Analysis of Se7en, Silence of the Lambs, We need to talk about Kevin and Black Swan

1. Analysis of Se7en
Opening
Sequence
(1995)

2. Shots Used
• Close-ups
• Fast paced, only
on screen for
short amount of
time – not even a
second. This is a
hermeneutic
code.
• Extreme close-
ups
• Zoom in/out
Lighting
• Only one
lamp used
to light the
scene, lamp
shade
makes it
dimmer,
low key
lighting

3. Sound
• White, hand
written
• Disjointed in
place -
random
• Black
background,
makes the
writing more
prominent
• Background
noises of
people talking
• Metronome
ticking every
second
• Beat heavy
tense music
very eerie
Text

4. Analysis of Silence
of the Lambs
Opening
Sequence
(1991)

5. Shots Used
• Daylight,
morning, fairly
high key
lighting even
though it is in
the woods and
appears to be
misty
Lighting
• Establishing
the setting
• Close up of
protagonist
• Action shot
of F.B.I agent
training

6. Text
• White bold writing
with a black
outlining – setting
the scene
• Right bottom
corner
• Black, capitalised,
bold with white
outlining – shows
importance
• Centre of screen
Sound
• Eerie and
ominous deep
music – non-
diegetic
• Heavy breathing
– she is exercising
• Crunching of the
leaves
underneath her
feat

7. We Need To Talk
About Kevin
Opening
Sequence
(2011)

8. Shots Used
• Birds eye view
• Panning
• Close ups, mid
shots and long
shots
• Zoom in/out
• Low angles
• This is a proairetic
code, why is the
window open?
Lighting
• Low key
lighting –
through the
window
• High key
lighting – day
light

9. Text
• White, bold
on black
background
• Short and
snappy
• Placed to
the left but
in the
middle of
screen
• Eerie and
ominous, non-
diegetic
• Shouting and
screaming very
noisy
• Silence/heavy
breathing
• Birds tweeting
• Ticking – very fast
paced
• Pills falling -
diegetic
Sound

10. Black Swan
Opening Sequence
(2010)

11. Shots Used
• Long shots,
mid shots
and close-
ups
• Panning
around the
two actors
• Low key with
only one
spotlight
used
• Shadows
created
• Reflections
created
Lighting

12. Text
• White,
capitalised,
thin but
bold on
black
background
• In the centre
of the
screen
• Piano, non-
diegetic,
classical
• Yet still
eerie and
ominous as
the actors
are dancing
to it
Sound

13. Conclusion
• They all use eerie and ominous music to
create a tense atmosphere
• Close-ups and quick cuts between shots are
often used
• Both low key and high key lighting are used,
giving different views to the audience
• White writing is used for the opening credits,
often capitalised for the title

14. Narrative Theory using Barthes Codes
• Hermeneutic – creates narrative tension the
audience need to have resolved, raising questions
for them.
• Semantic – single piece of meaning/connotation.
Extra layer of meaning added to literal meaning.
• Symbolic – made of semantic codes.
• Cultural – refers to anything in the text which
refers to an external body of knowledge.
• Proairetic – an object/character moving to create
questions for the audience.