string soundtrack is being played in 'waves' to increase tension and create a beat to show the alarm rise as the powerful man in black asks if the first man has come to 'kill him' and says he 'knows what this is', in an ill and slow, gravely voice. It cuts between the two men keeping the 180 degree rule and eyeline match which is incredibly intense as he keeps talking and panic spreads across the washed up man's face as his 'knowing' of what is going on becomes apparent, to which it cuts to black.

Conclusion:

• it works well as a thriller and action hybrid as creates confusion, interest and sparks there is danger to the audience
• it appeals to 17-25 year olds as it they can follow the story line by picking up on generic hints as to what is happening and has exciting locations that it is filmed at
• its organised by creating objective and subjective thoughts as the protagonist is in and out of consciousness and making the audience feel out of their comfort zone at the appropriate times