FILM CASE STUDY
MEMENTO
biography
history
Christopher Nolan was born on July 31st, 1970. It has been Nolan's passion to make short films since he was only 7 years old. During his time at university, he served as president of the film society at University College London.
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​How did he become a director? Having grown up using his dad's camera, Nolan has been making short films ever since he was seven years old. Nolan went on to study film at University College London, where he directed corporate and
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industrial training videos as part of his passion for film. In spite of this, Nolan had trouble finding jobs and funding for his films after he graduated from college. Due to this, he decided to raise money in order to produce his own low budget feature-length film entitled Following (1998).​Nolan's work was subsequently rediscovered through this film, which led to his directing the movie 'Memento' (2001). In addition to earning him two Oscar nominations, this movie catapulted his career and led to many high-profile opportunities for him
notable awards
Christopher Nolan has won the 2011 Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay for Inception.
In 2011, he received the Britannia Award for Artistic Excellence in Directing, awarded by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.
In 2019, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to film.
In 2012, he was the youngest director to have been honoured with the hand and footprint ceremony outside of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.
The 2009 American Society of Cinematographers Board of the Governor's Award.
​Why is he influential?In his Batman trilogy, Christopher Nolan encouraged the film industry to portray comic books in a more realistic manner. 'The Dark Knight', the second instalment of the trilogy, is credited with raising the bar for superhero films in terms of quality, depth, and potential. Films such as Black Panther (2018), Godzilla (2014), and the Superman reboots of the early 2000s were influenced by his work. In addition to changing the way movies are created, he also changed the way audiences experience movies. As storylines have become more complex and convoluted, they have also become more difficult for audiences to comprehend and decipher.
Film styles
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it is no secret that Christopher Nolan's movies are renowned for their non-linear storytelling, psychological depth, and recurring themes of time and memory.He often uses flashbacks and flash forwards, and he combines multiple storylines into a cohesive whole.
The storyline of Dunkirk, for example, is presented through three distinct planes of time that ultimately merge at the end.
His stories often distort time perception (Inception, Memento) and comment on how memories shape our understanding of reality.
Also, Nolan often includes characters who initially seem like heroes, but then turn into antagonists (Batman trilogy).
As well, Nolan tends to use blues, greys, and teals as his favourite colours in many of his films. Due to his red-green colour-blindness.
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Who are his influences?
Nolan has mentioned being inspired by George Lucas and his ‘Star Wars’ trilogy.
2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick
The Spy Who Loved Me by Lewis Gilbert
Ex: Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982)
He's also been inspired by Ridley Scott's work.
Influences
Nolan has mentioned being inspired by George Lucas and his ‘Star Wars’ trilogy.
2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick
The Spy Who Loved Me by Lewis Gilbert
Ex: Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982)
He's also been inspired by Ridley Scott's work.
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The Chicago federal center, designed by Ludwig Meiss van der Rohe, inspired two robots in Interstellar
Nolan's work is heavily influenced by M.C Escher. It is adapted into Inception from Penrose's famous staircase
"I'm very inspired by the prints of M. C. Escher and the interesting connection-point or blurring of boundaries between art and science, and art and mathematics."
Francis bacon grotesque work inspires jokers gritty make up in the dark knight rises
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Further Influences
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Literature
Nolan's dark knight rises is heavily influenced by Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities"
Superman is the inspiration for Batman's beginnings
A scene from Inception was inspired by 007 on Her Majesty's Secret Service
Mythology in Ancient Greece
The minotaur's labyrinth inspired Ariadne (the architect) in Inception.
