The film begins with a black screen that says "The Gaslight Cafe, 1961," with the sound of folk guitar picking in the background. The first shot is of the microphone, in the darkness being bathed with ambient light. You can hear the guitar but cannot see the player. The camera is still and steady.
Slowly, the camera pans to the right and Llewyn is revealed right before he begins to sing. The microphone is no longer in focus, but his face is and it is half illuminated by the stage lighting. This becomes a theme throughout the movie- whenever Llewyn has lights shine on him he is never all the way in the light. He is always partially in the shadow, never receiving all the glory that he deserves. The camera now is handheld, it isn't shaky but it moves and sways along with the music and with Llewyn.
Now the camera moves behind him and you can see how many people are in the room. The room is so dark that you can't clearly make out faces, but it is clear that everyone in the room is paying close attention. Again, Llewyn is in the light, but he is also covered by shadow. Only a small part of his head and arm are illuminated, the rest of him blends in with the dark background.
The camera moves back to the front of Llewyn for a few seconds, then to this shot of (presumably) Bob Dylan in the crowd. Dylan is just another audience member, but it is clear that he is enraptured by Llewyn's song. His hand holding the cigarette is right in the center of the frame, and we can see that he has been neglecting it- the ash is all built up from staying in the same position.
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