Se7en Opening Sequence Analysis

In David Fincher's 1995 film Seven (stylised as Se7en), he needed to move away from the disaster that was Alien³, and show that he was a director to be reckoned with. Indeed, he went on to direct such titles as Fight Club, Zodiac, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and Gone Girl, all major box office hits. An important film for Fincher, then, and as we examine its opening sequence we will take a look at how he has accomplished such an iconic scene.

The sequence does not include any long shots setting the exact location or premise for the scene. This forces the viewer to think for themselves to work out where and what is going on - hence already giving the impression of a detective film. The audience is made to assume that the scene takes place in an office or a bedroom, because the close-up shots of props and furniture contain the kind of props and furniture found in these places. Furthermore, we cannot see who is writing, or turning pages, and this creates a great deal of suspense for the scene.

All of the shots in this sequence are quite dark, connoting danger, which is added to by the opening shot: a shot of a page being turned with such a shallow depth-of-field that you can hardly tell what is turning it. The shots are very low-key, further adding to the dark, mysterious and dangreous feel. The colours are mostly greyscale, giving the idea of a dark and myterious feel. The sequence is interspersed with shots of photos being developed. These shots show the red light used to develop black and white photos, again connoting danger, but also creating the feeling that the events depicted in the film are very current, just being developed (please excuse the cheesy pun).

There is almost no camera movement in this montage of events, forcing the viewer to focus on exactly what is happening. The lack of movement creates a very closed feel to the framing, furthering the mood.

Drive Opening Sequence Analysis

• Wide est. shot sets scene - downtown in an american city
• Internal car shots are close ups - building intimacy
• Very shallow DOF on man - gives idea of nothing else being important
• Pink writing and soundtrack set scene: 80s
• Rapidly changing lighting - warm then cool
• Aerial shot of spaghetti junction shows that it is very easy to get lost in this city - shows city as more of an evil
• Warmth of elevator (where other people are) vs. cool of parking lot & apartment (where other people aren't)
• Girl in red (later a main character) is introduced in passing here - she comes from the warm elevator while he comes from the cool outside. 
• Closed framing of girl as elevator door closes helps to emphasise her important role
• Closed framing in apartment helps to show how alone he is
• Cool tones emphasise this
• Shadow on the wall - shows how his lifestyle follows him around
• After the apartment we are in the car again

The Dark Knight Opening

The film opens with a wide, establishing, aerial shot of a building in a big city. Match on action with window smashing ensures that the audience follows the scene as it progresses. The high angle inside the building gives an overview of the scene, and also gives the feeling of a small room. The camera follows the robbers out of the building, then looking down, giving the idea of being a third robber, and makes the audience feel 'with' these robbers, as if they are the characters we are meant to follow in this sequence. Slowly building music creates a build-up, creating suspense and tension. There is a beat in the music, and the scene synchronously cuts to the audience's introduction to Heath Ledger's character, The Joker.

This shot is very carefully composed, giving a closed framing. The suit is very dark, silhouetting him, forcing the audience to focus on his mask and the bag. There is a buildup of music as we track into him, which then cuts back when the car pulls up. This helps the audience to know that this particular robber is important. All the while, the smooth motion of the camera shows how carefully the heist was planned, and introduces us to the style of the Joker's crimes.

In the car, one of the robbers says "I know why they call him the Joker." We then cut to one of the rooftop robbers saying "So why do they call him the Joker?" This content matching shows that all the robbers are thinking about exactly the same things. The "he wears makeup. To scare people" line creates suspense - we've seen the trailers, we know exactly who he is. This first mention of him is

Upon exiting the car and entering the building, the camera follows the robbers and uses a low angle, giving them power in the scene. Upon entering the building, the camera particularly follows Heath Ledger's character, further emphasising his importance in the film as a whole.

Inside the bank, the music begins to build, as the shotgun man shoots one of the robbers. Simultaneously, another one of the robbers is electrocuted whilst attempting to break into the bank vault; this is the proverbial 'volta' of the scene. This is where the little guy makes a comeback; or so it seems. This creates a huge moment of drama in this scene.

My Favourite Things

These are some of my favourite films & TV shows.

Films & TV Shows

• Speed
• The Harry Potter franchise, particularly Deathly Hallows Pt. II. Not so keen on part one, or Half-Blood Prince.
• Star Wars, particularly Return of the Jedi
• Doctor Who
• I admire the Bake Off, for creating drama out of something that is not very dramatic