Scene Analysis


[Memento]


DanDan Hong

3371



1, Scene Overview

Memento is a Psychological thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan.


Lenny is a main character who has suffering from short-term memory loss, use notes, photos and tattoos to hunt for the man who killed his wife. He doesn’t want to face the truth is he kills his wife by accident. He chooses forget and forged a fake memory, because he feels painful and guilty. He always tries to find the murder, however he already killed that guy. Revenge is the power to encourage him to continue his live. This propped up the meaning of his life.

In this scene, we will explore the Lenny tries to lie to himself. He creates a fake story about Sammy and his wife. But the story he tells is what happen between him and his wife.



2. Scene Analysis

Duration: 1:29:43- 1:30:01

Character: Lenny, Sammy, patient and nurse

Setting: Hospital

Properties: Chair, Table, desk, plant, door

Color: It is black and white color in this shot. Director uses Black and White to express Lenny’s past. Also it is use black and white color express Lenny’s condition.

Sound: The sound type is use people talk. Lenny talks in the phone with someone, he tells that guy what happen to Sammy. In this part, he just likes a narrator to tell a story to audience.

Music: It has background music when Sammy sits in the hospital, the music is match with the scene cause make the mysterious felling about Sammy’s problem. It will let audience more pay attention on this part.

Dialogue: The dialogue in this scene is Lenny talk in the phone with someone. The dialogue is clearly to tell audience what happen on Sammy. That is what Lenny’s story in his mind and how his wife dies. It gives audience an important message.

Lighting: However it is black and white color in the shot. But there has a sunshine come thought window in hospital. The sunshine is behind Sammy. It is highlights of his lonely and poor.

Contrasting area: Foreground much visible than the background, especially when the camera move to Sammy face the background become blur, so it more contrast, the main character become more clearly.

Character Analysis

Character Movement: Sammy sits on the chair and looking around. Sammy’s eyes follow other people who walks pass him.

Character Relationship: Sammy is Lenny’s client, Lenny thinks Sammy got short-memory issue and he has kill his wife by accidently. He tells everyone Sammy’s story, but the true is Sammy is Lenny, he lie to himself about his wife’s die.

Editing

Editing style: Some frames use short sequence, such like a guy who walk pass front Sammy, then suddenly Sammy become Lenny. It used to show the interest part, if director didn’t add this scene, the movie will make audience more confuse about the story. Some frames use long sequence, it is used to show where character is and use setting to express character’s condition.


Transition: First, Sammy sits in the hospital and it jump cut to Lenny talk in the phone, then it back to Sammy sit in the hospital. It uses a two frames become one. It is effect on the audience. It is a little bit makes all movies more complicate and more interesting.
At 1:30:00. Director use a guy who walk pass front Sammy to be transition.



Cinematography

Shot type: In this scene, the director has uses three different shot type. Close up (when Lenny talk in the phone) used to show Lenny’s emotion. Zoom in (When Sammy sit in the hospital, then camera start zoom in) used to show let audience know how the condition around character. Medium shot (Sammy look people who walk pass him) it is show the character body language and how character situation is.

Camera Angle: The camera angle is on eye level 1. It doesn’t change to use another angle. It puts character in the middle of the screen.

Camera movement: In this scene first, camera is slowly zoom in to character half body. And know what character’s movement and changing.

Depth of Field: In this scene, the focus is in the Sammy and Lenny.

Timing: In this shot, director use 18 second to zoom in Sammy from whole body to half body. Then he just use 1 second to show audience, Sammy is Lenny. It will give audience an answer that Lenny tries to lie to himself. But if audience didn’t real catch up on that second, they will lose an important message. That is amaze timing.

Total composition: The whole composition shows how Lenny is think about Sammy’s question, he talk about Sammy’s situation.

Deconstructed Meaning: This scene shows Lenny tells a story about his client Sammy. And what happen on Sammy, however he got short-term memory like Sammy. But he believes he better than Sammy. What he talks about Sammy is what is happen on Lenny himself. He makes up a story to lie to himself. He could not face to himself and he chooses to lie to himself.