analysis of opening sequence of se7en

7/29/2019 Analysis of Opening Sequence of Se7en

1/4

The opening credit sequence of the psychological thriller Se7en uses an accelerated

montage of chilling snippet shots to introduce the audience to the murderer and give an

insight to his obsessive psychopathic nature. This is quickly evident because of the shots of

objects such as razors, needles, blood and graphic imagery such as photos of dead people

and self-harm. This is accentuated by a remix of the Nine Inch Nails song Closer which is

equally eerie, harsh and industrial as it sets the tone of the movie whilst also creatingtension.


2/4

The first and also in my opinion most graphic clip in the sequence is the detailed shots of the

man handling and cutting into his fingers with a razor. From this one can infer that the man

in the shot is clearly mentally ill as he is self-harming and furthermore, lives squalidly as his

fingers are filthy and lacerated. The scene is filmed in natural light, which emphasises and

highlights his dirty fingers through the contrast of tone. Additionally the intimatecomposition and multiple disjointed fragments and viewpoints of the shot are used to

quickly shock and set the dark mood of the film.


3/4

I next chose to analyse this recurring similar photo/clip of a man censoring words in an

unidentified text, which apparently to him seems inappropriate such as heterosexual,

intercourse and transsexual. From this one can deduce that the man is very conservative

and also from the later imagery of him cutting out the word god from a dollar bill one can

rationalise and guess that he is a religious extremist. Moreover, Angus Wall (who cut thesequence) chose to double layer the clip of the man crossing out specific words with a fade

and short time lapse (which is a recurring theme in the opening sequence). From the

layering of shots and similar repetitive actions one can assume that he carries out this

melodic precisely thought out ritual regularly. Again the shot is filmed as a close-up, almost

as if the camera angle was the mans point of view giving us even further insight into his life

and work.

I chose to focus primarily on the font and typography on my last screenshot as I thought the

actors names being hand etched into the emulsion worked well in following coherently with

the theme, it was particularly effective with the further jittering of the text and staccato in

post production to create a threatening tone. However, I think the introductions i.e.

WRITTEN BY being in Helvetica conflicted with the etchings and with the mise en scne of

the opening sequence. Additionally, I think that the layers of temporal distress and etched

writing (also along with the use of POV angles) made it seem very much like the killer didthe film opticals himself.


4/4

Overall, I thought the fast paced transitions and suspense building music create an iconic

and daring opening sequence as it gives the perfect mysterious introduction to the

murderer, leaving the audience thinking and questioning the story line. Despite the openingsequence being so vividly thrilling I have to admit that I feel like the mans melodic routine

clashes with the erratic and dischordal music which for me created an strange juxtaposition.

analysis of opening sequence of se7en

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