Analysis of opening sequence: Se7en

Se7en

The mis-en-scene of the opening sequence of se7en hints at the genre straight away, the use of colours including black and greys are dull and dark and the overall darkness of the shots show the dark feeling of the film and the persons mind that is in the opening sequence and that we predict has killed someone. The props used in the opening are also associated with the genre as they’re blades and needles which can cause pain and suffering, usually found in thrillers. And also books, images and writing which can link in with the murder and the mystery of the genre as we don’t know what they’re for and what they say.

Sound is use effectively in the opening as throughout I would say the non-diegetic sound played is uncomfortable and hard for the viewers to listen to, this suggests that for some people watching the scenes of the film will make them feel uncomfortable as they will be quite graphic and brutal. The music is also very suspenseful with quite a heavy pitch and the speed also increases slightly as the opening credits end building up the tension. There are also higher pitched sounds which relate to screams, showing the genre again as screams are associated with pain.

Camera angles are close up throughout, for the audience this would make them feel more involved and apart of the film, making them feel uncomfortable again. The close ups also show detail for example the cutting of his fingers to get his finger prints off is showed in a lot of detail and would possibly make this difficult for the audience to watch, again showing what the film will be like. There are no long shots in the opening as this would give too much away about the person; they’re not shown in the opening to add suspense and enigma codes for the audience. It’s gripping as the audience will carry on watching to find out who they are, what they’re doing and why.

In terms of editing, the shots are slow paced at the beginning which hints at what they’re doing as we get a good shot at some of it like what they’re writing however we still don’t understand adding curiosity. The more fast paced shots are suspenseful as we may miss bits of the plot or some clues. The blurriness and shaking of the credits could suggest the person’s mental state, perhaps he’s mentally unstable or has unstable thoughts, showing maybe he enjoys causing pain and this isn’t the first time it has happened.