Analysis of the opening sequence of Seven

I have watched the opening credits of the film Seven which was directed by David Fincher during 1995, this film was given the certificate of an 18.

The mise en scene in the opening to this film helps build up the suspense for the film. In the opening there is emphasis on props such as books, and photographs of hand sizes, this provides a element of suspicion for the viewer, as they wonder what is happening. There is also emphasis shown of using a razor to take the skin off the fingers, this suggests that someone wants to remove their fingerprints and hide their identity. There is also use of photographs and then the same photographs with faces crossed out, this suggests that there will be murder within this film. This is also done with crossing out certain words from a newspaper article; this also suggests that there is also crime within this film.

The use of sound within this film helps create an atmosphere and a mood for the film. The music for the opening is by Nine Inch Nails, this music is eerie, yet it has areas where the music goes creaky, and this suggests that there are elements of hiding or creeping within this film. The music is sharp and distinctive within this opening; it is also very edgy which helps build up the suspense for this film.

There are many camera angles used within this film. The opening shots in this film are close ups of props such as a book. There is also use of crane shot; this is of the hand shots. There is also up of high angled shots during the film, in areas such as when the writing is being crossed out and when the face is being crossed out of the photo, this suggests that the man has power over the people in the photographs. There is also a close up of shaving off the fingerprints; this suggests that the hiding of identity is a theme throughout this film.

There are many different editing techniques within this opening sequence. Firstly, there are many cuts and cross cutting during this sequence. There are many cuts into the opening credits section also, which adds to the ‘thriller’ genre, as it adds suspense to the atmosphere. There are also sections within the sequence where it fades into a scene or it fades to black. This also adds suspense to the atmosphere.

Preliminary Task

This is my preliminary Task, where in a group,  I have used several shots and editing techniques to show my ability within filming.

Production schedule for the prodcution of my film

 The following schedule is how my group has planned for the production of my film:

Monday 7th March- We will begin filming the shots of 1-4 in the storyboard, this will be filmed at Telford Town Park by all of the members in the group.

Tuesday 8th March-On this date , we will be filming at Telford Town Park but only if we need extra shots from the previous filming. If we have completed scenes 1-4, we will film in Wellington for scenes (13-16)

Tuesday 8th March evening- On the evening, Amie and I will be filming the scenes 7-12 at Amies home.

Thursday 10th March- On this date, we will be using garage band, to begin making our backing tracks for the film.

Monday 14th March- We will be filming in Wellington as a group for scenes 13-16, if  extra shots are needed.

Tuesday 15th March- We will be filming the final shots of 18-19, this will take place at college.

Thursday 17th March- This date will be used to record any extra filming which is needed, or to refine our filming.

Monday 21st March- Editing of our film will begin on this date, two people will be editing the film whilst the other two people will be producing music on garage band.

Tuesday 22nd March-Two people will be editing the film whilst the other two people will be producing music on garage band.

Thursday 24th March-Two people will be editing the film whilst the other two people will be producing music on garage band.

Monday 28th March-Two people will be editing the film whilst the other two people will be producing music on garage band.

Tuesday 29th March-Two people will be editing the film whilst the other two people will be producing music on garage band.

Thursday 31st March- If all of the editing is complete, we will begin working on our evaluation.

Monday 4th April-We will be working on our evaluation.

Tuesday 5th April- We will continue working on our evaluations.

Thursday 7th April- We will have completed both our film and evaluations.

Storyboard for my film

 The photos below are of my storyboard, which shows the shots in the correct order,which I will be using to structure my film.

 

The certificate of our film

The certificate which I would give our film would be a fifteen. I think this because as it is a psychological thriller, there is no actual violence within the film. However there is use of threatening behaviour which is also portrayed in a menacing fashion. Although this type of behaviour suggests violence and injury, there is no actual violence displayed within the film. Overall, I think that our film would fall under the classification certificate of a fifteen.

Props

The props which we will need during the production of our film are the following:

• A computer- this is used in various scenes by the stalker. This prop is used to highlight how the internet can be used to stalk people. We will use a computer from Amie's house, as whilst we record there as this is a very expensive prop.
• Printed out photographs- The photographs are also used to emphasise the theme of the film, and are used by the stalker. These photographs will be of the group, and will highlight the theme of isolation. We will use a camera to take these and then will use a device to print them out, there will be a limited number of photographs as it will get quite expensive. The amount of the photographs will be divided equally between the group.
• A camera- Towards the end of the film, we are using a camera, we thought this was a good way to portray the idea of stalking, the camera will be provided by Stephanie.

The costumes which we will wear during the filming process will be everyday casual wear. This is because we thought that this would make our film look more realistic.

Locations for filming

There are various locations which I will use during the production of my film. Firstly, for the scenes such as the running scene, we will be filming at Telford Town Park, when it is quiet to give the idea that it is an derelict area, which would be the ideal place for someone to get kidnapped or hurt.For the scenes such as when the stalker is looking through people's Facebook pages, this will be filmed at Amie Farrell's house, where there is access to the computer. We have to film at Amie's as the computer is a prop which we have decided to include, and therefore have to film in our own time to get the most from this scene. The lighting will be dark and dingy with the only light coming from a lamp, this creates a dark and suspenseful atmosphere. I think we will need to get permission to film at Telford Town Park and therefore I will get a permission slip completed by either Harvey or Andy.