SE7EN - Opening Sequence

The opening sequence to SE7EN is one of the most disturbing and disorientating openings among other thriller films. It uses various M-E-S, Sound and Editing techniques to create an uncomfortable and eerie atmosphere that puts the audience on edge. Thriller films typically conceal information about the killer up until the final scene/s, but SE7EN throws the audience straight into the killer's mindset which is effective because, not only does it play mind games with them, but it makes them question the narrative direction and the significance of the disturbing shots, such as the killer removing his own fingerprints, to the syuzhet.

Fast editing-pace is the leading factor to the audience's disorientation as it allows for several discomforting shots to be packed in to a small space of time. Jump cuts also have a similar effect as they throw the audience from one location and time to another in one transition. 

Shadows and the colour black have been made predominant in post-processing which has created a chiaroscuro effect. In fact, the majority of the shots are entirely uncoloured - with the exception of one red coloured shot. This is effective because the colour black relates to the unknown, secretive and hidden which implies that the shots could be foreshadowing events yet to come in the plot, and the colour red is well known to connote danger, blood and violence - themes which are essential for keeping the audience on edge. Shadows are also used to hide the location to the audience which delivers a sense of mystery surrounding the placement of the killer.

The scrawled nature of the title text connotes that they were written by the killer himself, or even a victim, because of the way they appear to be rushed and scratched into the shot. Even the more typed-appearing text seems to have residue. Through a lack of order and symmetry in the placement of text the audience are made to feel on edge and uncomfortable. It is important to keep the audience on edge as they will remain engaged with the narrative as it suggests that something bad is about to come about. 

An example of a lack of order and symmetry in the text placement.

Shots, such as the one above, are only displayed for a fraction of a second which suggests that it is something we shouldn't be seeing as an audience. It also disturbs the audience subconsciously as they may be unaware that they have even seen it because of the short amount of time it remains on screen. Again, a lack of any colour is used alongside low key lighting and high contrast (chiaroscuro) in order to make the shot appear more dramatic.

An example of the colour red - connoting danger, blood and violence.

Throughout the title sequence, eerie, non-rhythmic music is played over the top with scratching sound effects that add to the audience's discomfort already produced by the shots. The lack of rhythm could represent a killer's thought pattern or just be in place to emphasise the intensity and relevance of the shots to the plot.

MES has been used to make this shot disturbing.

Mise-En-Scene is used in the shots presented to the audience in order to disgust them. For example, the bandages used in the shot above follow a series of clips in which we see someone cutting off their fingerprints. To the audience, this seems to have little relevance at the time but it later transpires that the shots are of the antagonist who is trying to remove his identity. This is an example of narrative retardation as very little information is given tot he audience until well into the narrative. This technique is effective because it gives the audience pleasure when loose ends are tied and they can fully understand the plot.

The shot above uses MES - props - to visually disturb the audience putting them on edge and keeping them engaged with the narrative. Most of the shots in the opening sequence appear to be of photographs which suggest the killer is keeping records of murders, perhaps techniques, the rest of the shots are close ups of the killer's hands. This could present a link between murder and the character in the shots which foreshadows future events in the narrative.

Low key lighting is used among nearly all of the shots in the opening sequence, for example, in the shot above, the upper right-hand corner is enveloped by a dense shadow which conceals information from the audience about the location.

Overall, the SE7EN opening sequence uses low-key lighting, fast-paced editing and various Mis-En-Scene techniques in order to disorientate an audience and leave them engaged and questioning the narrative..