After the green screen informing the viewer about the certificate/target audience a fade to black is used before a fade out into a shot of the Warner Bros symbol. This zooms in at a medium speed accompanied by the non-diegetic sound of eerie distorted percussion, setting the scene of Inception – already the audience know that this is going to be edgy and gripping. A fade to black is used again as the camera zooms into the symbol, as it fades out into a black screen with silver typography saying ‘Christopher Nolan’ (director). Fade to black is used again with a fade out to reveal a close up of a spinning top which means nothing, but with the non-diegetic sound that mimics the fades to black and fade back outs, the audience is drawn in because they are forced to question the significance of the spinning top – and they want to know why it’s significant. The spinning is almost hypnotic but then the top starts to fall, but we are robbed of what happens next because another fade to black is used to show a black screen with silver writing on it, this time saying ‘the director of The Dark Knight’. This puts a meaning to the previous name (Nolan), because people are more likely to recognise a previous film, than the director’s name.
Yet another fade to black is used, which fades out to reveal and establishing shot of a grey spaghetti junction as an violin is introduced that rises in pitch in the non-diegetic music. The low-key lighting and the speed at which the camera pans up and over creates a sense of action, but as a viewer, we are not sure what is happening; this then jump cuts to a close up of Leonardo DiCaprio so that the audience can associate the main plot of the film with his character. Another straight cut is then used to link the close up with a PoV shot of a man in grey being restrained/forcibly removed by two bodyguards. As an audience we have no idea what the link between DiCaprio’s character and the man in grey is, however, with the non-diegetic music getting tenser. Fade to black is used again, and the fade out is much quicker showing ‘Leonardo DiCaprio’ in silver lettering on a black screen confirming that he is the main character – it also passes on his credibility because he is a well known actor. A fade to black is used again, with a quick fade out to a close up on a glass of water on a flat table, but the contents is tipping horizontally and rippling seemingly of its own accord which is gripping to the audience because it appeals to the imagination.
A straight cut is then used as the pacing gets much quicker revealing a dynamic CGI long shot of a street, as the camera pans forward quickly (like it’s literally flying) and tilts to one side to create this sense of warped dimensions. a fade to black is used again, fading out to reveal a close up of DiCaprio turning around with a concerned expression (still in low key lighting) with a jump cut back to a continuation of the roller-coaster-like pan through the CGI street. This links the sense of a warped dimension to DiCaprio’s character and we wonder, as an audience, what exactly he has to do with it. Does he control it? Is he a victim of it? Is he mad? As a black angular hole opens up, match-on-action is used to show a long shot as a man (man1) drops from the ceiling into a long hotel corridor where there is another man (man2) at the end. As man1 starts running at man2, more drums are introduced in the non-diegetic music to build up the tension, further emphasised by the quickening of shot sequencing. This straight cuts to show the view of man1 running from the opposite end of the hall way, followed by another straight cut to reveal DiCaprio in a mid-shot rising in slow-motion from a bath tub – fully clothed and with water droplets suspended everywhere, suggesting he has possibly been pushed in. Cross-cutting is introduced, as the previous frame straight cuts back to the long shot of the corridor, expect the man are wrestling on the ceiling. We only see this for a split second, so the audience are likely to question what they just saw and be more attentive to the following shots to see if this is explained. An extreme close up of a clock with the hand almost reaching 12 reveals the sense of ‘time running out’ emphasised by the frantic non-diegetic music. Cross-cutting is used again back to the men wrestling in the hotel corridor. In this long shot, the camera pans quickly upwards emphasising the men’s movements as they are shoved upwards into the ceiling. A straight cut is then used to show man2 falling down as the corridor has tilted upwards, again emphasising this idea of distorted/warped dimensions. This then straight cuts to a close up of DiCaprio as his eyes abruptly open (mimicked with a thud from the non-diegetic music) in a way that suggest he has just awoken from a nightmare. This quickly straight cuts to a close up of a building and the camera pans upwards and over the building, revealing a cityscape which then starts to zoom out. As the camera zooms out we see the buildings get smaller and smaller, until all we can see is a maze pattern with the film title ‘INCEPTION’ embossed into it. This fades to black and then to ‘SUMMER 2010’ in silver lettering, with a thud from the non-diegetic music. One last thud is heard as the other notices about the film come up and the trailer ends.
There is no diegetic music in this trailer, which is significant because it grabs the audience’s attention. They are not hearing what they expect to hear and so they concentrate more fully on the shots that they are seeing.
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