Se7en
Se7en is a 1995 American thriller film, this film also contains horror elements. It stars Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kenin Spacey. It was distributed by New Line Cinema. Grossing $327 million at the box office internationally, 'Se7en' was a commercial success, and received very positive reviews from most critics. Within the thriller genre there are hybrid thrillers, which are a mixer of two different genres. 'Se7en' is a hybrid as it is a mixer of a thriller and the horror genre. By creating a hybrid, more conventions can be displayed and it can add to the atmosphere of the sequence.
In the opening sequence of 'Se7en' (David Fincher 1995) Mise-en-scene, editing, camera and sound is used widely throughout this sequence. All of these techniques are very important when creating a thriller as they help build up tension and create an unknown atmosphere. A large range of editing decisions have been made in order to create a thrill and build up tension towards the audience, the editing decisions that have been made are extremely important as what we see is critical to building up tension for the audience to see. The first shot which we see is a book possibly a sketch book we see a close up of this book with the pages flicking in the wind. The book is tacky and looks very old, and also looks very worn. In the background of this shot, we see a shadow of a hand slowly moving in the background, this builds up tension as it is unknown what the shadow is and we can assume that unknown secrets are going to be revealed as the sequences progresses. The lightening in this shot is very dark and mysterious but we see a light reflection in the background which is possibly natural lightening shining through the pages of the book. We only see part of the characters hand which is the fingertips of the character, this is shocking as we see the finger tips peering over the book and this could important as it could reflect what is going to happen later on in the scene. At the end of this shot, a cut is used which goes to a blank black screen displaying some of the titles. The black background is important as it reflects the thriller genre, as we associate the colour black with death as it isn’t a very vibrant colour and this could reflect what is going to happen later on in the sequence. Although we have only seen two shots within this sequence we can see, feel and hear that something bad and dramatic is going to happen. It makes the audience feel as if they are on ‘the edge of their chair’ waiting for the next shot to come onto the screen. This is continuous throughout the opening sequence. From the dark screen there is a fade to the next scene, as the scene unfolds this could symbolise that the audience is waiting for something to unfold, this builds up tension and the audience are anticipating what is going to happen throughout the scene. We see a drawing of two hands, which reflects what happened previously in the scene as we saw the reflection of the hand in the background of the book, from seeing the first 15-20 seconds we can assume that something is going to happen which involves a characters hands. Quick cuts are used, which are in quick concession of one another displaying a variety of different objects which possibly could be used to conflict injury on a person or to themselves. As the sequence is continuing, tension is being built up throughout, the quick cuts are a very important editing decision as it doesn’t give the audience a long period of time to view these objects so it is left to the audience to come to their own conclusion of what the objects are. Throughout the rest of the sequence very important editing decisions are used, which are predominately fade in’s and rapid cuts these decisions are extremely important as they are done so that the audience does not have enough time to relate to the character which is in this sequence but the audience knows enough to assume what is going to happen in the sequence. By the editing decisions in the opening sequence of ‘Se7en’ a lot of what we see is left up to the audience to guess what is happening or what is going to happen, by the director doing this, it builds up tension massively as the audience does not know what is actually happening or what is going to happen.
Within the opening sequence of ‘Se7en’ many of the camera shots and camera angles which are used are very similar, as we do not see any characters we just see the hands of one character. The shots which we see are predominately mid shots and close ups. There are close up shots of the dangerous objects, which have been done show just actually how dangerous these objects are and the danger which could be inflicted on themselves or someone else. We see each one of these objects in a close up shot and this adds to the suspense which has been built up within this sequence. Also throughout this sequence we see close up shots of books, pictures, needles and a variety of other objects these are all done in a close up shot to draw attention to these objects and show the detail they have within them. As we do not see any of the characters face, the audience cannot relate to them and we do not see any of their emotion. Through the camera shots and the objects we see, we can assume that the character obviously has mental disorders and this is shown throughout the camera shots. We see the picture of the hands in a mid-shot and from a high angle, this suggest that we are being introduced to what lies further into the sequence. When we see the dangerous objects in this sequence such as needles we see them in close up shots this signifies the danger and suggest that something is going to happen involving these objects. Throughout this sequence as shots are done in quick concession the images are subliminal as the audience does not have enough time to register what the images are of but the audience can see that they are going to be a danger.
Within the opening sequence of ‘Se7en’ mise-en-scene isn’t widely used, as we do not see the characters identity nor do we see what they are wearing or where they are actually situated. From the opening sequence we can see that the location the film is set in is a dark and gloomy area, although in the opening sequence we never see the location. Natural ambient lighting is used throughout the opening sequence this gives the sequence a sense of spookiness, as there is no lighting effect to uplift the sequence. The colour of which is used is very dull and bland and mainly the colour black, this creates a gloomy and dark atmosphere. Throughout film mise-en-scene is used to create representations and help the audience to establish relationships with the characters, but the audience cannot do this for this sequence as the faces and body language of the characters is not apparent.
Within the opening sequence of ‘Se7en’ sound is used throughout the sequence and adds tension and is an important factor of the sequence. When creating films, sound is usually the last thing we think about but in fact it is the most important part as it is what creates the tension and suspense mainly. Throughout the sequence, slow background music is used this adds to the emotion and sets the rhythm to the sequence. Half way through the sequence there is an increase in the tempo this as the cuts become quicker the background music foreshadows the change in the mood in this sequence. Ten seconds before the end of the sequence a soundtrack is played, this is a fast paste and upbeat tempo, this is a contrast to what the audience have seen in the sequence as we see a gloomy and dark location this could signify that all is not bad and we may see a different side of the film that hasn’t been displayed previously. Many sound effects are used such as the wind, trees and screaming all of what we hear in this sequence adds to the way in which we perceive the characters and the film. Although sound is used throughout this sequence, the sound is mainly background music but this creates the atmosphere and builds up tension and is an extremely important part of the film making process.
Throughout this sequence, mise-en-scene, editing, sound and camera are how the sequence is built up and the way in which it keeps the audience’s attention. Although some of these techniques are not used to a large extent it still conveys the techniques.
References
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114369/
http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/short/gramtv.html
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