S E 7 E N

C A M E R A W O R K

S H O T S

• All close ups, or extreme close ups

• No long shots—creates a sense of suspense as the viewer doesn’t know where this is taking place

• The character remains a mystery—we’re unable to see who’s doing the actions on the screen

• Key to creating a sense of enigma

• The serial killer who’s actions (the murders) can be seen, but who cannot be found

• Sets up the tone, and the plot of the film

• Right side of shot is hidden • Adds to the mystery and the tension • The viewer cannot see everything—

not omnipresent in this film

• Too close up to understand the image

• Flashes by quickly • Builds tension—we don’t know

what the item is, and what it’s for

• High contrast: light vs dark • Conventional ideals of good vs

evil • Viewer doesn’t know who’s

flipping the pages

M O V E M E N T

• Most of the shots are still

• Allows viewers to see the symbols on the screen well

• Connotes a sense of obsession, and of deliberate action

M I S E - E N - S C E N E

L I G H T I N G

• Shots aren’t well lit

• In doors—low key lighting

• Many shots with parts of the mise-en-scene hidden

• Creates a sense of tension as we cannot see the actions of the mysterious character well

• Sets up the neo-noire crime feel of the film

• Moody and oppressive lighting—associations with thriller films

Black and white low key lighting Creates shadows on the page

Shadow of a hand—looks almost he is holding a knife

Indistinct shapes in the background Accompanied by a dark, grunge colour

scheme Mystery is created through our

curiosity about what is in the background

High contrast title sequence Distressed font choice

Adds to the mood of the crime thriller genre

C O L O U R S

• A dark, grungy colour palette

• A lot of black and white colours

• Represents the polarised thinking of Doe

• Flashes of red—especially when pictures are being developed

• Red is associated with murder, passion, and danger

• Suspense is created as we see hints of the plot

• Doe is a murderer, he murders because he’s deeply passionate about the wrongs that people have committed, there are people in physical and mental danger

Red tint Red associated with blood, evil, pain

Builds tension through our associations with the colour

A blanked out face A sense of the lack of identity

We don’t know who the criminal is ‘Killing’ someone’s identity

Juxtaposition between the writing and the red colour

Tells the viewer that this writing is evil and bad

P R O P S

• Montages of several different props

• A sense of confusion—the audience cannot keep up

• Key props or ideas: books, the razor, and the obfuscation of words/knowledge

• Develops the enigma

• Audience is not sure how all of this connects together

• Are curious about the significance of these images

Cutting of the skin The razor puts us on edge as we associate

it with pain Removal of identity

‘God’ represents good—emphasises the evil of Doe’s actions

The movie is about the 7 deadly sins Doe judges people and punishes them for their sins—plays ‘God’

Blanking of knowledge Once again the idea of the loss of identity and of information Doe crossing out the parts of

society he thinks shouldn’t be there

E D I T I N G

C O N T I N U I T Y A N D PA C E

• Employs montages throughout the opening

• Usually quick flashes of several images

• The audience is unable to process all these images

• End up questioning if we have seen something or not—adds to the tension

• The use of these montages creates a very fast paced opening sequence—tension is built through these quick changes

• Adds more emphasis to longer scenes

T R A N S I T I O N S

• A variety of transitions: straight cut, crossovers, fade to black

• Straight cut: increases pace—creates a sense of disconnect

• Crossover: creates a sense of connection—the enigma is developed as we don’t understand how these images are connected

A disturbing image on the screen Flashes of these images make the

viewer feel uncomfortable

A disturbing image is superimposed on the close up actions of Doe

Emphasises the wrong that Doe is committing

We associate his actions with these grotesque images

A double image superimposition Shows an unstable mind

A double image Our morals vs Doe’s morals

S O U N D

N O N - D I E G E T I C S O U N D

• Main sound in this opening sequence

• Opens with thunderstorm sounds—creates a sense of tension because of our negative connotations of danger and oppression with thunderstorms

• Pace starts slow, but builds up with time—increases tension as our anxiety speeds up with the pace

• Increasingly uses synth music—adds to the eerie and dangerous feel of the shots