Se7en Title Sequence Analysis.

Narrative

The villain seems to be more evil and brutal when there is that aspect of mystery as the tension is building within the audience. 

The different words focus on the films complex plotline, suggesting that the audience has to think hard about the different events within the film.

Mise-en-scene

The opening sequence does not include any long shots of the setting; but the audience can assume that the things taking place are happening in someone’s home, or in a lab as the props are what you would typically find in these places. However not actually knowing the location could create tension for the audience.

The props used in the opening could be associated with investigations and detective work. These include books, photos, files, pens and paper. It appears as if the person is putting pictures and information into one file or case.

All of the objects are shown very close up and therefore they take up most of the frame. This creates suspense as the audience don't know who the person doing these things is as they cannot see their face or where they are.

All of the shots are reasonably dark, this connotes danger and that the film will be quite serious. The shots are indoors using low key lighting, this gives the setting a dull and suspicious feel.

Most of the colours shown are black and white, however when the photos are shown being developed you see the red light that is used to develop them. There is also a flash of red across the screen at one point giving the connotations of blood and murder. 

Editing

The opening is in a montage format, it is lots of different clips put together. The fact that it isn’t done in an chronological order that makes sense gives the idea that this person is doing many different things to create some sort of file or investigation about something.

The fading of some of the transitions creates an eerie feel, and the fade to black reflects the sincerity and darkness of the overall film. 

The filter in the camera is sepia which is made up of grimy and dirty browns, this makes the audience feel nauseous and uneasy, highlighting the psychological thriller genre.

Most of the shots are fairly short, however some are edited into slow motion. The music is also quite slow, particularly at the beginning which gives it a slow pace. As the sequence builds up and gets faster towards the end, it creates tension for the audience and shows that it will be a tense film to watch.

Cinematography

As all of the shots are close up objects, there are many shallow focuses. For example of the books, a pen, photos etc. These allow the audience to focus on what is happening with these items as it may reflect the happenings in the film. It also distracts them from seeing who the person is that is doing these things which creates tension.

During the opening sequence, most of the camera shots are still. There is not much panning or any other kind of movement as all of the shots focus on one main thing and keep it at the centre of the shot.

Titles

The titles that are written appear in a font that resembles handwriting. This fits in with the idea of someone creating a file or investigation, as well as some of the props. The text appears in white which makes it stand out against the dark background.