The very first thing you see in the opening of saw is a man’s face in an extreme close up, struggling to breath. The dark colour palate is used to emphasise the mystery of the scene and creates enigma codes for the rest of the film. The use of bubbles has a rich history in the film it is typically used to portray fear and distress, it is used this way in saw.      

The following shot is a montage of shots between the mans face ascending from the bath and the mysterious object descending down the plunge hole, this could be symbolic as it represents the characters chance of survival has also disappeared.  Yet again this is an example of enigma codes being set up already the audience has many questions that will be answered throughout the film.    

The use of this POV blurred focus shot of the light gives the audience a sense of disorientation and confusion like the characters themselves are experiencing. The lights slowly transition into focus this tells the audience the characters have been in the dark for a long period of time and unaware of where they are, this creates enigma codes for the rest of the film as to who is keeping them prisoner and why.   

The next shot is a close up of a mans concaved head, this is very unsettling image designed to shock audiences and bring them out of their comfort zone. The single shot of this disfigured figure also links to the previous enigma codes set up. The shot raises more questions then it answers as to what has happened to this man.