The opening sequence of the crime thriller movie Se7en uses various film techniques to set a dark and mysterious tone. Quick cuts between blurred and distorted images leave the audience feeling unsettled and unable to understand what is happening. Intercut with the disturbing visuals are flashes of typography introducing the main characters and title in an unsteady, disjointed way. Red colors and images of violence and death further convey a sense of danger and psychological instability. The sequence aims to confuse and intrigue the viewer rather than clearly explaining the plot, creating an ominous atmosphere and foreshadowing of unknown threats.

1. MEDIA STUDIES
CRIME MOVIES’ OPENING SEQUENCES – 004
SE7EN

2. Typography of “NEW LINE CINEMA”
As the institutional company which
Produces the film
Black background and white font style of typography
Created a creepy atmosphere
Another institutional company
“Arnold Kopelson Production”
Blurred hand looks more mystery

3. A birds’ eye view of a pair of crooked hands shown in
Black and white to give a sense of something that gone
Wrong. Created an enigma code wondering why do the
Hands look like this, what happened?
The clips go quick and can barely see
What did them show to create an enigma
Code and a sense of rush.
Introducing the main character “Bred Pitt”
The typography fades in and out to create
Unstable feeling.

4. the clips jumps a lot and with
close up shot, The audience
Cannot really see what the
character is doing.
Another similar typography of introducing
Another character “Morgan Freeman”
Creates a mysterious and ghostly feelings.

5. The title “SE7EN” changed size, re-flashing in a large font style.
Ranged font style creates a sense of him being over-thinking,
He is not clear with his mind.
The clips jumps a lot and it makes
The audience feel disjointed and
Messy.

6. The pen goes into double vision and
Create an illusion(enigma code) of
Him taking pills, lack of sleeping, having
Sight problems, etc.
Typography includes actors’ names
He is being careful on cutting the films
And papers. Being tidy and neat may be
His habit in doing things. Maybe he has
OCD.
Red scene, is he dangerous?

7. He may have some religion or power issues
The untidiness of his place
Shows he does not care
About other things but focuses
On doing these things
He writes a lot, he may be a dumb person,
He records what he has done so far, etc.

8. The typography flickers
Showing that he is not stable
He has blacken some words in the readings
He may want to give some hidden meaning
Or simply express himself.
He flips his notebook a lot, maybe he is repeats in doing
The previous works.

9. He blacken a boy’s eyes and then
His face. He is expressing his anger
Through this action. He is a mad
Person and he is dangerous. He wants
To kill people himself.
Contrast colors (Red and Black and white)
which Connotes of death and danger

10. His fingers are almost all got injuries
And dirty. He does not pay much
Attention on them as he focuses on
Doing things
Red connotes danger and blood
Then it comes to a picture of a
Head with a nail stuck in the back
Anchors the previous red clip.
He may be an abnormal person, like violence, a psychopath?

11. The clips jump a lot, creates a sense of rush
The needles may be causing his fingers’ injuries
He does it fast may be he is running out of time
Or he has done this part for many times and
He is used to doing it.

12. He sews few pages of paper
Together to classify or to group
Them. Showing he is well-organized
When he is doing things which he
Thinks they are important.
The files and notes shown is a proof of
Repetition of doing these works.
When he is moving the photos around,
He never used his hands o touch them.
He respects on doing it or he avoids
Leaving finger-print on them

13. He cuts the word GOD from a money note
Which shows that he does not care about
Money or religion. As GOF the word is turned
Upside-down, he is an evil taking GOD’s
power

14. T H E E N D