Se7en - title sequence analysis 2

Se7en

Directed by Karl Cooper, the sequence has a very gritty feel to it as it is filmed using film and gives a Sepia look to the sequence making it look dirty and dull.

Camera

The title sequence starts with a close-up shot of a book, this creates a sense of mystery for the viewer as they don't know what's in it or who is using it, the next camera angle is a high-angle shot looking down on the book, revealing to the viewer what is on the page, it then shows lots of different shots of close-ups on objects that don't seem to have any meaning to the viewer at that point but have very dark connotations. Throughout the sequence we see a lot of shots of people in black and white photos, being tortured and tormented. This links to the sinister aspect of the film, which is expected from a thriller. There are no long shots in this title sequence so it doesn't really allow the viewer to see what's fully going on, reinforcing the mystery of it. Throughout the clip all of the camera angles are high angles or at eye level which could connote that the filmmaker doesn't want you to see anything of real importance yet but still shows snippets of dark ideas that are within the book and that all the objects shown are of little importance as they are looked down on. However following on to through the sequence we begin to see some featuring images shown by the close ups of the book this darkens the tone of the film. 

Mise-En-Scene;
The Mise-En-Scene puts across very significant ideas in this title sequence, like what to expect from the film and the overall tone it puts across, which is ominous. The lighting in this extract is very dark adding to the ominous tone throughout and there are shadows which could be perceived as someone moving about which keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, wondering who or what it is, as the character is never fully shown which builds enigma to the film. The colours used are very dull and usually consist of brown, grey and black this is trying to convey the sense of dirty and unclean both phisical and mental state of the character. You can also see some words being highlighted on paper, with a black pen, this is to emphasis the darkness of the film and to emphasis key words to the film. The objects shown such as blades and needles also help creates the sense of violence or killing this leads the audience to belive that the character has phycopathic tendencies.0The props such as the note book and the images of mutilation and dark murders show us about the characters mental state as no right minded person would call it normal. The film is based around the seven sins; greed, gluttony, lust, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride. This is shown within the note books and shows the characters obsetion with the sins, this connotes a religious importance to the film. The performance shows the character scrapping all the skin using a knife from his fingers to get rid of his finger prints this tells the audience that the character may be doing somthing that could get him in trouble which builds on the idea that he has phycopatjic tendencies and that he does not want to be found out. All of these aspects adds enigma to the film and make the the audience wonder what the person is doing.


Editing;

The opening title sequence starts off with slow paced shots of objects that aren't of any importance to the viewer at that point but which could be important later on in the film. The editing then changes to fast paced cuts, showing a variety of different objects, giving effect as they're shown on the screen for long enough for the audience to see what they are, but not long enough for them to figure out why they're included. The credits shown throughout help define the genre as they are messy and flicker on the screen like a dying light, which creates a sense of foreboding. Most of the images shown, look as if they're being doubled but during editing they change it so that it blurs the images, which connotes to the audience that the person that is in the opening sequence is not mentally stable and doesn't see things clearly. The editing also helps set the mood and adds to the curiosity of the viewer as the shots with the books and writing being highlighted in are more slow paced than the other shots, signifying importance and makes the audience wonder what the person is doing. The editing also gives the audience a sense of what type of mental state the person in the sequence has as the editing is made to look very manic. However most of the editing for this sequence would have had to be phisicaly done as it is real film and would have had to be slowly cut using scissors and stuck together with tape to the cut they wanted .

Sound;
The sound used in this clip, is mostly non-diegetic but some sounds are made to sound natural. For example, sometimes in the clip, a very high pitched noise occurs which tricks the viewer into thinking it's someone screaming, which connotes danger and someone desperate for help, this sets the audience up for the rest of the film and sets the genre of the film. The background music is heavy-sounding and is quite fast. this is typical of a thriller movie as it creates suspense and tension as the speed of the music elevates the tone of the sequence gets darker.