Film Opening Analysis

Se7en (1995 - crime, drama, thriller)

Se7en was distributed in 1995 and was produced by Cecchi Gori Pictures and New Line Cinema.
In regards the the genre of this film, i believe it can be identified straight away. The eerie music track, the font of the titles and the action on screen, all allows us to create an opinion right away about the films genre. It was obvious that the film was something along the lines of a thriller, crime or horror movie.
This opening sequence has a lot of impact and includes a lot of action, although it seems like a great deal is revealed, i do think the narrative is still not at all clear. The clip poses questions for the audience as they are dragged into the action, but are still left guessing what is to come in the movie.
Horrific and bizarre themes are clearly displayed in this film opening, by the use of fast paced, confusing editing and the strange images.
In this opening sequence characters are not introduced to the audience in any way, i think the title creator wanted to focus more on getting the themes of the film across rather than giving the characters their introduction.
A dark, mysterious and disturbing atmosphere is conveyed by the opening sequence, this opening sets the tone for the rest of the movie, and with all the short clips it displays, it has a taster for what is to come.
Setting is not showed at all in the opening of Se7en, it could potentially be set anywhere, from someones house to a police station. Th e opening leaves it to the viewer to create their own opinion of whats about to happen when the film starts.
The youthful, unstable font of all the titles in the opening, match the genre of the film well. The font which almost looks like a child's handwriting, adds a sense of mystery to the opening. They have also made the writing move and flash quickly, maybe giving the audience a representation as to what is to come in the movie. The main title, Se7en starts out the same size as the other titles, then takes up the whole screen, to then returning back to it's original size. This gives the movie title huge impact, and allows it to stand out from the other titles.
The powerful, chilling soundtrack that runs throughout the piece, is in my opinion, as important as the motions images in this film opening. The confusing music that uses unexpected screeching, adds a great deal of intensity of the opening and reflects the theme well.