Limitless Film Opening Analysis

Opening sequence analysis

Limitless (2011) 

Directed by: Neil Burger Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Robert DeNiro

The narrative information provided consists of:

• ·      4 Digits IQ
• ·      Could have an impact on the world
• ·      Going to Suicide
• ·      Someone trying to kill him and shot his neighbor
• ·      Just moved in

The protagonist is an intelligent and a successful, we know that because he told us he had an 4 Digits IQ and he just got an luxury penthouse apartment in a middle of a city. Though he was going to suicide, having a killer hacking down his door and killing his neighbors. He was fulfilling his ultimate goal. (Making Impact On The World)

Several enigmas are created such as:

• ·      Who is this man?
• ·      Why are people after him?
• ·      How was he about to impact the world?
• ·      Why does he have a 4 digit IQ
• ·      Why is his stuff in boxes
• ·      Who is after him?
• ·      Why is he contemplating suicide?
• ·      Why would he rather kill himself than get killed?
• ·      Why so calm?

The narrative uses the action code (an action or event that implies something else is going to happen:

• Hacking down a door – Suggest the killer will break it down eventually.
• Jumped of the edge – P.O.V that suggest “suicide” suggest that he will jump.
• Narration – Suggest he was going to tell the story.

The audience is positioned (identifies with) Who does the audience identify with?

Main protagonist is shown an amount of screen time and hearing a non – diegetic voice over, telling a story, conveying the audience that they’re in side his mind.

  The atmosphere and setting is established through the combination of the micro-elements.

• Modern city, very busy and contemporary. Luxury and hi-tech. Some tension, violent. Criminal aspects, urban crimes.
• Camerawork – Pans, across the lobby revealing dead security guards, floating camera, scaling the building.
• Diegetic – Metallic door being smashed, Edits on the noise.

The representation of the protagonist is established through the combination of the micro-elements.

• Close up – A worried facial expression, birds eye.
• Sound – non – diegetic voice over tells us he is successful and smart yet going to kill him self.
• Mise – En - Scene Boxes – Suggest he just became successful.