Se7en opening title sequence analysis

Se7en, directed by David Fincher, is a dark thriller starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. The film was released in 1995 and the opening title sequence was done by the same people who have done American Horror Story and The Walking Dead.

The sound in the opening title sequence is very important for setting the mood of the film as It is used as an emphasis. The entirety of the opening title sequence is non-diegetic sound to illustrate the non-naturalistic opening to the film. The music consists of harsh ambient noises throughout which makes the viewer feel uncomfortable which I believe was their aim. It also illustrates the story for the viewer as we can immediately tell that the film is dark and ominous. There are also screeches that are unexpected, which makes the viewer feel uneasy and tense which is a common characteristic of a thriller. There is a contrast in the music where it goes from being very fast to very slow. The scattered music emphasises the scattered camera shots therefore showing to the reader that the film is going to be unpredictable, like the opening sequence. There is a recurring sound of tuning a radio which almost depicts isolation for the characters in the shots, which make it more intimidating and threatening.

Mise en scene provides the reader with a lot of hints for what the upcoming movie is to be about. The lighting throughout the scene is very mysterious. The director does this by having frequent shadows to create an eerie atmosphere and to make the viewer feel as though the character is being watched or followed. There also seems to be light only from one light source, possibly a window, which furthers the menacing atmosphere of the scene yet also depicts a certain naturalism as it brings back the viewer to the normal world. Contrary to this, there is occasional red lighting and X-ray effects which contradicts the naturalism and portrays an, arguably, satanic setting for the viewer. There are many journals and books used throughout the sequence that are old and torn which makes the sequence seem more uneasy. There are mechanical parts being shown which could illustrate to the viewer that perhaps something is being made. A razor blade is used to peel skin off of a finger, which is gruesome in itself, which makes the viewer view this certain character as insane. There are frequent references to film and pictures, which could show that maybe this person is recording something or someone. There is also sewing involved which again furthers the idea that probably something is being made.

Camerawork helps to emphasises the message of the scene and tell the reader the genre of the film they are about to watch. There is an eye level close up of a book where the page is turning, which furthers the use of the journal from the character or the potential research into something. There is a birds eye shot onto a distorted drawing of hands which could tell us that the character has something to do with design or creativity as he is drawing and making things. The frequent close ups of the mechanical parts further this. There is an extreme close up of the razor peeling the skin off the finger which is vulgar and uncomfortable to watch for the reader which possibly foreshadows the uncomfortableness of the film they are about to embark on. There is a level shot of the character writing and a close up of cutting film and pictures and sticking them into books, which shows that the character is making something or writing something with these journals. There is a high angle close up of highlighting words from a book , showing research, which furthers the assumption that something is being made.

Editing is an important factor to creating this eerie beginning to the film Se7en.The Shot durations vary from slow to fast which illustrates a contrast and furthers the distortion of the scene. It also makes the viewer feel tense as they are watching a constant change. There are many cross fades used throughout the scene to further the lack of naturalism in the scene and it could also be used to show that what the character is doing is taking a long time as the cross fades prolong the shot. For example, there is a high angle shot of a book opening and then a cross fade into a side angle of the book opening. This could represent the amount of times or books he has read therefore making the motion seem long. There is constant distortion of the shots as the images become split into two faded parts which illustrates an almost supernatural atmosphere to the scene. The director breaks the 180 degree rule to further this distortion and uncomfortable scene for the viewer. The font used is unique and looks handwritten which links to the journals seen in the scene. The distortion of the words makes it seem as though they are playing from a broken film which links to the many shots of film seen in the sequence.