Thriller

Analasis of the opening sequence of Se7en directed by David Fincher (1995)

In the opening sequence of seven, there are 20 main frames used throughout the whole 2 minutes of the opening, just viewed in many different ways. Extreme close up shots and close up shots are dominant in this opening which creates an 'eerie' feeling towards the film. A lot of cuts, quick cuts and flashes are also used, this is to keep the viewer paying attention to the opening so they understand what they need to expect during the film. The first frame is of a book, with the pages flicking.

this is a close up of the top of the book. Whilst this image is shown there is text appearing in what looks like the text was 'scratched' into the frame. The first text to appear on-screen is 'New Line Cinema Persents'.

The next image that is shown is a sketch of hands, in the top right of this image appears 'A film by David Fincher' this shows the eeriness and maybe the mind of the person in the opening.

It is then cut to a close up of a razor blade, this gives the viewer an idea that the person involved may be violent or even professional in what they do. The screen then quick cuts to a black screen with 'Brad Pitt' appearing in the white text. A flash of an extreme close up of a razor and then cut back to black. An extreme close up is then used to show the razor blade being used to remove the person's finger prints.

This helps a criminal eventually loose there identity or reduce the risk of leaving fingerprints behind, because they have none. This then gives the viewer an idea that it is about a professional psycho-killer.

It cuts again back to black to show 'Morgan Freeman' before showing a close up of a tea bag slowly dying the clear water in a cup, during this frame there is then a flash of a black and white picture before showing the tea. The screen then goes black again to show the title of the film as 'Se7en' in the right hand side before it flashes bigger to the left hand side of the screen and then back to the right. This then dissolves into a view of all the books in the room, with the person reaching for a book, the title however is still present.

As the title disappears the frame flicks into a close up of the book the person got. The book is then shown open with a cut to the top of the book with the pages turning whilst showing an opening credit 'Gwyneth Paltrow'.

The person writing in the book is then shown in the next frame, first as normal, then as an off-focus, 'ghosted' frame.

It then flicks between different views of the writing and then onto a black and white picture in development liquid, this shows that the person may have experience in photography.

Another credit is then shown, 'R.Lee Ermey' in white upon a black background before showing a frame of the person cutting strips of film and then cutting edges off a Polaroid, this again gives the viewer an idea of the person being experienced in photography and development of old films.

It then shows another credit in white with a black

background, 'John C. McGirley' before flicking to an extreme close up of the person pulling off a piece of tape off the blade, by now the reader may have got an idea that this person may be the psycho in the film, or someone who is very obsessive with their work.

It then shows the person's dirty hands arranging the pictures and Polaroids in the 'scrap book' before flashing to a quick flick of a dollar and then to a black background where it shows 'Juke Arastog and Mark Boone Junior'.

A close up of the psycho sellotaping a Polaroid down is then shown before showing a drop of blood dropping on a page of the book before flicking back to the polaroid and then to a page turning with a shadow and a hand writing. This is a good way to give the reader and idea of how disturbed the psycho's mind may be, and to show the time passing as the person is putting so much effort into making this scrap book and researching or note taking.

The frame then shows a black background again whilst showing three credits, 'John Cassini, Reginald E. Cathey and Peter Crombie' spaced out on the page, while this frame is showing there are flicks and flashes quickly of some kind of codes such as c-24 in big white writing. After a few more flicks of different codes, the background then changes to a light brown colour with white text still, this time saying 'Hawthorne James, Michael Massee and Leland Orser'. It flicks again as if it was a damaged tape showing, and then focus' on an extreme close up of the psycho's hands smudging out a word in a text in a book.

The image then goes shadowed before cutting and fading to an extreme close up of the first image shown in the opening

with scratched in text over lapping the image before flashing into a black background with 'Richard Partnow, Richard Schniff and Pamala Tyson' while it flicks again to a code and back to the credits.

It then shows a reversed shot of the psycho crossing out the word 'intercourse' and then the image flicking to the top right word not being crossed out, so the psycho then crosses that word out; 'tansexual'. This is all over-lap and shows that the person isn't comfortable with that sort of language being used.

The frame then shows an image of a boy with the psycho crossing his eyes out with a marker pen whilst the credits are shown in the middle of the screen 'casting by Billy Hopkins, Suzanne Kerry and Smith Border'. It then flashes and shows the boys face being totally blacked out.

