Still Frame Analysis

Limitless

I have decided to use the opening scene of Limitless that was released in 2011 to analyise. The whole clip of the opening sequence has been given above.



The opening of Limitless starts with the cameras point of view in longshot, as if the camera is 'falling' down the side of a building. The distance quickly becomes closer to make the audience feel apart of it, as if they are actually falling because they are seeing what the camera wants the audience to see. 

The camera then is at a canted angle as it reaches the bottom of the city below. This is used to withhold information from the audience and make them question why they are not allowed to see the whole scene. The title slowly appears introcuding the film. The title suggests that anything can happen by the word 'Limitless' making the audience eager to find out what is going to happen.



The camera then centralises by turning anti-clockwise. The audience now have a clear view on the surroundings of the scene. The camera is now in longshot of what is in the distance.

The camera then focuses a close-up shot on a police car out of everything going on in the scene. This could symbolise that something bad might happen within the film, this could be a suttle hint for the audience. This builds suspence upon the audience.

The scene then moves onto a highstreet. The camera is now using a wide-shot to include as much as possible into the shot to create a busy atmosphere. This could confuse the audience as they will want to know why they are repeatedly being shown scenes from a busy city evening. 

The shot is then enclosed by a tunnel, making the audience feel tense as they have been experiencing a lot of wide space and surroundings and then they instantly in a more impacted space which with holds information of whats going on outside of the tunnel.

Again, the camera is in a wide-shot of a city, again confuses the audience because they are un-aware of what they are ment to be experiencing and what they re ment to be undertsanding from what they are being shown. This is done purposely to withhold information  from the audience, to not give away to much from the beginning.

This is another shot to exagerate the confusion on what the audience is ment to be getting from what is in the shot. 

The shot is then an animation of the human brain. This then gives the audience a clue to what the film may be about. From numerous shots from different parts a busy city, to an image of the human brain.

The camera then has a close-up into the brain onto a brain cell. Again with the shot going into to this much depth of the brain, this then starts to educate the audience on what is going on or what is going to happen later on in the film. 

The camera then zooms out onto an animation of the brain again, which then dissolves into a satelite view of a city, which then opens the first scene into the film. Where the first scene begins.

The camera is now in a wide-shot satelite view of the city, building a climix for the opening scene of the film. This makes the audience eager and excited for the film to begin, after watching the opening scene and purposely not getting a lot of information to prepare them for the film they are about to watch.

By Kathleen Rayment