'Se7en' Opening Sequence Analysis

Right from the start of this opening sequence, I noted the colour that it has been edited into. The brown and grey tinged clips create an illusion that all the things the character is doing is in the dark. This makes his actions look secretive which contrasts nicely with the plain black background that the titles are put onto. The sequence consists of clips of a males hands doing various things e.g. writing something in a notebook and more significantly, using a blade to cut the skin off his fingertips (shown below). Without it being said, the audience can guess that this is an indication that he doesnt want his DNA to be traced.

The font used for the titles looks like handwriting, and is shaken as it is put up on the screen. This goes with the fast paced and snappy way about this opening sequence. The font is written in plain white which is a good contrast with its black background. Because the character is shown writing, it almost creates the effect that he has written these names down and rather than it emphasising the real names of the actors in a way to show this, it shows them in a way that still matches the film.

There is enough shown in these clips to give us an idea of what he is doing but not why or in any relation with the storyline which this opening sequence doesn't show. All it does is establish the setting and give an insight onto the kind of weird and obsessive things this character does.

The music used is interesting because the sounds of the child and the machinery is used along with the music and becomes part of it.

I will be using this as an inspiration for my opening sequence and studying some of the camera angles used e.g. close ups.