ISL Week Eight - Analysis of the opening title - 'Se7en' 1995

Week Eight ISL – Analysis of the Opening Title ‘Se7en’ (1995)

 

 

The first shot we see lead up to which company the film is made by but on another shot giving that delay. The background of the typography is a close up of a book/notepad, implying the person who is there is writing something down or need it to help them. As the audience only see a book therefore not knowing who or where the person is creating suspense straight away as it seems very secretive as no identity is given. The sans serif typography suggests it may not be a formal film, not implying the social class of the people that are going to be in this film. The writing looks like it has been handwritten or each letter cut out of a paper again hiding identity and evidence of who it is.
In the background all we can see is that it is blurred not showing the set of location suggesting that the producer doesn’t want to give a lot a way at the start of the film so it makes the audience question if there initial thought is right about what they think is going to happen throughout the film.

 

Leading on from who made/produced/directed and edited the film is a shot that gives a clue into who it could be that is behind all of the mystery, stereotypically the hands looks like a males, as of the short nails and by what he is doing. This is an extreme close up to the hands of the suspicious person again not giving any clues to whom it is that is in the opening scene setting out what it to happen further on. No clues or jumps is to the middle of the film or to another location, it just shows what they are doing now but in straight cuts where we as an audience only see parts of what he is making.

More typography is shown here, in the same typography as the other titles were in. The title is given here which is on a blurred background specifically focusing on the title. The title being ‘Seven’ with the number 7 used as a ‘V’ is shows the link between the number and the title and is making it fit in. There are contrasting colours here, from the black background to a pure white makes the title stand out even though it is not in big bold writing only a huge contrast from the background that is it stood on. The shot changes by moving items where it pushes the titles away, giving a quick jump cut whilst moving the book beside it away to be shown in another shot.

 

The shot here is a mid-shot of previous records that look dated because of the faded writing and the ripped paper, implying that this mysterious behaviour could be to do with the past but also revenge for something that as happened in the past.  The lighting in the opening title looks very low, in a dark place where it helps hide the identity of the person that is behind this. Again, the only part of the person that we actually get to see is the fingers looking for records implying that the identity of the person is not important as they cannot get found out.

 

Cutting of the paper suggests that the person is communicating with someone that they don’t want them to know who they are. The cutting through the headlines of the paper implies that the person is hiding themselves and has to be very careful that they aren’t going to get caught, for example after they have cut out the words or letter they are using some type of tweezers to pick up the paper, as if they don’t want to have their fingerprints on it in case it may be evidence. The letter that they are cutting out is ‘God’ suggesting that religion is used throughout this film or a death is going to take place, a lot which may be the reason for this revenge or the action that this person is hiding themselves from but doing.