'Inception' Opening Scene Analysis (First 5m Thriller)

In the opening scene of the film Inception it begins with a man dressed in casual clothing being washed up on the beach. The man then see's to children, a special effect is used here to make the children appear like a dream or a vision. The man is then taken to a very rich looking building filled with individuals dressed much more smart and formal than himself. This represents elements of Mise En Scene as it portraying this very unique and prestigious setting. This lets the audience know that the people inside are very rich and obtain the very 'fancy' lifestyle. This creates a big contrast between the man who has been washed up onto the beach. The audience get sucked in here, and are intrigued to find out why the man is washed up on a beach looking very confused and what the storyline will unfold as, including this mysterious setting. To open the scene a close up is used to show his expressions, the a jump cut is used to switch to the main building. More close ups are used on both of what appear to be the main characters to show looks of confusion and nerves and then distress and sorrow. Then another jump cut is used to change to what looks to be the same building but the man who was washed up on the beach is now dressed more formally. This switch of identity through the clothes he is wearing creates a sense of mystery for the audience, which continues to draw them into the film even more, to find out what has just happened to make the man change character. A lot of match cuts from character to character are used in the clip to ensure the audience that these will be the main characters of the film and are going to play an important role. There is not a lot of sound to comment on in the opening scene of this film, except the attention to detail, for example the focus on the sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks on the beach. In entirety i believe the opening scene to the film Inception is so effective as it uses a range of Editing, Mise En Scene, Camera shots and sounds to create this introduction of mystery, this sense of unusualness all to make up the well-known Thriller opening, full of chaos and suspense.