Se7en Opening

The Aural and Visual language helped me gain an insight into the genre of the film. The dull colours used symbolises horror and thriller as no bright colours were used. The tension is built through the music track being played in the background as it becomes louder in some parts of the opening scene. The music puts you on edge and makes you feel nervous as it is quite creepy and daunting. The track ends with a non diegetic sound stating "You bring me closer to God". This connotes that the person could be religious or spiritual. The person seems to be creating some sort of book, this suggests his life. There is an extreme close up shot of the person's hand turning the pages in the book. The person's fingers have plasters on them, this could be from where he razored some of his skin off.

Throughout the beginning of the film, there are lots of flashing scenes. These consist of a number of images which are eerie and creepy. For example, somebody sowing and somebody shaving their finger with a razor blade. This could symbolise his mental, physiological state and that he could be troubled. The instruments used are very small, precise, sharp and dangerous. The person who is sowing is taking their time with it and is being very cautious. The focus of the image is on the person's fingers and this remains the same throughout the beginning of the film. The image is an extreme close up shot which gives the viewers a lot of detail and
insight into what the person is doing.

This non verbal image demonstrates someones eyes crossed out. A few moments later the whole face gets scribbled out. This communicates death and that somebody could be targeted. It also suggests hatred, vengeance and torture. The focus is on the man's face as the background is completly black. The image is a close up of the person's face. This is affective as it links to the genre's thriller and horror. The subjects relative size changes the audience's response to the image. I was quite scared and freaked out by this shot and was intrigued to what was going to happen next.
Red light is used on some of the images. The colour red reprents blood, danger and violence. This links with the genre I assume the film is; horror and thriller.

by Lauren