Camera Shot/Angle/Movement
The camera shots are very close up and are of strange, weird things. The shots make it seem more spooky and mysterious to us as we do not know what the point is. They are also sometimes at the view that we are looking at what he sees or at a birds eye view. The shots are also sometimes blurred which creates effect. The movement has a rhythm yet still sets the scene of it being creepy and strange. For example we will see a shot and then it will suddenly be a black screen with one set of credits which will come up and then expand and blur then randomly go to a next strange shot. Even though it happens throughout the opening, it still surprises us because we are so intrigued as to what all these shots are about. Also some shots near the end are the same and last longer than other shots. For example there is a shot with a pen being used to delete or highlight specific words and we then see it again being used to draw a line through a picture of a boy and then the next shot is of the whole face scribbled in the same black ink. This shot alone gives us a sense of worry and makes us feel tense as we have no clue as to what this means and the sound with this shot makes us automatically think that this is strange and creepy.
Sound
The sound which is used is non diegetic and creates the mood and gives us a sense of suspense. The sounds are different and have just been simply put together. We also can recognize all of the sounds yet they still manage to make us feel scared. The sounds include things such as someone typing, a bag being zipped up. There is also a slight beat and rhythm throughout and we get random repeats of the mysterious sounds we hear at the beginning. At first i notice that the sound was slow and quiet and then when it gets to about a minute on. The sound mates with the shots and is quick and loud and more random. At the very end there is a completely different piece of sound which is so strange and does not go with the scene that is represented throughout this opening. Because it does not match and is very short, it creates a sense of mystery and confusion.
Editing
In the opening sequence, there are many cuts throughout which have a mixture of being very short and blunt or long and strange. the cuts set the scene as being suspicious. without the cuts i do not think the opening would not be as interesting as it is now. The cuts get longer and longer throughout the opening to try and tell the story a little bit better and create more suspense. for example right at the beginning of the opening the cuts are short and blunt and have no meaning compared to the cuts at the end. the cuts at the end are longer and are shots of someone doing specific things such as writing, cutting pieces of paper etc.
Mise en Scene
The lighting in se7en is dark and it is hard for us to see everything that is being shown. This lighting gives us the effect of it being more scary and mysterious. We also only see one character and that character is also mysterious to us too. Also, because the setting is surrounded in violence it makes it more scary and eery for us because we cannot identify the character doing all of these weird, strange things.
Characters
There is only one character shown to us in the opening sequence. however, we never see this characters face or learn anything about him. we also automatically assume that the character is a male and is the villain in this film as all the violence and strange things that is being done, is what this character is doing. even though we cannot see this character we are anxious and scared of him as we cannot see his image, we only see his fingers and hands when he is doing these things.
Locations
In se7en we do not know the location in which se7en is set. The location is almost a mystery to us just as everything else is so far. Also, we are not really concerned about where all of this is being taken as there are other more suspicious things happening in the opening sequence. We can assume that the location is always in the same place throughout the opening because there is no dramatic change of scene which is obvious to us as the audience.
Narrative/Plot
From just watching the opening of se7en, there is no obvious plot or story to what we see at the beginning. We can clearly see that this is a scary and mysterious film where we as the audience must figure out the plot and that is what makes the opening so interesting. We automatically assume lots of different things such as the man in the opening who is doing all of these things is the murderer or the evil, sick person in the film. All different things run through the audience’s minds because there are so many different interpretations and views to be seen.
Themes
Although the theme of se7en is not very recognizable, from the images, objects and sounds we can assume that the themes associated with se7en are death, serial killers, mystery, crime, adventure.
Visual Style
The way we view the opening of se7en is completely different to the way we would view any other opening of a film. this is because most other films are not as strange and mysterious as se7en is. Usually, when we watch an opening to a film we get a basic idea as to what will happen so we can decide whether we will enjoy the film or not and whether to watch it all the way through. However, when we watch the opening to se7en, we do not understand what is happening and nothing makes sense to us, but we automatically are engaged to it and are intrigued to find out what is going on. In certain films you do need a certain amount of information to get you hooked. but for se7en, the total opposite is needed and works brilliantly.
Genre
The theme of se7en is a thriller because there is a mysterious and spooky atmosphere that has been set to thrill us. Also, there is no direct story or plot but just strange clips and sounds which is exactly what thrillers consist of to keep the audience interested.
No comments:
Post a Comment