Opening Credit Analysis; Se7en (Jodie)

Our film opening starts with looking at Crime Scene Investigation photos of the murder related too our story line. However one problem we face is deciding the ideal transition between each photo as well as how they should be displayed to the audience. Therefore I (Jodie) relooked at the opening credits to Kyle Cooper's Se7en as we had already looked at it in class. But this time I then focused more on the use of photography and images.



Analysis of the opening as a whole;
- The credits use a non diegetic soundtrack which which build up as the opening progresses. This would suggest it is building up to a form of climax
- Although the main sounds which are heard (such as the scratching of a record) are irregular, there is a back ground beat which graduall gets faster as more images are seen. This could present the audience heartbeat
- The opening is mostly in dark shades of black and whitte to give the opening a gothic feel however in some shot a red wash has been used. This could represent blood or death but alternatively represent the development of the photos on screen
- The opening shot of the pages of the book sugggest that a story is about to be told
- The non diegetic sound of thunder prophesies that something bad is about to happen
- Hands are often seen which makes the audience question whos they are. However the hands also seem like they are the audience's hands which makes the opening as a whole seem like it is from the audiences point of view
- There are many close up of dangerous objects such as needles, scissors and razor blades which could hint to a murder or some form of injury.
- the hands which can be seen have bandages on the fingertips. This could represnt any emotional or mental injury this person has
- Some images flash up on screen to make the audience confused about what they have just seen. ThiSs would then lead to feeling uncomfortable and scared.

Then after this I took some stills from the opening of the images used and then analysed them induvidually to get some ideas on how we can porttray the photos our group will use in our film opening.

Still 1
The use of red in this image could suggest death, murder and blood. The black contrasts well to teh red as although the image is blurred the black shadows create the image of a man's face. The use of blurred image can also make teh audience feel confused and scared. This technique could be used in our own opening as we are trying to make the audience question whats the photos on screen are of.

Still 2
It can be seen that this image is of a person lying down which hints to the possibilty of death. Also it is in black adn white which may be a Crime Investigation photo. There is also some form of liquid splattered over the image, This could be blood or water but it is unclear because it has photographed. Finally the thumb next to the image makes the audience see the picture from this person's point of view.

Still 3
There seems to be a spotlight on this image showing that it should be in focus of hte audience. Also this image is different as it looks like it has been drawn. This could be a police suspect drawing however the eyes have been scribbled out to suggest that the person who the drawing is of has been hurt or about to be. Finally the having the image in the background of hte credits is effective becasue it makes them stand out without taking theri focus away.

Still 4
As the audience is looking down on the image it makes it seem like a point of view shot from the person in the opening. Also as the picture is partly in shadow it suggests some is looking over it blocking the light.The red line down the middle of the drawing is effective becasue it stands out between the black and white shades. The drawing of the hands is intersting as it shows that hte fingers are crooked. This could suggest that they are deformed or have been broken. The detailing of the sketch shows that they are elderly male hands becasue of the wrinkles and shape.

Still 5
This photo used seems like it was taken at an old fashioned photobooth because of hte size and layout. It is effective as the subject in the picture is out of focus. In my opinion it seem that is a small child sitting down and posing. The dark background in the photo makes hte subject stand out and the black and white shades make it seem nostalgic. This image is different ot the previous as it is not to on a flat surface but it is being held by a hand which makes it feel real. This could be used in our own opening as we could have the police officer's hands picking up the photos to look at.

Over I felt looking at this opening useful as I discovered many ways i can portray images instead of just having them on screen. It also found it interesting the effect that drawn images have so i may suggest to the group looking into this. We will look back at research when decided how we are going to show our CSI photos in our film opening.