Research Task 3: Analysis of Thriller Opening Title Sequences

OPENING TITLE SEQUENCES

SEVENSeven is a psychological/Crime thriller released in 1995 and directed by David Fincher. The opening title sequence of the film “se7en” is considered one of the best opening title sequences of all time. The opening title sequences uses many different techniques to build features of the character or characters in the film. The music is dark, this provides an eerie atmosphere, this suggests that the character in the opening title sequence is the “villain”. In the sequence we see the hands of a person doing such things as sewing a book together and peeling his skin of with a razor blade, we also see the opening credits is a font that looks as though it has been scratched. This suggests that the character in some sense insane. The character also cuts film implying a “stalker” aspect. All the shots are very close up so we can not see the character in full, this adds mystery to the film from the begging.

EXPERIMENTThe 2010 Thriller ‘The Experiment’ was directed by Paul Sheuring . Its opening title sequence consists of multiple video clips of animals fighting or being killed. The clips of the things fighting progress in a food chain style, starting with bacteria then insects continuing through all different animals like zebras and hippos to humans fighting. This implies humans animalistic instinct which is one of the main themes of the film. The cuts between the clips gradually become more jumpy and the clips become shorter this is done to makes the sequence seem distressing and confusing. The credits themselves show in a white text on a black screen between clips to begin with but start showing up on the clips, this adds to the distressing and confusing effect. The music is very dark and the sound of the animals fighting can also be heard this is done to help create atmosphere.

THE

MISERY• ‘Misery’ the 1990 thriller directed by Rob Reiner, much like the opening title

sequence fro ‘Seven’ Misery’s sequence also focuses on character. It begins with a black screen with red text. Then the sequence fades to black and there is a soundbridge of the next shot which is a typewriter, it begins as a non-diagetic sound and becomes the sound of the typewriter. We see a cigarette and a match in focus and out of focus in the background we see a person at a typewriter. Then we see the same focus technique but with a Champaign class and then a bottle of Champaign. The next shot is a close up of the typewriter being used, there is an element of mystery as we are yet to see the person using the typewriter. The man then takes the paper out and looks at it, as we his face reviewing his work a not-diagetic sound of piano is heard. We then see him write “the end” of a piece of work labelled “UNTITLED by Paul Sheldon” we are given the characters name but the element of mystery is still there as we do not know what the work is. He then opens the Champaign and Smokes a cigarette to celebrate finishing his work, this gives us an indication of Paul Sheldon's character being a somewhat lonely man who celebrates on his own with a bottle of Champaign and a cigarette.