The background then pauses red before changing to an extreme close up of the writing.

The frame the splits into two which shows the developing of a picture in the red liquid on the top with a kind of reflection effect but on the bottom its the person writing. In the top right corner of this frame the credits are still in white saying 'music by Howard Shore'.

 

This image then dissolves into showing the psycho sorting out the scrap book and slipping pictures and films into the book, in the lower centre, the text flashes into focus, 'constumes designer by Michael Kaplan', the background then swiftly turns black with the image dissolved as the flicker of the screen happens, the text changes to 'Edited by Richard Francis - Bruce'. The frame then shows the same 'dirty' hands putting a spine into a book. This shows the viewers all the time and care that the person has put into hand making these books, this can give an opinion of the person being abnormal maybe or unique, just like the books would be. Whilst this is showing, the text 'Production Designed by Arthur Max' is shown.

The image then disappears to show a black background and then goes back to the image shown above, and then to the book with the pages turning, but upside down.

There is then an overlay of the red developing liquid that flashes to the pictures in the book and then the turning of the pages of the book, back to a view of the top of the book. This same image was used at the very start of the openings. Here the text says 'Director of Photography Darius Khondji', the background then goes black to show the text a little clearer. The frame then shows an extreme close up of the dirty fingers threading some thread through a needle.

This shot then flicks back to pages being turned of a book, in an overview and then back to the extreme close up shown above.The background then flicks grey, black and white sections before going completely black whilst showing 'Co-Producers Stephen Brown, Nana Greenwald and Sanford Panitch', flicks of the hand turning a page in the book and the top of the book whilst the page is turning are then shown before and an extreme close up of text is shown but not readable before it flicks back to the needle having the cotton threaded through before showing 'Co-Executive Producers Lynn Harris, Richard Saperstein'. There is a black and white picture in the top left hand side of the screen showing that's disappears as a shadow passes over it. The background then flickers a little before showing the dirty hands stitching the pages of the book together.

A flick of red happens during this and then a black background is shown with the text 'Executive Producers - Gianni Nunnari, Dan Kolsrud and Anne Kopelson. A flash of right panning of books is then shown before flicking back to thee black background and then back to the panning of the books, this is to keep the jumpy effect of the opening occurring. A quick cut of a picture in the developing ink is then flashed during this frame before showing the text 'Written by Andrew Kevin Walker' is shown over the panning books. The next frame shown gives the viewers an idea of how obsessive this person seems to be, even how proud they are to be doing what they are doing by keeping a little something off their victim. This frame shows the person sticking down a lock of hair on a page with pictures of children with their eyes blanked out. This makes the viewers think if the person was a child molester or a paedophile of if that child was that person.

A quick cut is then formed to show the turning of pages in the book whilst there is an over lap of the sewing of the pages with a flick of the title 'se7en' back to the threading of the needle and back to the image shown above before showing it was produced by Arnold Kapelson and Phyllis Carlyle on a faded black background as if it was a black piece of paper that had been exposed to sunlight for a long while on the corners, this gets an old, dirty and misty kind of feel towards this frame. There is then an extreme close up of the person cutting the word 'God' from out of an one dollar bill. This gives the impression that the person doesn't think that God should be associated with money maybe.

It then shows a right panning of all the books this person owns again, before quick cutting to a black background showing it was directed by David Fincher again, this is shown at the start and end of the opening because those are the two most important parts that are remembered in a list, a few images then are quickly flashed on the screen in black and white before cutting into the actual film start. During this whole opening the music in the background is eerie all the way through with a mixture of scratching, squeaking, creaking and 'scary' noises mixed in. The kind of unfamiliar noises that can be mistaken for anything is played all the way through the sound clip, neared the second quarter of the opening, the sounds get quicker with a lot more beat and impact involved. It then gets a bit more impacts involved with more beat later on in the opening with the sounds being constant and finishes with the lyrics 'You get me closer to god' from the song Closer by Nine Inch Nails, whilst the frame of the person cutting the word 'God' out of money is shown and then cuts into total silence. This is a good idea of music to go with the mixed up images used, it shows an old, mysterious, eerie feeling approaching during the opening.