Seven is a thriller directed by David Fincher. The film is about a murderer who connects his murders to the seven deadly sins, from gluttony and sloth to lust and pride.
Opening sequences of thrillers are typically used to create tension and atmosphere while dropping hints and clues to the audience indicating what the film is about. In the opening sequence of Se7en there was a lot of tension and atmosphere created mainly by the music.
The soundtrack immediately puts us on edge. Everything we see and hear is very discordant, and the soundtrack is made up of scratches and screeches to create an uneasy sound. The non-diegetic screeches suggest screams which helps to create fear and tension. It starts with an almost explosive sound like thunder which immediately gets our attention. The main beat of the soundtrack almost suggests a heartbeat which pounds and races to connote fear and death. This happens as the sequence progresses and the pace of the music increases. The sinister sounds fit well with the dark and disturbing imagery shown.
We see images of cuttings, writing, and disfigured pictures of people. Some of the images resemble the ‘killer’ cutting off a layer of skin, discarding ‘his’ identity. The ‘killers’ fingernails are dirty and suggest they are well worn. Most of the images we see are monochromatic and the only colour we see are splashes of red here and there. This connotes blood, anger, danger and death. All of the shots we see are close ups which help to involve us and pull the audience into the film. The close ups are point of view shots which lets us see things through the ‘killers’ eyes to create an impression of realism.
The editing used in the sequence is called montage editing which is a series of short cuts spliced together. This works well and is very disjointed and confusing which could represents a killers mind. I like this idea and think it would be a good technique to use in my opening sequence as it works well in a thriller with creepy music and typical thriller conventions. The shots are not continuous as they are shots of many different things all thrown together. This could suggest the different aspects of the film such as the seven sins. Also some effects have been used including a dissolve effect. We see this when the ‘killer’ seems to be turning a page in a book and one page dissolves to reveal the next page.
The typography is awkward and unclear. It becomes distorted and almost unrecognisable due to its movement and the effect of it being ‘electrocuted’. It is placed at a variety of angles and in a variety of uneasy ways and moves around the screen in all directions. The white typography shakes and flashes violently around its often black background. This contrast makes the writing more prominent and distinctive. The typography resembles messy handwriting which enhances the disturbing image of the sequence.
This is a brilliant example of a thrillers opening title sequence and it has given me many ideas for my own. A few of these ideas include: the pace increasing or racing to give the sequence energy and help it come to life: the short, fast cuts to keep the audience intrigued and wondering about the storyline and the discordant soundtrack to give atmosphere and tension.
Opening sequences of thrillers are typically used to create tension and atmosphere while dropping hints and clues to the audience indicating what the film is about. In the opening sequence of Se7en there was a lot of tension and atmosphere created mainly by the music.
The soundtrack immediately puts us on edge. Everything we see and hear is very discordant, and the soundtrack is made up of scratches and screeches to create an uneasy sound. The non-diegetic screeches suggest screams which helps to create fear and tension. It starts with an almost explosive sound like thunder which immediately gets our attention. The main beat of the soundtrack almost suggests a heartbeat which pounds and races to connote fear and death. This happens as the sequence progresses and the pace of the music increases. The sinister sounds fit well with the dark and disturbing imagery shown.
We see images of cuttings, writing, and disfigured pictures of people. Some of the images resemble the ‘killer’ cutting off a layer of skin, discarding ‘his’ identity. The ‘killers’ fingernails are dirty and suggest they are well worn. Most of the images we see are monochromatic and the only colour we see are splashes of red here and there. This connotes blood, anger, danger and death. All of the shots we see are close ups which help to involve us and pull the audience into the film. The close ups are point of view shots which lets us see things through the ‘killers’ eyes to create an impression of realism.
The editing used in the sequence is called montage editing which is a series of short cuts spliced together. This works well and is very disjointed and confusing which could represents a killers mind. I like this idea and think it would be a good technique to use in my opening sequence as it works well in a thriller with creepy music and typical thriller conventions. The shots are not continuous as they are shots of many different things all thrown together. This could suggest the different aspects of the film such as the seven sins. Also some effects have been used including a dissolve effect. We see this when the ‘killer’ seems to be turning a page in a book and one page dissolves to reveal the next page.
The typography is awkward and unclear. It becomes distorted and almost unrecognisable due to its movement and the effect of it being ‘electrocuted’. It is placed at a variety of angles and in a variety of uneasy ways and moves around the screen in all directions. The white typography shakes and flashes violently around its often black background. This contrast makes the writing more prominent and distinctive. The typography resembles messy handwriting which enhances the disturbing image of the sequence.
This is a brilliant example of a thrillers opening title sequence and it has given me many ideas for my own. A few of these ideas include: the pace increasing or racing to give the sequence energy and help it come to life: the short, fast cuts to keep the audience intrigued and wondering about the storyline and the discordant soundtrack to give atmosphere and tension.
You are now analysing moving image text well and use key terms confidently. Keep up the good work !
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