Sam McLeish's Textual Analysis of 'Total Recall' (Len Wiseman, 2012)

Key 

Camerawork, Editing, Mise en scene and Sound track

For the purpose of this post, I have divided the sequence into three sections:

• 00:00 - 01:12 (Graphic introduction)
• 01:12 - 01:59 ("Wake up")
• 01:59 - 02:17 (Pursuit)
• The sequence does continue for another two minutes but for this post, I am only analysing the first two minutes.

Graphic Introduction

Image 1

As shown in image 1, the opening to the film is beautiful despite the fact that the imagery is created through CGI. This is a clever technique for a thriller film because it isn't usual for there to be such a calm atmosphere created. However, this is then juxtaposed in the second section of the film when the audience gets to see the action. Therefore, misleading the audience is effective because the action then becomes more significant. 

Image 2

Secondly, in image two, what is most striking to the audience in this scene is that the annotations presented that suggests what happens in the future. This is because what they are suggesting is entirely possible, as it is commonly known that many countries have nuclear weapons. As a result, the audience then becomes more tense because what we're about to see on screen is something that could happen to us one day. 

Finally in this section, the non-diegetic, off-screen backing track reaches a crescendo when 'The Fall' is mentioned on screen, as shown in image 3. As this is the case, it is suggested that 'The Fall' should connote evil. This then signifies to the audience that this should be noticed and it has become somewhat of a motif for the entirety of the film.  

"Wake Up" Scene

Image 3B

Image 3A

Image 3C

From this point onwards, actual camera work comes into play. For example, the camera turns over a full 360 degrees as he gets up, as shown in images 3A through C. This then, in turn, makes the audience feel disorientated because they were expecting him to be the right way up. However, this could still be seen as effective because if the audience becomes confused, they have to work harder to work out what's happened. This then means they can engage more with the drama on screen.

Also, what should be pointed out in image 3a is that the lighting is flickering. This further adds onto the confusion but unnaturally bright, white light connotes heaven so it is for a brief moment that the audience think that this film could have been shown in a non-linear narrative and this was his death scene. However, this isn't the case as the light flickers off in image 3b and brings him back into the scary, 'real' world. This is effective because it shows that it causes tension when everything makes sense and he's obviously in danger.

As well as this, the female character says "wake up", at first quietly but says it again twice more to show urgency. This diegetic, off-screen sound creates tension because each time, her speech becomes clearer each time as he regains consciousness. As a result of this, it becomes clearer to the audience that they are both in trouble as the male has been knocked out.

Image 4

Finally in this scene, once the female character offered the male character the gun, he looked extremely confused, as shown in image 4 through his facial expressions. At this point, the audience is feeling the exact same way as the character because they also have no idea what's going on. This is effective because then the audience relates to the character and therefore feels empathy for them as the scene progresses.


Pursuit Scene 

Image 5A

Image 5B

In comparison to the last scene which had rather long shots, in terms of duration, there are quick cuts between shots. For example, images 3a through c lasted for 20 seconds without any cuts but image 5A and B lasts no more than a second. This is effective because as they are both running, it allows the audience to get caught up in the action without having to know what's happening in depth because they're getting all the crucial details in a short image. This is effective because they don't waste time in the plot having to explain what has happened, especially as this was shot in non-chronological order (the same as non-linear narrative). 

Also, in image 5B, the camera chooses to shoot in a VLA (very low angle) shot looking up at the two characters. This imposes their statuses as protagonists because they are literally not looked down upon. As well as this, the use of the MS (mid shot) is significant because it allows the audience to see the guns that they are carrying. This shows the audience that they are both deadly and further adds to the tense scene.

In terms of soundtrack, the non-diegetic, off-screen backing track picks up pace and becomes more dramatic. This reflects the action in the scene well as the quick cuts and the almost too-loud music creates a slight sense of confusion which then allows for the audience to disregard what just happened so that they can now focus on the current events. This then leads to tension because it isn't clear what's happening.

Plus, as the scene is shown in non-chronological order at this point in the film, it is useful to see that both the male and female's makeup in image 5B is bloody and dirty. This then shows to the audience that they are in danger, especially before they start the pursuit in the 'wake up' section of the sequence because it is presented to the audience that they are both in danger.

Image 6

Finally, the scene ends with image 6 of the robot soldier. This is interesting because it supports the idea that the sequence is set in the future in image 2 but as they are painted black, they are dehumanised further and in turn, are seen as more of a threat. 

Conclusions 

Overall, I think that this scene would be appropriate for my target audience (17-25 year olds) because it is tense and interesting to view from the outset. What I would steal from this sequence is the use of distorting the camera and it turning it around to confuse the audience. However, this wouldn't be practical for our production because we don't have a tripod that can rotate a full 360 degrees.