Titles and opening sequence in the film Seven

Mise-en-scene

The opening sequence does not include long shots of the setting, you would assume that the things taking place are happening in somebody's home or an office, as the props are what you would often find in these locations. However it isn't show which can build tension for the audience. 

Props

The props in the opening scene could be associated with detective or police work, these include; pens, paper, photos, books, and files. It appears, at first site, that someone is cutting pictures and information to include in a file. All of the props are shown very close up therefore take up most of the frame, this creates suspense as the audience don't know who is creating the file. 

Lighting and Editing

All of the shots are in low/dark lighting, this connotes danger and that the film will be quite serious. The shots are indoors with low lighting which creates a suspicious scene.  The opening is in montage format, lots of different clips put together. It isn't in chronological order which gives the impression that the character is doing many different things. 

The transitions of the opening sequence vary, some are straight cuts, some are cross overs and some fade to black. The fading gives the effect of the clips being linked together and creates a eerie feel. The clips which fade to black reflects the darkness of the whole film. 

Most of the shots are fairly short, however some are edited in to slow motion to slow the pace, the music is also quite slow, particularly at the beginning.The slow motion also creates a sombre tone and allows the audience to see properly whats going on, in the scene on screen. As the sequence builds up it gets faster towards the end, it creates tension for the audience and shows it will be tense to watch. 

Camera

As all of the shots are close up objects, there are many shallow focuses, for example; the books, pen, and photos. These allow the audience to focus on whats happening in the film, it also distracts them from looking at the person and seeing who it is that is moving the objects. 

The sequence consists of close-ups and close-ups only, the identity of the person and their location remains unknown as it isn't relevant in the opening in order to create tension. Therefore no long shots or mid shots are used. 

During the opening sequence most of the camera shots are still, there isn't much panning or other types of movement shots. All of the shots focus on one main object, and it remains in the centre of the shot.

Titles

The titles appear in a font which resembles handwriting, this fits in with the idea that someone is creating a file or investigation, as well as some of the props shown. The titles appear in white which makes them clear and stand out from the dark, low lighted background.