1. The first image is a black title screen with the title of the film, 'Memento' written across the centre of the frame in a traditional, bold, blue font. The colour of the font fades from a dark to light blue which could represent the further image of a polaroid fading away and also could connote the nature of the film which shows events in reverse order. The traditional font tells the audience that the film isn't comical or romantic but serious and gives nothing really away about the plot of the film.
2. The second image is an extreme close up of polaroid photo depicting a murder scene, the colour of the 'Memento' title still remains blue and the shirt of the man who has been murdered is the same blue colour. This colour scheme continues throughout the film and connotes the sadness that lies within the main character on his search to find his wife's 'killer'
3. The third shot is an extreme close up of the same polaroid photo but it has faded, which tells the audience the film is running in reverse. This takes up the full foreground and fills the whole frame which suggests that the polaroid reflects the whole film. The tilted angle on both this image and image 2 connotes that something isn't quite right and mystery.
4. The fourth image is a close up shot of the main character taking a photo with the polaroid camera, the camera is situated central in the frame suggesting the importance of the photographs to the film and the character holding it. The camera is being held in front of his face so the identity of the character remains relatively unknown and gives adds the feeling of mystery. The dull colour of the costume and the dull lighting connote the dark event which has taken place and foreshadows the mood throughout the whole film.
5. The tilted angle shows an extreme close up of blood trickling across the floor. The tilted angle again suggests something wrong has happened and the extreme close up ensures the audience pays attention to what they are seeing and appreciate how sinister the scene is. The deep scarlet colour of the blood connotes death and also the passion that the murderer feels for his wife when he's endevouring to seek revenge on his wife's killer.
6. The bullet lying on the floor creates an instantly negative effect as a bullet never leads to positive connotations. The bullet is in the foreground and takes central placement within the frame composition suggesting that it carries a lot of power and also depicting death. The dull lighting conjures the idea of evil and a dark subject matter mirrored throughout.
7. The bloodstained glasses take central frame, the glasses are an everyday object for people and this connotes that just an average person has been killed. This evokes pathos from the audience toward the man that has died on a more personal level and allows them to empathise more with the character as a human.
8. We see the murderers face and the bullet returning to the gun he had just killed the man with, the lighting is dark suggesting an element of evil. However, across the other side of his face light shines on his face from the window which could portray a split personality, good and evil.
The title of the film, 'Memento' refers to a physical memory, such as a photo, video etc. In the opening sequence, the title 'Memento' appears at the very beginning. The font is traditional, bold, large and blue, we first see the title centred against a plain black background which slowly fades into the image of a polaroid photograph. Therefore, in this case the title here is the opening of the film and is also a reference to the first image we see and referred to throughout the entire film. The colour blue is continued throughout the film through props, setting and general mise-en-scene. The black background at the beginning is also replicated in the various black and white scenes used in the film which reflects the dark subject matter and essence.
The setting in the opening sequence is the setting in which two men are killed by the main character. It is an abandoned building, this builds a sense of isolation as the characters are alone in the building which makes the whole scene feel a lot more sinister in it's atmosphere. Thus, evoking pathos for the characters who are about to die and cannot run. Other key settings include, a dark lit bar which adds an edge of sardonicism to the humour of the characters (especially Natalie) and the Hotel room where we are mostly introduced to the ways of the main character (for example, black and white phone calls, tattoos).
The most important prop throughout this whole film is the polaroid photos taken of characters, it leads on from the title of the film and is the base plot relating to our main character.
The opening sequence is made of mainly extreme close-ups and close ups, which doesn't reveal much about surroundings which could create an eerie atmosphere but the uses of close ups could also do this as we see sinister actions in great detail. A murder, blood and the photo of a crime scene which often leads the audience into thinking deeply about what they see in each shot, further intensified by the opening's slow movement. This ensures also that the audience are fully focused on the main object within the frame. The music is a low, resonant string sound which is often related within films and the media to death or grief, it sets an instantly negative tone to the movie, the hyperbolic and diegetic sound of a camera shutter enhances the idea of a 'memento' as the audience take notice of the taking of the photo due to the shutter sound being so loud. The film is edited as if we are going back in time from the beginning to end, which could be a connotation of the twisted, scrambled thoughts in the main character's mind.
The title sequence relates to the rest of the film in many ways, for example, the title 'Memento' alone is referenced to through the use of main props (photographs) throughout. As well as this a blue colour scheme is also consistent and reflects the emotions of the main character. As well as many various physical traces which are seen both in the opening sequence and the following movie, the audience are also left wanting answers to a lot of questions after the opening sequence, therefore the film relates to this by answering them.
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