Seven (Se7en) opening sequence

Se7en is a film directed by David Fincher. It is a Police Drama thriller and stars Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt and Gwyneth Paltrow. It isn't one of my favourites, but it's a classic thriller. The opening to this film is quite scary and promotes a sense of horror.

The opening 2 minutes of Se7en are extremely eerie. It shows different pieces of crime scene evidence, things that aren't for the light hearted. It definitely sets a mood for the film, it isn't going to be a happy film for sure! The tension is high and the mood is low. The non-diegetic music and the editing is very Gothic. The font used is very creepy. Alot of sharp objects such as blades and scissors are used in a non-violent way, this also creates tension and makes the audience wary of the film's forthcoming events. I think the opening is giving us clues for the film. We are shown the word 'God' cut out of a dollar note, so maybe God is distant in the movie and evil is about. The reds aren't actually blood, but that's what we think about.

The opening is very clever as nothing violent or scary is actually shown on screen, it's just that we associate red with blood and sharp objects such as scissors and blades with violence. Of course the music helps that. Maybe if you put the soundtrack from this clip over Airplane!, that may also become scary. Music is a very powerful convention.

Image source: Howardshore.com

Leon opening sequence.

Leon is my favourite thriller. I can't get my hands on the DVD - it isn't for sale anymore in shops and my VHS is broken. So I have had to get what I can off the internet. It stars Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman and Danny Aiello. This is also a Crime-thriller.

The opening to this film is amazing - as is the rest. It is simple, but effective. The only version I could get my hands on was from http://www.metacafe.com/, and has no sound whatsoever. There are two main camera shots, both very long. The first is probably taken from a helicopter, it is an aerial shot. The camera usage is very clever, it goes across the trees and towards New York city. Straight away we get an establishing shot. It's almost like a point of view shot of a bird or of a fly, flying through the air towards something. The camera travels a fair distance into New York, into Little Italy and straight through the entrance of a restaurant. There are then 19 close up shots. A conversation between Jean Reno and Danny Aiello. The camera shows eye contact through shot reverse shots, close ups of cigarettes, a photograph and Reno's drink (milk). This shows that they are talking quietly, they wouldn't exactly be shouting at each other.

I think we recognise what is happening straight away.

1. Quiet Italian restaurant in Little Italy
2. Secluded area with two people talking
3. Both are very serious
4. Man in dark sunglasses and black clothing (hitman)
5. Hitman being shown a picture of an overweight businessman
   
   

It all adds up and show every convention I need to know what's happening. All in a matter a 3 minutes.

Image source: bloviatrix.wordpress.com

Heat opening sequence

Heat is a another Crime-thriller, maybe my favourite type of thriller. It was directed by Michael Mann and stars Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight and Tom Sizemore. I chose this as I love the beginning, it is one of my favourite films. This film takes much longer than the other films to pick up the genre.

The film starts off with a train at night, the train is not at all threatening and the music is quite harmonious, so we can sit back on our seat, at least for now. When the train goes past you can just read 'Los Angeles' on the back. Robert De Niro departs the train at the station and leaves down the escalator. He enters a hospital in what looks to be a doctor's uniform, or at least a paramedic's uniform. De Niro gets into an ambulance and it cuts to Val Kilmer buying things from a warehouse. The camera then cuts to Al Pacino in wife with his bed, the director seems to be introducing all the main characters doing their own day-to-day things. Or maybe just showing off his amazing cast. The camera then cuts to two more characters in an artic lorry. Over 7 minutes have passed and nothing much has happened by now. No typical thriller conventions or noticeable stereotypical behaviour. Things finally start to materialise when we see De Niro again, he's talking on a walkie talie to the others. Non-diegetic music is now added to add excitement. About 11 minutes in all the characters in their different vehicles put hockey masks on and we finally know what's about to happen.

Image source: jnpp.ee

The Departed opening sequence.

The Departed is a crime thriller, it follows the lives of criminals. It was directed by Martin Scorsese and starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Kevin Corrigan, Alec Baldwin, Kevin Corrigan and many more top Hollywood stars. I chose this film as it stars Jack Nicholson, who is my favourite actor.

I will analyse the opening 3 minutes.

It starts of with the words 'BOSTON Some years ago'. It shows a clip of riots from the past, the video is grainy and is presumably real footage. Jack Nicholson narrates while clips are shown, he talks about the knights of columbus. 'Gimme shelter by The Rolling Stones' starts to play (non-diegetic). It isn't played very loudly, because then we wouldn't be able to hear Jack Nicholson. The song shows the era. The clip ends and shows Jack Nicholson walking, we know that we are not looking into the past anymore as there are no grainy effects. He is walking in the shadows, very mysterious and cool. His slow walk is shown, the camera takes a POV shot of Nicholson walking into a cafe. By now the audience know that the film is in USA, by the vehicles and buildings. The non-diegitic music becomes louder and shows an over the shoulder shot of Jack being handed money from the shop owner. The amount of money given gives a clue of Nicholson being a gangster/criminal. The customers and workers seem nervous around Nicholson, everything he says is agreed with. Nicholson buys a boy next to him lots of groceries and offers him work so he can earn some extra money. Nicholson knows the child's family, this shows that Jack is a popular figure around town, that he knows everybody and everybody knows him.

From these three minutes I learnt that Jack Nicholson is a rich business man, I'd guess that he is a criminal, but that hasn't been confirmed. The mise en scene and props show that the beginning is set in the 1970s, through music, buildings, fashion and vehicles.

Image sources:


student.gsu.ed
impawards.com

Task 2: Research into existing prodcuts

Image sources:
alpacinofanclub.com

azcentral.com

azcentral.corevenantmagazine.com

Conventions in film:

• Lighting


• Body codes


• Sounds


• Representations


• Genres


• Camera angles
  
• Mise En Scene
  
• Stereotypes
  

The three genres that we are interested in are romantic comedy (rom-com), thriller and horror, like the three films above. We have learnt about how films are produced in a way that help the audience understand the genre. For example, in a horror, such as 'the hills have eyes', the opening sequence suggests a sense of solidarity through sound, camera and mise en scene.

I have decided to choose thriller for my opening sequence. Thriller is my favourite genre, other than war. I will analyse three different thriller openings (Heat, Se7en, The Departed & Leon: The professional)

Here are 8 sub-genres, they are the most typical types of thriller.

1. Action-thriller. The most common thriller. These films often have elements of mystery and crime. A hero saving the day. For example, James Bond.


2. Disaster thriller. Conflict because of a natural disaster, such as earthquakes and volcano eruptions. For example, The Day After Tomorrow.


3. Spy-thriller. Usually contains one main character finding the plot behind an evil business man or public enemy. Usually not too violent. For example, Mission Impossible.


4. Crime-thriller. These films usually follow the criminals rather than the police. These films will almost always contain violence, drugs and bad language. For example, Inside Man.


5. Conspiracy-thriller. A hero usually confronts enemies of his own for personal reasons. For example, Capricorn One.
   
6. Psychological-thriller. Rather than overcoming problems with weapons and violence, the main character uses mental attributes and emotion. For example, Strangers on a Train.
   
7. Science Fiction-thriller. Usually based on Crime-thriller or Action-thriller with added science fiction. For example, Blade Runner.
   
8. Legal-thriller. A highly boring sub-genre (my opinion), it is usually based in and around a court. A case is usually solved through clues found throughout the movie. For example, The Innocent Man.
   
   Thrillers are made to 'thrill audiences', to create apprehension and excitement. They are associated with weaponry and police. Actors like De Niro and Al Pacino are well known thriller actors.