More elements
Nolan's films disorient the audience and build suspenseFlashbacks begin in BatmanStorytelling for Memories goes backwards from the end to the beginningNolan puts us in the action from the character's perspectiveFor us as the audience to understand the world from the perspective of the characters, we are given as much information as they do (their limited view of the world).Our role becomes detective as a consequenceDespite a limited amount of information, we the audience are engaged and piece together the rest of the story (demonstrating Nolan's philosophy and the true nature of mankind).Nolan's endings always leave you wondering what happened after the film ended or questioning life itselfOur questions are not answered (place yourself in the character's shoes)There is a philosophical monologue given by a character ​In Nolan's fiction, the protagonist usually suffers from mental illness and has a conflict between two identitiesBatman the masked vigilante is Bruce Wayne's alter ego, the billionaire playboyIn nolan's stories, he shows us the decisions made by the protagonists and antagonists that are morally unclear either due to the situation or the situation itselfIt is not uncommon for good-intentioned heroes to turn into antagonistsThe villain is given depth and sympathetic treatmentBasicy, we live in a cruel world where morality is questioned or measuredThere are some films that Nolan tends to use this style of film noirA lonely protagonist driven by guilt creates a moody, dramatic atmospherePractical effects and realism - Nolan prefers real shots over CGI.Inception has a scene in which the hallway spinsIn The dark knight rises the opening scene shows the plane being hijacked and then dropped from the sky this was shot in Scotland in 2 days
Further editing style pace
Memory editing story was told backwards (two threads, one in colour (story is told backwards), one in black and white (story is told forward).By editing, the characters' psychological state is represented, merging their subjectivity with the audience's (memento the editing is intended to mirror the main character's inability to create long-term memories).Throughout the film, there are a number of prestige magic tricks and themes of duality and deception that mirror the structural narrative. The pace is typical, stretching out all kinds of twists to intensify the film. Cutting away from the money shot very quickly (or almost cutting off the dialogue of characters)Combining several scenes of parallel action to build a climax(Memento, the dark knight, and Inception) Ending smash cut to black.
Shot types used by christopher
shots/angles/movements:
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Over the shoulder
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Close up, Medium shot (disorients), medium close up
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Wide shot (surreal) high angle, tilt up
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Dolly in, Dutch tilt, Arc shot
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Wide close up with a shallow depth of field
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Uses camera revolving around a character
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Mirror shots
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In car shots
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On the phone shots
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Chase shots
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Looking through window
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Reversing time
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Close up on objects (clock)(stairs?)
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Birds eye view
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Upside down angles “barrel roll”
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Recurring characters: A troubled protagonist that overcomes their problem (usually a lone figure gives up on society seeking for revenge) (anti-hero)
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A guide/mentor for the protagonist
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Lighting style: Contrast of light/darkness to show the character’s growth/decay in the story. The lighting is also use to show exploration (batman begins and interstellar)
How does he become an auteur
Themes: Darkness, Fantasy, Betrayal, Guilt, Revenge, Anger, Sacrifice, Memory, and ObsessionIt has a tensed vibe, is very dark and ambient. Several tones and pitch (i.e higher pitches become quieter, and lower pitches begin to become more audible) Tension is also built as it creates auditory illusion through tone and pitchesStyles of visual representation:Urban area with modern architecture and locationsTo show that the film is not a distant period piece, prestige locations were usedComposers: Hans Zimmer, David Julyan The actors include Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Christian Bale, and Cillian MurphyEditors: Lee Smith (from Batman's beginnings until now) and Dody Dorn (Memorial to Insomnia).Writer: Jonathan nolan Cinematographer: Wally fister (memento to dark knight rises)Co producer: Emma ThomasMusic Composer: David JulyanScreenwriter: David S goyer (dark knight trilogy)Music Composer: Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard (batman begins and the dark knight)Special effects Supervisor: Chris Corbould Stunt Coordinator: Tom struthersVisual effects Supervisor: Paul FranklinProduction Designer: Nathan Crowley (worked since insomnia expect for inception)Casting Director: John Papsidera (all films except following and insomnia)
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Christopher Nolan creates a sense of disorientation and an emotional connection with the characters through this directing and storytelling process, especially through his own genre of noir and neo-noir revenge films, to me the use of this genre of storytelling really reflects what’s going on in the characters either backstory or his own personal narrative Christopher really represents this through the film. Of memento which inspired loads of film directors to create films in this type of genre and presented a new way of filming and storyboarding.
The film of memento is philosophically challenging as it’s a clear representation of the existential meanings of life as well as the inner workings of a character which is clearly shown and expressed through the character of Leonard Shelby who has brain damage and is an investigator trying to figure out who killed his wife, Christopher Nolan’s film “memento”.
In my opinion memento and its creation of how the film is presented the disorientation association with Leonards brain and shows this to the audience by putting the film in reverse the sense of disorientation is again presented through the common use of voice narration which is often used in noir films to disorientate the audience especially using Leonards unreliable narration, through the use of repetition memento such as tattooing himself and the repeated memory loss through each scene
In all perspective some people may relate to the character of Leonard Shelby through the way he is disorientated through the things he does and the way it is an emotional rollercoaster and expresses the puzzle piece life Leonard Shelby lives in, in which some might relate.
