Inception

• Inception


  2010 film directed by Christopher Nolan (US/UK)
• Components of A Level Film Studies

  • Varieties of Film & Film-Making
  • Core Study Areas
  • Specialist Study Area
• Core Study Areas


  • Key Elements of Film Form
  • Meaning & Response
  • The Contexts of Film
• Specialist Study Area


  • Spectatorship
  • Ideology
• Nolan's film Inception offers a great deal in terms of looking at key core aspects and spectatorship and ideology
• Inception is the perfect example of an intelligent high concept film which constantly challenges the spectator's perceptions of narrative positioning and fully utilises digital technology in an incredibly engaging fashion
• Inception is a perfect film to start the course with as it feeds into the students existing knowledge of American cinema but also takes them a great deal further
• Recruitment of Ariadne (23.58 – 27.10)


  Cobb and Ariadne in a café as Cobb explains the way that dreams work and how they are created. As she slowly realises that she is in a dream, chaos ensues with objects exploding in slow motion. As she seemingly dies, she wakes in the warehouse
• End Sequence (129min - 133min)

  After arriving back in the US after the 'inception' Cobb is finally allowed back into the country. Through a series of point of view and establishing shots, the team (and Fischer) silently acknowledge each other at the airport arrivals, linking into conventions of the heist film. As spectators we have also been a part of 'the team'. Equally the uncertain ending of the film does raise important points about interpretation and positioning
• Cinematography


  • Wally Pfister's distinctive use of different colour palettes to distinguish the different dreamlayers
  • Use of fixed camera in hotel hallway sequence rotating to give illusion of zero gravity, shot in 65mm
  • Low-key lighting to achieve dramatic effect with extreme use of deep shadows and high contrast
• Mise-en-Scène

  • Clear links to noir and heist film in costume, with male protagonists in suits and Mal as femme fatale
  • Variety of urban locations from Tokyo to Paris to LA, with dream layers distinguished by location, weather, and costume
  • Lack of domestic settings except Cobb's dream sequences, bulk of development in warehouse setting
• Editing


  • Non-linear narrative with flashforwards and flashbacks
  • Parallel editing in major dream sequence with different implied time frames and use of slow-motion
  • Fast-cutting in action sequences
• Sound


  • Use of leitmotif from Edith Piaf's 'Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien' with tempo varying by dream layer
  • Music emphasising emotional states of characters, particularly Cobb
  • Use of sound bridges and reverb to accentuate surreal atmosphere
• Representation of the flawed hero

  Cobb is haunted by his past mistakes, the death of his wife and his estrangement from his children. His leadership of the team and the risks he takes put his colleagues in danger. He is a psychologically damaged individual, whose point of view is highly questionable
• Representation of female characters

  Mal is a tragic but dangerous figure, acting as the main driver for Cobb's actions and barrier to the inception. Ariadne is the architect of the dreamscape and acts as a helper and sounding board for Cobb
• Representation of capitalism


  The main plot point of planting an idea in Robert Fischer's brain is very important, with Satio commissioning the job to stop Fischer's corporation from gaining too much control of the world's energy supply
• Aesthetics


  • Driven by VFX driven set-piece sequences, interspersed with periods of reflection and character development
  • Influence of noir in terms of character delineation, lighting, and sense of fatalism
  • Use of visual and aural motifs to construct aspects of mise-en-scène and aid meaning
• Social context


  Taps into the way video games construct narratives, with different layers echoing levels and different things happening at the same time at different speeds
• Historical context


  Nolan's films post 9-11 tap into ideas around trauma, grief and the dislocation of memory, as well as the crisis around masculinity afflicting Cobb's character
• Political context


  The power of the multi-national conglomerate is at the heart of the film's narrative, with the emphasis on changing the young Fischer's mind seen as a necessary consequence of the industrial espionage enacted on Satio's orders
• Technological context


  The use of digital technology in creating the separate dream-worlds is an important part of the film's appeal, though Nolan's insistence on shooting on 35/65mm film, dismissal of 3D, and support for IMAX counters the prevailing use of technology in Hollywood
• Institutional context


  Warner Brothers produced and marketed the film, which made $825 million at the box office. Nolan had signed on to make the Dark Knight trilogy, and Inception felt like a return to his more typical auteuristic concerns
• Spectatorship


  Right from the beginning we are positioned as active spectators attempting to make meaning from the cues offered by the narrative. The use of non-linear techniques means meaning slowly dawns on the spectator as to the main conflict. The uncertain ending with the spinning top offers potential for different conclusions and readings