Se7en (1995) is a crime/thriller film directed by David Fincher which focuses on two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, who hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his method of operation. The opening sequence of of Seven is a sequence of shots showing the hands of an unknown man who is presumably the antagonist, making entries in a diary which are accompanied by clippings from books, photographs which we see him develop, found images and objects. Towards the end of the sequence we gain un understanding of the mind of the serial killer and the fact that his world revolves around religion and sin.
The format of this sequence is compared with other successful opening sequences such as the thriller To Kill A Mockingbird, which also features shots of hands and personal items which identify the inner identity of the film's main character. The typography which is used in se7en to list the opening credits of the film is a mix of hand drawn and the font helvetica. The director wanted this sequence to be hand drawn because it was from the mid of the killer, and it gives the impression the the killer had crated the film credits himself.
In 2011, IFC ranked Se7en as the third greatest title sequence of all time, behind Richard Lester’s A Hard Day's Night and Saul Bass’ Vertigo; the New York Times credited it as “…one of the most important design innovations of the 1990s.” But perhaps John Doe describes it best in his own words: “Wanting people to listen, you can’t just tap them on the shoulder anymore. You have to hit them with a sledgehammer, and then you’ll notice you’ve got their strict attention.”
Within the opening sequence of Seven, the use of sound along with other techniques clearly sets the mood for the viewer and gives them an insight into the mind of the serial killer. The initial sounds that the audience hears is the sound of razors and sharp objects being rubbed together which is similar to the sound of knives being sharpened. This immediately depicts how violent the man's mindset it and the sound of razors along with the extreme closeup of the man cutting away his fingerprints suggests that he is aiming to conceal his identity because he does not want to be identified for his wrongdoing. The opening sequence of Se7en is filled with sound bridges and non diegetic sound, the use of sound bridges between shots makes the scattered collection of shots have a sense of continuity and the non diegetic sounds represents how disconnected the killer's thoughts are from the world around him.
The speed of editing within the sequence is incredibly fast paced which creates interest and suspense. The use of restricted narration immediately raises questions for the viewer such as who the hands belong to and why they are keeping a journal filled with such disturbing things. The colours used within this opening are very dark and dirty. The connotation of the colour black is to do with dominance and power, a serial killer who revolves his life so heavily around the seven deadly sins and religion would have a sense of rituality around his murders and crimes which is enhanced by the use of the sepia tone throughout the sequence. The dirty yellow colour which is used periodically throughout is used to show that the man is not a character to be trusted and the connotation of the colour yellow is corruption.
As the viewer is faced with rather disturbing images within the journal, sounds of electricity and power surging run in the background, this makes the viewer feel that the man is full of power and has connotations of danger. As the sequence continues there is a distinct build up of menacing sounds such as records being scratched, scream-like sounds and eerie sounds which becomes rhythmical and the tension builds.
The series of shots are edited together so that they are almost disjointed and sometimes overlap each other which reflects the scattered thoughts of the killer. The audience is again presented with the theme of concealment and hidden identity and the hands continue to cross out words and deface certain parts. There are a variation of angles within the sequence however they are all close ups or extreme closeups so the viewer's attention is purposefully directed at flashes or words, phrases and images which all create a specific mood before the film starts.
Nearing the very end of the opening sequence, there is an extreme close up shot of the word 'God', which has been cut out of a dollar bill, being lifted carefully by tweezers ready to be placed into the journal, this movement is one of the most precise and controlled actions of the opening which hints that the killer is a worshipper of God. At the same time as seeing this shot the music has the lyrics “you bring me closer to God” sung over the top as the viewer gains an understanding that this man's world and rituals revolve around the concept of religion and sin.
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