Se7enTitle SequenceAnalysis

Shot Types/Angles

• Throughout the course of the title sequence there is a significantly large proportion of extreme close up shots.

• Angles used can vary but mainly consist of low angles or canted angles.

• The effect of this is to create disorientation among the viewers, when watching we are never given an establishing shot, mid shot, pan shot only close ups that last a very short amount of time. All of this also contributes to the mystery that surrounds the character that is shown in this sequence.

Lighting

• The lighting used within the sequence is very dark and changes frequently throughout.

• Kevin Spacey’s character in the film is a cereal killer who not unveiled to the viewer until late on in the film, the use of dark lighting within this sequence is supportive of the hidden element to Spacey’s character and allows the character to be more ominous and mysterious. The light changing frequently is another example of the attempt to disorientate the viewer and make them feel uncomfortable.

Mise en Scène & Typography

• When looking closely at the the sequence we can see various actions the character is carrying out, at one point the character is using a razor blade to cut the skin from his fingers. At another point a needle is being used to bind pages together and there is a shot of the word god being removed from the back of a twenty dollar bill. All of this is quite eerie and certainly puts the viewer on edge (as you would expect to act in front a cereal killer). From this we can gather the character is trying to cover his tracks in some way or preparing for a murder.

• The typography used supports this eerie nature and is actually hand written to meet the criteria of this thriller accurately.

Audio

• When looking at the audio for ‘Se7en’ it is has a very similar use to the other components of the sequence, its main goal is to put the audience on edge.

• There isn’t much diegetic sound used within the sequence and therefore the extract is dominated by non-diegetic audio consisting of an eerie soundtrack, tapping sounds, machinery sounds and scratching that sometimes sounds like screaming . The audio is asynchronous as in reality what the character is doing wouldn't’t be that intense or intriguing to watch and this is why foley and other audio techniques are used to create an eerie atmosphere.

Editing

• A lot of the shots in the sequence are super imposed, meaning another shot has been placed over top of the other but still allows you to see both shots. This follows up with the other aspects of the sequence in disorientating the viewer, it also means the viewer has more to focus on which makes it seem like a lot more is going on.

• The shots used are very short and often wont go on for longer than a few seconds, however a lot of the shots get revisited which increases the confusion among the viewer.

• Transitioning is very hectic and cuts frantically between different shots.

Summary

• Overall I thought the sequence was very effective in manipulating the viewer into disorientation and confusion.

• I thought the camera shots/angles used in this sequence were most effective in achieving this.

• You can clearly tell the film is a thriller from its title sequence as it makes the viewer feel on edge at all times, as a thriller should do.