Normally you do not gain control until the scene has fully faded-in after a death or a save file load. However it is possible to interrupt the fade-in sequence in both of those scenarios and gain control a couple tenths of a second earlier.
Post-Death[]
Pausing and unpausing the game during fade-in will restore control earlier:
TeslaQuickie - Pause Head Start after death
Post-Load[]
After loading a save slot, when fade-in begins, you must first use Bug Report Manipulation to unlock the ability to pause, then pause and unpause to regain control:
TeslaQuickie - Pause Head Start after a load