David Fincher 1995

CAMERA WORK- CINEMATOGRAPHYIn the opening title sequence of se7en no characters faces are revealed. The way it has been filmed creates a hidden identity for the villain, yet it tell the audience a lot about him.

For example, he is seen as obsessive when he is cutting and sticking the photos and clippings of newspapers.

We also get the idea his madness revolves around religion (the 7 deadly sins) this is shown when he cuts a clipping of ‘god’ out.

Every shot in the opening sequence is either a close up or an extreme close up. This type of shot makes the audience feel claustrophobic and uncomfortable. This sets the mood for the film.

SOUND

The sound in the opening title sequence is very much more sound than music in a way. It has an almost heartbeat sound to it and there are parts that sound like creaking beams, howling ghosts and rewinding tapes. These are all typical sounds of a scary or thrilling film. It uses the Foley effect which is where each shot changes on the beat of the music, this makes the audience really look at what's going on in that shot, its almost like the sound is derationing them to the shot.

MISE EN SCENE

The Mise en scene is mostly shots of paper, books, clippings etc.

Some of the photos that the villain sticks into the book is quite disturbing, this sets a disturbed/ uneasy feeling for the audience.

The villain is also shown scraping off his finger tips in a close up shot. This gives the audience and idea that he is a criminal.

TITLES

In the title sequence only the names are shown is a handwriting font. Here thing like ‘producers’ and ‘director’ is shown in a different font.

The hand written theme is chosen because it reflects the hand writing of the villian.

The titles also seem to flicker in time with the music. It is similar to a flickering light which is known for being in horror films etc.

CAMERA WORK Cinematography

At the beginning of the opening credits there is a establishing shot of the city. This is to give the audience an idea of where it is set.

Secondly there is a low angle shot of the protagonist which shows power.

After this there are various shots of him driving through the city, and a birds eye view of the car moving as well.

He next arrives at a house/ hotel and go up to a room. The camera uses a long shot of him opening the door to the room and then is followed by the camera walking behind him into the room.

After this there is another birds eye view and then it carries on to camera being in the car whilst he drives though the city.

SOUND And titles

The music is the only sound in the opening credits. The music was ‘night call’ by Kavinsky featuring Lovefoxx. The music gives an 80’s/ 90’s feel to the film as well at the titles. The titles are also supposed to fit in with the 80’s theme- bright pink ‘neon’ writing. The titles have been fit into the beats of the music.

Another time when the opening credits does this is when the protagonist goes out of the room and switches a light off. The shot has been timed so that when the light turns off the music ‘drops.’

By doing this, the director can put emphasis on different parts of the film. This means different parts can be highlighted so the audience will remember them better, or notice them.

MISE EN SCENEWhat's in the shot

In the first shot of the opening credits it is showing the time of day and the setting – night, city.

After it presents to the audience the character, and the title of the film- important.

After this it shows the character driving though the city, it is shown that he is driving with one hand which shows he is relaxed, and he has driving gloves which shows he is a professional. This create an immediate idea of the character for the audience to build off.

A few shots later his car is shown. In the time it was set this car was one of the most popular cars of its time. This shows that the character is trying to be as camouflage a possible.

In the next shot the scorpion jacket is shown as he is walking towards a lift. This represents the protagonist because the smallest scorpions are the most poisonous. Which translates to him being camouflage yet good at his work.

Lastly when he goes into the room there is nothing really in there. The darkness and emptiness of the room might reflect his current mood or life style.

In the opening scene for shutter island there is only music. The music fits in with the camera shot in a way that it is in time with each other. For example the first shot is of a corridor which is then lead to a spiralling stair cause. After that a clip from the film is added showing some floor boards being ripped up. The music when this happens suddenly become louder and more intense than before. This shows that this is a significant part in the film.

Towards the end the music take a darker turn and begins to sound like the music from jaws. This also make a more intense feeling for the audience.

SOUND

CAMERA and MIS EN SCENE

It next shows a shot of a prison cell, this also sets the scene for the film, and it gets the audience thinking where they might be going.

After this there is another close up, hidden identity shot of matches being light, this shows the film is mystery based, maybe the person is finding clues etc.

Lastly there is an establishing shot of the island, finally presenting the audience with where it is set. This is like a conclusion for all the previous shots.

TITLESThe titles is the opening sequence are in red and white. Red represents blood or evil, this creates a sinister feel to the film. And white is a colour that shows up and against darkness so it is easier to show the titles.

At the beginning the titles are in red. This give the audience an immediate feeling of unease. They are also presented like a flickering light, this is a typical horror or thriller technique for an unsettling room or place.

After a few shots the titles turn to white. Each title fits in with the shots. 1 per shot change and then if there is a prolonged darkness there will be a title. The last title is of ‘Shutter Island’ the film name. This is like a conclusion of the titles.