The opening scene of the film Seven Pounds establishes the drama genre through its use of color, sound, and imagery. Limited to red and white, the opening credits feature a close-up of the main character and his heavy breathing during a 911 call where he reports his own suicide. The setting of a wealthy beach house and the main character's fearful facial expressions in the mirror introduce possible themes of justice, freedom, and the character struggling with some internal fear or frustration. No other characters are shown, heightening intrigue around what brought the main character to consider suicide.

1. RESEARCH TASK 1
Drama – Seven Pounds

2. STYLE
The Film starts off with one long sound then a piano starts playing while
introducing the production company’s ‘Escape Artist’ and ‘Colombia
Pictures’ with very limited color only white and red being shown for the
titles of the production company. First video footage goes straight to a close
up of the actor emphasizing the importance of the role he will play in the
film.
The color red/white/black are used through out the opening credits a color usually seen as
quite negative. Drama consists of possible upset in the film so these are colors used to portray
That negativity in the beginning for the audience to recognize.

3. NARRATIVE AND PLOT
The scene can automatically been identified as a drama film as the opening
credits is being played a voiceover is played of the character dialing 911 and
breathing heavily, as the opening credits finish, the scenery where it is taking
place is shown, and the character on the phone in a traumatized state, as his
dialogue clearly suggests because he phones 911 to report a suicide and says
that he is the victim.
The genre is clearly shown in the
opening scene from the sounds/dialogue
and
Image shown.

4. PROPS/SIGNIFICANT OBJECTS
The arrow indicates the object which could be significant as the first image on the left is possibly
a day earlier in which he had made the phone call about his own suicide, the second image on
The right could signify his regret about the phone call and rethinking about that moment of
weakness which he seemed to be in or vice versa left image could show a day after and the right
image is when he was possibly thinking about making that phone call. Overall the phone is
significant however way you choose to look at it as it shown two or three times in the opening
minutes.

5. SETTING
The setting of the film possibly confuses the
audience because it seems to be set in a very
wealthy surrounding, shown by the beach and
big house, these features are usually seen as a
luxury and people that have these things have no
worries to be thinking about dramatic actions such as
suicide. This draws in the audience even more making
them want to know the reasons behind the phone
call in the beginning.

6. THEMES
The themes which the film could consist of is justice and
freedom. The opening has different interpretations, I see a
man drawn to the actions of suicide being pushed a bit over
the edge as he looks in the mirror, he’s facial expressions are
one of fear, but fear of what?
He seems to be afraid of something as facial
expressions seem to show a person frustrated or
Scared of something. Is it himself or somebody
Else? The theme of freedom is linked to the dialogue of
him wanting to commit suicide to possibly free himself
from that fear and justice as the phone call about that could
have been earlier but now his mind could of changed and is
now making drastic decisions in pursue of his own justice.

7. CHARACTERS
What makes this opening sequence very intriguing is that no other characters
are shown, apart from the main character of the film which makes the
audience fascinated about the opening. The actions which are not yet seen
makes the audience want to watch the rest of film as they know something
dramatic is or has taking place for him to take these actions of suicide, and
they want to know what has brought him to these drastic measures. The
character shows no emotions apart from panic as heavy breathing is heard in
the beginning and hardly any emotion apart from possible fear and anxiety
which could be seen differently to others. Others could see no emotion at all
meaning that he brought the actions on himself possible depression and the
suicide is just an excuse to free himself from the suffering that he could be
feeling.