Shutter Island is a psychological thriller/horror film.
Main Characters in the first fifteen minutes:
Teddy Daniels
Chuck Aule
Dr.Cawley
Dolores
Rachel
Deputy Warden McPherson
In the opening title sequence the titles have a grey gradient effect on them. They are on a black background and simple appear on the screen and then dissapear and the next set of titles appears again in the same fashion. The use of black and grey in the title sequence indicates that the film may have a certain theme - the story will be dark and maybe have some elements of horror. The music heard during these titles is very daunting and slow, mainly made up of string intruments (violins, cello etc). It's slow and haunting, which gives a sense of mystery. Next there is a title that says "Boston Harbour Islands, 1954". This is done to set the scene so there is no confusion for the audience. It is simple grey text on a black background, but it is significantly smaller to the previous opening titles. This is most likely done to show the audience that the main film is starting.
After this the camera goes to a long shot. At first all that can be seen is a grey wall of fog, but then gradually a boat emerges. This is simailar to something that would be applied to a ghost story - like a "ghost ship". The scene is almost illusory. Then there is an over the shoulder shot of Teddy Daniels looking into a mirror after throwing up. He tries to talk himself out of sea sickness. The cinematography of this is great as it makes it seem like Teddy is speaking to another person rather than himself and gives the first inklings that something may not be quite right - it's a bizarre image, especially in the dark hues of the boat's bathroom. Teddy also doesn't look well which is subsequent to being sea sick, however it could indicate something more than sea sickness (mental illness, weak body or immune system?).
Later, there is a long shot of the gates to the asylum and a dolly is used to give the impression of a point of view shot from the car. The camer is angles upwards to give the audience a sense that the asylum is a frightening, overwhelming place. The diegetic noise of the gates is harsh, and gives the impression that the asylum is more like a prison (which it essentially is). The diegetic music is soft and is almost like the quiet before the storm; it gives a sense of impending horror or doom. 
Deputy Warden McPherson is then in the centre of the shot with the camera at a low angle to show that he is an authority figure. The camera is also shallowly focused to indicate that he is important. In the next shot the camera is at a high angle and it is an over the shoulder shot, however McPherson is still centered in the shot and this makes it look like he is the divide between Teddy and Chuck Aule (Teddy Daniels' partner). This could foreshadow some future event(s) in the film. 
Also, when McPherson is speaking about particular places at the asylum, the camera quickly pans and lands o the places he is speaking about. This gives an impression of a point of view shot. It's disorientating and is the first thing used to do this to the audience - it's is the first hint of what the rest of the film may be like; confusing. 
There is then a medium long shot used to establish the positions of the three characters. It shows that McPherson has more men on his side than Teddy and that he and Chuck are surrounded - they have no escape. After this there is a close up of Teddy looking at one of the patients at the asylum. The non diegetic music fades out and the diegetic noise of the nature around them increasing - the diegetic voices of McPherson and Chuck become muffled and eventually fade away. The camera is always close up to Teddy, while it is at first framed at a medium shot when aimed at the patient; this changes to a close up when the patient stands straighter to reveal a mark around her neck and she smiles. This is done to give the audience a sense of unease and to make them ask questions - why is the patient important to Teddy? What happened to her? Why did she put a finger to her lips as if to shush him?
The there is the close up on the face of the woman in the picture, and this seems to trigger flash-backs for Teddy. The close up on the face of the woman signifies that maybe Teddy has seen this woman before, as it also triggers a memory of his where he saw dead bodies frozen in ice and - there is a close-up of a man who's head is half encased in ice. This increases the horror aspect of the film, however these images only appear briefly to disorientate the audience. - a
After this there is a shot of Teddy looking around seeming distressed or confused - a medium shot with a deep focus is used to highlight Teddy and his emotions but to also show the reader that he is getting lost even though his partner is asking important questions to do with the case they are working on; he can't quite concentrate, which is strange for a US Marshall. This indicates that there is a problem with his mental state (this is a feature of a psychological thriller). 
Later, there is a scene where the narrative overlaps onto a scene where no speaking is taking place. At first it uses over the shoulder shots to show that there is a conversation going on between Dr.Cawley, Chuck and Teddy. Then this changes to an overhead long shot where the three characters are shown walking around but not speaking, yet the narrative is still going on. This is done to confuse the audience and to also play with the audience's minds. At first it's hard to work out what is happening the scene, but after a while it becomes clear that the scene was simply edited that way to confuse. Within the first fifteen minutes of Shutter Island, the film quickly introduces the psychological theme and already uses flashbacks to entice the audience more into the story. Shutter Island is fast-paced from the start, and the confusing storyline is swiftly put into place
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