Analysing the opening sequence for Seven Dir.

David Fincher, 1995

The medium close up is used to show that there is a contrast between two hands and the differences are separated by a red line. Maybe there are two sides to the story. The darkness of the imagery suggests a bleak tone.

The extreme close up shows the audience this character removing his fingerprints. It can be interpreted as this character wanting to remove his identity. He comes across as some one who might be crazy.

The book imagery recurs throughout the sequence. The way that it is juxtaposed with other religious iconography suggests that it might be the bible or another religious text. This unusual view of a normal object creates mystery and suspense. This combines with the atonal music to develop the atmosphere.

The titles flicker and jitter and the font is similar to the handwriting of our character. The combination of the fonts with the screeching noise could be interpreted as screams and the overall effect is unsettling.

The contrast between the red and the black connotes some danger and it is the red shots that the shots combined together with the writing in the book as well as the photo being developed. We can also see the meticulous quality of the character. He is well prepared.

The fact that Brad Pitts name comes up first suggests he is the main character and that fans of his would be interested in seeing the film. The same can be applied to Morgan Freeman. The black background has links to thriller/horror genre.

This enigmatic close up creates mystery as we cant tell what the object is and this again combines with the mysterious sound to create suspense and reinforces the thriller aspect of the sequence.

The picture of the child with his eyes crossed out suggest that the child is a possible victim. He is symbolic of purity and innocence and this contrasts with the generally gritty tone. Also, the ida of a child victim is quite shocking and this also creates intrigue for the audience.

This extreme close up shot is foreshadowing clues for the potential events later in the film. The words that are erased are relevant to the plot. This is only apparent to the audience after they have seen the film.

 The victim is in blood which can symbolise death. The YOU stands for that anyone could be next. Seemingly this is a film that will not follow traditional thriller conventions and there may be a lot of twists and turns.

In summary
Overall, in this clip there are many close up or extreme close up shots. We never see the characters face which keeps the audience in suspense. By the fingertip shots, we think the figure is a bit crazy but we see he knows how to develop photographs, which is a skill and shows another side to the character and makes the audience question his personality. As the colours are dark and red, it shows the danger and mystical elements and tells the audience the film is not going to be light hearted. The use of atonal and unconventional non-diegetic sound creates tension and a thriller style atmosphere.