Opening sequences Se7en

Se7en
The film se7en is all about a serial killer who kills people who have done one of the 7 sins and detectives are on a hunt to try chase the serial killer.

Straight away with this opening sequence you can tell the genre and what the film may entail. Immediately by the use of mise en scene using all of the sharp objects and weird tools and through the use colour and darkness you can tell that the film is either going to be a thriller or horror film. The quick edits going from one clip to the other and the use of fade really brings the effect of the weird scary atmosphere.  Whilst the opening sequence is playing the titles are appearing throughout with this rough drawn writing also gives the view of the genre of the film.The music throughout is building a lot of tension and it sounds like a banging or a heart beat which implies that someone may die or get hurt in the film.

Opening sequences research

Opening sequences help present the narrative and help set a plot for a film. In a lot of opening sequences they introduce the main characters, they establish the setting and genre through the use of mise en scene. This can be done by establishing shots of areas or cities.

Thriller opening sequences examples:


The Hitcher





The film Hitcher is about a young boy who escapes being killed by a hitch-hiker but then gets stalked by the hitch-hiker to then kill as he got away.

 Hitchers opening sequence starts with you automatically knowing something is not right. It starts with a young man in a dark road in the middle of nowhere smoking a cigarette in the pitch black, this follows by a pan of the car going around this long road which builds up the tension to what's going to happen. The use of darkness in this opening scene already is implying someone horrible is about to happen. There is also a thunderstorm which also can show the bad side to the film. As soon as the opening sequence starts you hear music which is very mysterious and builds up tension until the hitch-hiker gets into the car.  The credits are all coloured in red which could indicate blood and dying which also creates the audience with the idea that someone is going to die which gives away the genre of the film instantly. The first piece of dialogue in this film is when the boy opens the door and says 'my mum said never to do this' this also creates tension knowing that something is clearly going to go wrong. The hitch-hiker immediately seems strange and we can see all of his odd facial expressions due to a lot of close up shots of his face. This opening sequence really creates the feel of the genre of the film and tells the audience the basis of the film and to what can come. I think this is a good opening scene as it is very clear of the storyline and has created the tension which is needed.

Genre

Previous research on opening stalking scenes

I found a previous example of a stalking opening sequence done by pupils in a previous year. This gave me some guidance to what looks and good and what doesn't when doing a stalker film. I do not think in this opening sequence that the music fits in well enough and it does not create tension. So this has given me a lot of advice to make sure that I work really hard on creating the right music to fit in with my opening sequence. I also think that there needed to be a lot more detail of what the stalker has been doing for example having photos of her stalker and information, this could have made the opening scene more interesting. I did like the end of the opening sequence when the stalker is about to kill the girlfriend and she is holding a hammer. This opening sequence has made me think of the little details I will need to include in order to make my opening sequence storyline clear and interesting.

Previous opening scenes

1. Abduction 12 C6
I choose Abduction as my top ranking of the previous opening sequences. I think that the sound really helped create the tension throughout the opening sequence, the use of high pitched and weird tones really helped create the effect. I think the details which they used really helped the audience understand clearly what was going on. For example the details of the stalkers photos and pin board and secret camera.

2. The Deception 12 E8
I think that this was a very interesting opening sequence and it really catched my eye. The use of camera shots when the different girls were being attacked really build up the tension. The use of suspense music added to the audience being scared and feeling as if something was going to happen.

3. It swings in roundabouts 12C7
This storyline was very interesting and unusual. I think the use of editing really made the film effective, when the little girl is walking towards the house the flashes really help build the tension and feel as if she is coming at you. The editing with the girl at the park really gave the footage a look as if it was an old video which the woman was picturing in her mind.

4. Snakes and Ladders 12B2
What I  liked about this opening sequence was the contrasting shots between the girl getting read and the boy getting ready, the use of MES really helped convey the scene by the specific details of the girl putting her make up on and doing her hair. I think the use of camera angles really helped clear the storyline and worked really effectively.

5. The Slayer 12ED
 The use of specific detail really helped the audience have a clear image of what was going on in the film for example the office with the document being printed out made the story very clear.However I do think that the music did not work as it did not help build tension throughout the opening sequence.

6. Graves 12C7
I really like the narrator at the beginning of this opening sequence as it gives information out to the audience and makes the storyline more clear. However, I do think there needs to be more scenes which build more tension throughout to give more understanding to why the boy gets stabbed.

7.The Rundown 12E7
Although I think the storyline to this opening sequence is unclear I do think what worked well with this is the use of different camera angles which made the running sequence a lot more appealing to watch. I think that they could have used different music to create more tension as well.

8. Bacterium 12B6
I think what worked well with this opening scene was the specific details which they included in order for the audience to understand the genre and storyline for example the test tubes and briefcase. However, I do not really think the use of sound fitted in with the opening scene as it was mainly the same throughout and did not build enough tension.

9. Resistance 12B6
 The beginning of this is very effective and is building a lot of tension. The match on match action when the girls were talking are done very well. However, at the end of the scene there is a loss of tension and it ruins the audience from feeling scared.

10. Chroniker 12A2
I think that the storyline for this opening scene is very unclear and I was very confused when watching so this made me not understand the point of the film. I also think that they overused the split effect and could have used other ways to make the scene more interesting.

11. 1962 12E9
Throughout the film the music did not match the scene and did not build any tension as it was very flat although, the music box sound used near the end really made me feel the tension. I do think that they need to make it more interesting and use a more broad use of camera angles.

What I have learnt:
By looking at different previous students opening sequences has really made me look at what works and what doesn't. It has taught me that the music has to be perfect in order to create the right mood and scene. I have also learnt to make sure all camera shots match and are done carefully. Editing is very important to spend a lot of time on in order to create a really good opening sequence and make it effective.

Prelim Evaluation

 By doing my prelim this has helped me learn a lot about filming and the problems which may occur. The strength on my prelim sequence is the match on match action which we used when opening the door as it worked well and was done effectively. I think that when we tried to zoom in the eye to go into a coffee needs to be improved by using a camera with a better zoom as this would make the shots look a hole lot better. I think our conversation shots were ok but could have used more shots in order to make the scene a bit more interesting.  I think some of the shots would need to be redone if I was going to use for my opening sequence as there are some which jump a bit and are a bit unsteady. By doing this prelim task it has taught me a lot about filming and how you need to take a lot of shots for just one part of the scene in order to make it look real and to interest the audience. This task helped me learn a lot about editing and when doing my opening sequence I will use all of the skills I learnt in this task to help such as the transitions we can use and how one frame can really make the difference overall in the scene. We did not include any music in our prelim and you really realise how effective music is in a scene when there is none there therefore, when doing my opening sequence I am going to think very carefully about the type of music and sounds I use to help the audience to understand the scene.

Mise en scene example

Mise en scene
Mise en scene is the arrangement of scenery and the different properties which represent were the scene is set and shows were the place the shot is, these can be shown to set the mise en scene by the stage settings, props in the scene, use of colour, lighting and characters. 

This is a clip of Harry Potter and the deathly Hallows part 2. I choose this as I think it has used the mise en scene perfect to set the scene and to show the audience what exactly is happening. The movie starts by showing the warner Brows sign and is very dark with spooky music in the background which then goes into a shot of showing all of the scary creatures outside the school of hogwarts, at this point all of the colours used are greys and black which gives the impression that something very dark has happened. It then goes into a shot of a teacher who is facing towards the rest of the dark school, his facial expression is very blank and looks worried which also gives the impression of the negativity in the shot. The mise en scene through the shots of darkness, the background music and people looking worried has given the audience the impression of the negativity which is to come in the film.