The film starts with some establisher shots, cuts are fairly slow and the calming music keeps the pace slow. The names of the actors are displayed in a font that fits the film and change slowly in synchronisation with the music.
The title, 'The Island' appears and the music changes; becoming louder and slightly sinister, this indicates that there is something about the island in the film that is important (it is later revealed that there is no island and that the inhabitants of the facility are being killed instead of taken there).
This scene is a dream that Lincoln Six Echo is having and it tells us a lot about him and his state of mind. Several close ups of Jordan Two Delta are shown mixed with panning views of the coast of an island, this shows that he associates her with the calmness and beauty of that place and the happiness of being there. He and her are on a boat, the boat itself represents freedom which lincoln craves.
In one medium shot of Jordan the background is put out of focus so that the audience will pay more attention to her, this shows her importance to Lincoln and her important role in the story.
Suddenly the calm is broken when a group of men grab Lincoln and throw him into the water, the camera movements become jerky and the videos framerate is lowered, this disorients the audience and increases their immersion. This sudden change in pace will take the audience by surprise.
A quick succession of flashback shots are then shown, the switches get faster and faster, this keep the pace high. Some shots show a man in a dark room telling an unseen audience that they 'have been chosen' and that 'the island awaits them'. The man's features are accentuated by the light and he stands out from the background and his loud voice intimidates the audience. There are also images of the 'contamination' and words such as happy. These are all parts of a memory imprint that is given to all the clones and is meant to make all of them complacent and content with their lives, it also gives them a goal; to get to the island. This flashback helps to explain the backstory and help the audience to understand Lincolns and the other clones drives and personality.
The dream ends with the water that Lincoln was drowning in and the mysterious men disappearing and Lincoln ending up back in bed. This shows the audience how troubled he is and will make them sympathise more with him.
Lincoln's room is very basic but modern. This is shown in the lighting, everything is well lit but not too bright, this is supposed to make the inhabitants calm but the monotony annoys Lincoln greatly as does the lack of colour. There are displays in the walls and ceiling that tell him about his recorded activities and tell him about what he must do, when he goes to the toilet a display tells him he has an excess of sodium and advises nutrition control. Through out this sequence Lincoln is always objecting to what the displays say and this establishes that this place has little freedom and shows why he wants it so much. It also helps to explain the setting to the audience.
The next few sequences introduce other characters and the 'lottery', a suposedly random choosing of citzens to go to the island. The architecture is still modern and lacks colour, the same can be said for the populaces clothing which is always the same white jumpsuit. This is commented on by Lincoln several times and reminds the audience of his rebelious attitude and wish to be different and free.
Another citizen is agitated by the lottery and the fact that he has not been chosen to go despite being at the facility longer than almost anyone else. This sequence shows the audience that the island is the 'goal' for all the clones and continues to establish the idea of this orwellian society to the audience, again reinforcing their support of Lincolns search for freedom.
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