Shot 1This is the opening shot it allows the audience to see where it is set that being a prison

The low angle shot makes the audience feel inferior to this sign as if it held a form of power. It also establishes the dominance of the prison

The pathetic fallacy of the weather gives foreshadowing of events that are to come. This is a highly common theme that exists across almost all genres of film

Shot 2This is the title of the film in bold white text to draw attention to it and allow it to stand out against the grey black back ground of the shot

The backdrop of the shot is a very long shot of the whole prison to establish the setting for the film.

The title appears alone on the screen unlike some other films that appear with directors and producers. However the title appearing alone is quite common.

Shot 3This next shot appears without any text on the screen unlike the other two shots.

The shot appears to be a shot taken close to the prison. The shot type is a long shot and we can see the tower that appears in the first shot. This helps to establish the setting of the film further

The bridge is up which adds the feeling of entrapment and isolation to this island.

Shot 4This is a high angle shot from onto of the tower we see in the opening shot again adding to our overall understanding of the prison.

The high angle shot and the light shining down on to the courtyard adds to the sense of domination on the part of the guards and the subjugation on the part of the prisoners

Shot 5This is the final shot of the opening it is situated inside of the prison block.

The shot type is a long shot giving a sense of length to the prison block and a sense of scale to allow the audience to get a feeling of just how many people are held here.

There is high key lighting inside giving the hall a clinical feeling and keeps up the sense of subjugation i suggested previously

We see no guard’s or prisoner’s faces in this shot giving them anonymity

Shot 6This shot again reinforces the sense of submission by having a guard with a gun walking on a catwalk looking down onto the cells.

The sense of submission is reinforced by the low angle camera shot as if we are looking up at him and he is in a position of power over us.

The camera angle is a long shot as we can see the whole of the guard, this could’ve been done to allow him to walk into frame and present the audience with his whole body reinforcing the dominace.

Shot 7This shot establishes the guards as being in a position of power over the inmates using pretty overt imagery of the bars between the guards and prisoner

We also have a short musical piece from the man behind the bars. This shows the age of the film because today it is unlikely that we would get such as staged musical piece.

The camera angle is a medium long shot as we can see the legs of the guards and the floor of the prison cell.

Shot 8In this shot we are introduced to our heroes; a group of inmates at the prison. They’re the normal heroes of a film noir. A group of relatable white males who smoke.

The shot is medium close up to put a focus on the two leads it also helps to give a close or closptraphobic feel to the prison cell.

It’s well lit and throws very few shadows giving the audience a clear view of the main characters. This again helps to give us a clear first impression of the main characters.