Opening Sequence Analysis of Se7en

Camera Shot/Angle/Movement

The camera shots in seven are mostly extreme close up shots (e.g finger nails) and in all the shots you don’t see any characters faces.

The angle of the camera is very low as it needs to be for the director to achieve the low angle shots that are shown.

The movement of the camera is very still with a shaky effect every time it cuts to the next shot or the next name in the opening credit. 

Sound

The sound in seven is non-diagethic and is the same all the way through the opening credits.

The is some use of minor sound effects the build up in pace and at the end there is a rock like sound that ends the opening credits.

Editing

The editing is very fast pace and specific as all the shots are similar to the last couple of shots.

The editor was trying to create an effect of disorientation as they have a series of scene that cut really quick to the next one on a constant pace.

Mise en Scene

The mise en scene in the opening credits of seven is generalized with the same type of things in every shot.

The shot contains things like paper, metal, writing, pictures,  needles, thread etc

I think he trying to create a ransom note to maybe try and blackmail someone by using other peoples words.

Characters

From all the scenes in the opening credits i can come to a conclusion that there is an character but he/ she is not shown so we can’t really establish who it is.

However,the kind of violent things that the character is shown with in the scenes (e.g. the needles and razor blade that he uses to scrape his fingers with.) suggest that  the character is the antagonist in the movie. 

Locations

The location is very secluded  and varied as it only show us someone constructing something on a table using several household material.

Narrative/Plot

The narrative plot of se7en is unknown because all you hear through out the sequence is the same type of music which suggest bad things such as death to the audience.

Themes

The theme of the opening credits is a man or women constructing something like a folder or a journal containing pictures and a lot of writing.

I can we can tell that the character is very disturbed as he /she cuts them self with a razor blade and sows paper together using a thread. 

Visual Style

The visual style of the opening credits to seven is simple but at the same very captivating as the things that the character are simple sometimes and then he/she shocks us e.g when the character is writing with a pen and he cuts himself with a razor blade which is very unexpected and disturbing. 

Genre

I think that se7en is a psychological horror / thriller because it contains scenes of brutality and rape and even though most people would classify it as only a horror because of the graphic scenes.

But I conclude se7en as a cross genre movie.