Opening Sequence Analysis: 'Se7en'

The beginning is in a montage format as many shots are played creating tension and an interest from the viewer however, the montage isn't done in a chronological order therefore it twists the rules of a montage; they usually create a story. Due to it being made up of a montage, the shots are fairly short (sometimes in slow motion reflecting the slow beat in the music particularly at the beginning). The majority of the short shots are disturbing images that gives hint onto roughly what will happen in the film e.g. the blood, crossing out the identity of people etc.

 The points In which reflect the idea of dehumanisation and hiding regional identity are sometimes slowed down so the reader can really take in what is happening and read what is being crossed out by the actor. The montage is made up of the makings of something and research done into this creation. It creates an anticipation and a need to see what happens next. As the sequence builds up and gets faster towards the end, there is a stain on the audience as they don't know what to expect, only knowing that it is going to be a dark, tense film.

There are many different transitions and different fades e.g. cross fades, fade to back or straight cuts. The fades give a creepy feel and reflect the overall darkness of the film as it is a horror. It also creates a sombre tone as it links in with slow motion. This allows the audience to be groped into the opening. To add to this, some shots flicker and mix in with the titles on the screen creating an eerie feel and it generally adds interesting effects on the strange shots. The opening sequence consists of only close-ups with a depth of field to them. Only the actions of the actor are shown which hides their identity and makes the audience wonder what kind of person he is and intentions. The viewer will immediately aim to guess the intentions but not in full confidence. Because of the lack of identity and an established setting, there are no long shots or mid shots in the sequence. Most of the shots are still, focusing the audience on the context of the shot and the main focus. The depth of field on the close-up shots focus on the objects and bring into context their importance and what is happening on them e.g. the book, the pen, the drawings etc.

The objects reflect what could happen in the film therefore have a significance in the opening. It also adds to the tension. The titles that are written up resemble hand writing, made with ink and a fountain pen. The font is quite unusual and strange adding to the atmosphere of the sequence and fitting in with the crooked breaks in the short shots. It also adds a suspicion of the investigation and what the character is planning on. The text is white so it appears more boldly against the black background. 

All of the shots are dark and eerie reflecting a serious, dull, suspicious feel. Throughout the opening the main characters identity isn't shown once however we begin to find out a lot about him through the setting, his props and what he is doing with them. The is effective as it captures the audience into the film and all we want to find out is the purpose of this character.