Touchdown
We see the heptapod ship like a smooth stone turned on its side hovering above the green landscape of Montana and the majority of the ship entering the gray clouds of the sky as Louise and Ian go to it for their first entry. This imagery reveals that the heptapods, while not from this earth, have touched down for a purpose as clear as the black hole that it looks like hovering in the sky. It is a mystery that must be entered in order to discover the truth.
Panning shot
Villeneuve use a panning shot to show Louise and Ian on the lift which has brought them up to the entrance to the heptapod ship and into the tunnel that leads to the heptapods themselves. The pan allows us to see that space is altered in this atmosphere and what was once right side up on the earth is now not so as they are able to step out and find that gravity has completely shifted on them. This imagery opens the door for us to understand that there are things in here we will not understand.
Begin with the End
The opening scene shows Louise's daughter falling ill and eventually dying. The imagery instantly creates a connection between the audience and her character. Ironically, Louise has yet to experience her daughter's death, thus we begin further ahead in the story than Louise does. In the end this imagery becomes the point of the film in that if we know the end would we change the beginning?
Shadow
Villeneuve films Louise alone in her home at the end of the film. We see her only in shadow as the exterior water can be seen clearly. The imagery calls forth the reality that her present reality has been filled with much darkness as she knows the reality of her daughter's death and yet must still move forward with life.
Black and white
Inside the Shell, the only colors shown are black white and gray. This can be related to the theme of duality and balance featured in the movie, as black and white are usually associated with opposites: good and bad, light and dark, even yin and yang. Furthermore, gray is the combination of these colors, and thus represents the union between said opposing forces.
Geometrical shapes
Squares and circles are used in the movie to represent order and a lack thereof, respectively. In photography, squares are associated with stability and structure, while circles are a less rigid shape, often tied to cycles. For this reason, the imagery of squares is prominently featured in Louise's life before the arrival of the heptapods - for example, in the university, her office, even in the opening shot of the window of her house. On the other hand, from the Shell to their language, circles are associated with the alien creatures, which in turn represent a challenge for the systematic view of time adopted by humans.