Personal critique
Christopher Nolan’s low-budget film Memento (2000) is based on the concept of a short story named Memento Mori written by Nolan’s brother Jonathan.
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The Film Memento belongs to the genre of noir and neo-noir revenge films. Christopher used noir and neo-noir in the same film to create the concept of confusion. The film is presented in two sequences; a black and white sequence displayed chronologically followed by a colour sequence displayed in reverse order - giving the audience a sense of being the protagonist, who is suffering from a memory defect. Nolan cleverly uses elements of the purist style of noir, as the story takes place in a motel room and is completely disorienting with the narration running continuously.
Motifs in memento
Neo Noir: The movie runs with noir elements, but it has a great deal of life and colour to it when Leonard invests in broad daylight and has a femme fatale whose name is interestingly used as "Natalie".
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Nolan utilises black-and-white sequences when Leonard experiences flashbacks to the time he was an insurance assessor for his former client, Sammy Jankis. When the audience sees Leonard in black and white for the second time, it establishes Leonard's drive and reveals his method of overcoming his mental restraint. This enables the audience to understand Leonard's mental health.
As a narrative technique, Nolan effectively uses black-and-white colour schemes to convey Leonard's arrogance and unawareness of his clues. He is Sammy Jankis and unaware that he is narrating his own life and revealing how his wife died, not from murder but from an overdose of insulin.
Psychoanalytically, Nolan explores the trauma of grief and the guilt associated with their deaths, revealing the fractured psychological identities of the male protagonists. By using narrative structure, positioning, and mirror motifs, Nolan reveals psychological trauma in Memento. This is done through continuous shots of a mirror, Nolan repeats the mirror motif throughout Memento, which allows the viewer to reflect on themselves. As Leonard says: "we all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are"
The medium shot reveals Leonard's view of himself as someone motivated by tattoos solely to kill John G. Leonard looks into the mirror in search of an answer to all his problems and hopes to regain his purpose through tattoos. However, all his tattoos are simply illusions and lies, he looks at a reflection to understand, but he was misled, and he has created tattoos that are essentially meaningless since he had already found 'John G’ but decided to keep it hidden from himself. Nolan uses two narrative lines in Memento, one played in reverse chronological order and the other played in black and white in chronological order.By lacking a light source, Leonard's life is more ambiguous because of his condition, preparing us for a hopeless ending, as it turns out Leonard chose to forget the truth to create meaning for himself.
A close-up shot of Leonard reaching for the phone base is shown and in doing so he becomes a free moving, reinforcing his desire to be detached and freed from all chords and constraints.
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In the next shot, Leonard's chest is seen close with the cord of the phone in the shot and the base out of frame.
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Leonard's positioning similarly exposes his inner struggles. The positioning of Leonard with his head out of the scene because the phone is not visible in the shot, symbolizes the loss and detachment from his identity, as well as his attempt to disengage from all cords to function independently.
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The mis en scene in this shot reflects Leonard's psychological state, as the picture behind him depicts an unsettling ocean.
Sybolism
In Memento, the opening presents a load of symbolical representations using the opening scene, it begins extremely simply and consists of a blank screen with no graphics and slow classical music. The names of the actors and actresses appear in blue writing in the background. The music and the subconscious associations people have with the colour blue serving as a symbol of sorrow or distress pull the audience in. This immediately makes them want to keep watching. Immediately following the film's name appearing in blue writing, the screen fades away from black into a close-up of a hand holding a Polaroid. It has the image of a man who appears to have been killed surrounded by blood on the polaroid. At approximately 1:15 into the video, the image begins to fade as his hand shakes the polaroid. This opening title sequence of memento is not unusual for the thriller genre since it reveals what the audience will eventually see as the secret code. Upon seeing the main character (Lenard Shelby), we realize that the title sequence is reversed. An additional clever way of drawing an audience into the narrative is by revealing it.
Key themes
Polaroids
Throughout the film, polaroids play an important role. Whenever Lenard remembers something, he refers to them. He has ones such as a photo of Teddy with "teddy -555-134" as an audience we begin to rely on these polaroid as much as Lenard does to show us who has done what and when throughout the film.
Tattoos
another way in which Lenard remembers things is with the use of tattoos. To the audience, we see this as very strange.
They are however another way for us to see significant things that we need to remember or keep in mind.