opening title sequence for 'seven'

SEVEN

Use of Camera
The opening sequence of Seven starts off with a lot of extreme close ups of the character and objects. The close up of the character’s hand conceals the identity of him and gives the viewer a very vague idea of what he will look like. There is also extreme close up of needles and sharp objects that the person is using on his hands in the scene, which emphasizes brutality and torture of the character and how sadistic they is to be self harming themselves. The close up camera shot of the needles and hand makes the viewer feel uncomfortable, as the cutting of skin is quite accurate and shown to the full. We are instantly given the impression the mental state of the character is not right, as we are shown gruesome shots of sharp objects being placed slowly into his thumb, which makes the viewer feel the pain and express horror upon them. The fact that the whole of the opening sequence is extreme close ups, helps to keep everything obscure from the viewer, as it doesn’t show much but objects and a hand. The close up of the gruesome photos and highlighted writings, gives us the indication that this thriller is going to be a mystery and that person being shown at the beginning with no face, is the villain.
Sound/Editing
The sound throughout the very first two minutes is diegetic sound, as there is no soundtrack that is being played to open the movie. The sound is also very suspense, as you feel that it is building up to something that is going to give you a real shock. The beat of the sound is minor and steady but there is odd screeching noises that interrupt it, to make you feel a sense of discomfort, as it is played to represent pain. The sound of the beat gets louder, as you the scene continues, to emphasize the intensity of the character and the objects in the scene. There are word’s at the end of the song for the first time, which say ‘you got me closer to God’, which could be significant to what occurs later on the film and gives us an idea that there is a religious motive behind the character. After the opening title sequence, we hear the sounds of traffic and police sirens, which could be a direct sound to let us know that the beginning is set in the city with busy rush hour.
Mise-en-Scene
The opening sequence starts off with a book opening, which contrasts in showing that the film is just beginning, just like a book and that a mystery starts now. We then see a series of gruesome sharp objects and the character self harming them. They use a blade to cut the skin of their fingers, which emphasizes their extreme behaviour and shows that they are trying to conceal their identity, by removing their fingerprints. The first scene starts off in the ciy and says Monday, which could mean that the film is going to go by the even days of the week and show different events in that week. We are then introduced to William Somerset, who is fairly old and looks organised by the way he puts his tie and suit on. He also look like a veteran, as his emotions show him lacking enthusiasm, which shows that he has been doing the same thing every day for a long time now. His flat doesn’t seem very family orientated or welcoming and it seems that he is living alone in this gloomy urban neighbourhood. When he sees the dead body, he continues to lack emotion and sensitivity, as if he has seen it all before. We are then introduced to another character, David Mills. There is a huge contrast between the two, as he is younger, cocky and full of energy.