Essay on Se7en

2nd image

1st image

One effective point of this opening is the censuring of the face, here there is a close up of the image which is being censured which is at the top right of the screen, the rest of the screen is black which connotes suffering, therefore this could tell us that the person crossing the image out wants the person in the image to suffer. The whole background that was initially black turns to red which connotes death and blood therefore going from suffering to death indicating what the character has in store for this person, however it might also be saying that the person in the image is already dead and they had suffered for a long time before their death which might be why the character crossed out their face and erased their presence. When the image gets crossed out completely the music becomes much more powerful and a discordant noise that sounded similar to a scream but seemed to be created from an instrument, more likely an electric guitar sounded giving this action much more impact and creating a sense of fear among the audience. It also seems like throughout this short snippet there are words flashing over the top briefly in white font which seems handwritten which could imply that the character has stores of data/snippets of information he/she keeps with them and edits. An effect is used which looks like contradicting film tape which has been played together, there are also jump cuts leading into and out of this scene which creates a disorientating effect for the viewer. (cloe)

Throughout this opening there are many shots of hands sewing pages together. There are a series of close up shots of the hands, which show the plasters on the tips of his fingers. This seems to act as a make-do thimble while sewing. Also, there is an extreme shot of the person pulling a needle between their fingers - this shot is very slow so it draws the viewer’s attention to the needle, which is the dominant in the frame. In between shots of the hands sewing, there are credits and jump cuts to other shots, such as the words being crossed out in another book. The jump cuts disorientate the viewer and make it so they cannot work out what the person in the opening is doing. Cutaways also accompany this, for example there are shots of sewing followed by shots of the pages being turned round, ready to be sewed together. The sound during shots of the sewing is all non-diegetic sound, the sewing appears near the end of the opening and by this time the sound has increased in pace slightly building suspense for the viewer. Also, at random intervals there seems to be the sound of a choir singing one note for a few seconds. This makes the sewing shots provoke fear and could suggest some kind of suffering as the note sung sounds minor. The mise en scene for the sewing shots show that they’re always accompanied by pages in the background of the shot. This shows the viewer that there are a lot of pages being sewn together and it could suggest that some kind of documentation is being put together, from other parts of the opening we see pictures of people, this could suggest the pages being sewn together contains information about them. (rebecca)

Another effective part of the opening is the typography. Throughout the opening many different fonts are used, varying from block ariel font and handwritten, scrawling font mimicking that of a child. Both fonts are commonly used in the same shot, in white, against a black background. By having two different fonts in the same shot an imbalanced person is implied- perhaps one who has a childlike side to their personality due to the font’s similarities to a child’s handwriting. The writing is not stationary throughout the shot and moves around- commonly it is seen to be backwards which then changes to the right way round. This is effective as it gives the impression of an insane person, as the writing cannot be read for a short while. The writing also moves miniscule amounts as if buzzing and this happens as if alongside with the music. This is effective as it looks like it is alive and gives an unsettling feel to the audience. Jump cuts of large, handwritten letters, which don’t make any sense can also be seen and the fast speed of these are effective as the audience can’t be sure whether they have seen them or not. This combined with the constant moving around of the typography and the backwards writing gives the impression to the audience that they are also going insane. (natasha)

In this film opening we are shown a point of view shot from the character in which we are shown his hands searching through a box of files. As well as this being a point of view shot it is also an eye line match as it’s what the character can see. The sound used within this clip is very ambiguous as it creates a sense of curiosity within the audience. Although the sound is in a certain key and as a set tempo therefore is suggests that the character is looking for something in particular and is determined to find it. The bass within the sound develops and becomes very strong and the main heartbeat of it again suggesting the characters determination. Furthermore, the sound throughout this clip is entirely non-diegetic as it’s played over the clip.
The use of mise en scene plays a large role within this scene; the director has chosen to use dark colours such as black, brown and beige to create a dull and dirty atmosphere as brown is usually associated with earth. It also adds to the seriousness of the workroom in which the character is. The hand of the character too is also in the shot and in focus and is additionally covered in dirt; plasters are also placed on the end of his fingers to symbolise the pain, injury and will of the character to complete what he is working on. Again, the use of the dark colours and plasters are used to highlight the earthy and possibility of death as well as the isolation that the character seems to be facing. (danielle)