Se7en Analysis

The sequence starts with a series of short clips, each from different angles. One of these includes the clip of the fingers holding a razor blade.

The extreme close-up makes it hard for us to distinguish what is going on in the clip. However, the extreme close-ups from different angles allows the audience to put together the pieces to create a picture of what is going on.

There are extreme close ups, some of which include unconventional items. Several of these close-ups appear to have metal objects in them, signifying that the criminal in the film could be a in an occupation which involves metal objects. This in turn leads us to believe that these metal objects are the things the criminal uses to kill his/her victims. There is also a large focus on hands in the clips. This could tell us that the killer is very hands on in his killings and gets all the little details right to ensure that he/she isn't caught.

One of these short clips is of a book, with the pages being slowly turned. At first, we could say that this connotes an academic profession, however, when the shot and the book is matched with the dark and gloomy lighting, it suggest otherwise. The dark lighting shows that this character is looking through the book in the dark and therefore suggests that this character could have an obsession with someone or something. The tainted edges of the pages and the way the book is put together shows that it is not academic but in fact home-made again showing an obsession or hobby. The non-diegetic sound that goes with this shot sounds like the shooting of a gun in the distance which brings a more sinister tone. Then a scratchy repetitive sound is played which connotes danger and creates tension.

The next shot is a close up shot of a drawing of a distorted pair of hands hat have been stuck down using yellow tape. This represents how the killer is obsessive with his passion for killing in strange ways. The distorted hands resemble his tendency to murder in psychotic ways which therefore confirms to the audience that the film is a horror/thriller.

There are no long shots in this sequence, so it doesn't really allow the audience to see what is fully going on, reinforcing the mysterious plot of the film. Throughout the clip, all of the camera angle are high angles or at eye level which could connote that the film-maker doesn't want to reveal anything that is important yet. This could also suggest that all of the objects shown are of little importance as they are being looked down on.

The Mise-en scene here puts across ideas of what could happen in the film and makes the audience think about what the tone of the film is going to be about. The lighting in the clip is always dark adding to the tone throughout the sequence. There are shadows which could be perceived as someone moving around which keeps the viewers on the edge of their seats because they are wondering who or what these shadows could be. The colours used in this sequence are dismal and consists mainly of browns, greys and blacks. You can see that there is a page where there are words highlighted in black pen. Black connotes death here or evil, so we can paint a picture from this that something horrible is going to happen in this film. Along with the colours, there are small objects that add to the dark mood being created by the colours. Some of these objects are blades and needles. We can gather from this that there is going to be death in the film. The props such as the book and the images that pop up, add to the suspicion the viewer is bound to be feeling at this point and makes them wonder what the person is doing.

In the title sequence for the film, the titles fade up onto the screen. Instead of having the titles fade into a black background, they fade into the darkest parts of the clips on the screen. This allows continuity in the way the titles are shown, without having to repeat the same screen multiple times. This also allows for titles to be seen clearly throughout the whole sequence. This isn't as important as the unconventional exploration of different angles of everyday life, such as the book. The title sequence utilises low-key lighting to create the chiaroscuro effect. The editing starts off with slow-paced shots of objects that aren’t really of any importance. However, it then changes to fast pace cuts showing a variety of different objects making the audience wonder whether they are of importance and what the object is.

The sound used in this clip is mostly non-diegetic, however, some of the sounds in the clip have been made to sound natural. An example of this is, when there is a high-pitched noise in the clip, this tricks the viewer into thinking that it is someone screaming. This connotes danger and it makes us believe that there is someone who is desperate for help. The background music for this opening title sequence sounds like heavy breathing and is quite fast paced. This is usual in a thriller movie as it creates suspense which is what director’s aim to do with their movies.