SE7EN (David Fincher 1995)

Camera:
The shots in the opening scene are extreme close ups, so the audience cannot see who is the person. By focussing only on the hands, it intrigues the audience to want to know who it is at work. By only showing small parts of a location such as this (Only showing one particular prop) it indicates that what the audience is looking at is important during the rest of the film. For example, we only are seeing the construction of a book, hand sown and with photos cut and stuck in. This tells us that the prop will be referred to regularly throughout the film, even if only in dialogue.
Sound:
In the clip, the main sound that is heard is a music track with percussion; scratchy sounds which are tied in with a repetitive drum beat. There are also electronic sounds and synthesizer noises. The music builds on the beat until just over half way through, it becomes louder as more sounds begin to be played. All these sounds are used to represent the picture, e.g. we see hands piecing together a book or diary and the sounds are mechanical, which grasps the audience's attention and makes them think we are in the 'hands' of an unfriendly, almost disturbing character.
Editing:
A great deal of editing is used in this opening scene: Many of the shots have been divided and superimposed at different angles to separate them and give this edgy effect. The titles of course are superimposed. The cuts are paced with the music; they have short to mid takes then very short takes when all the sound types are played straight after the other. The shots gradually get short and cut faster as the opening scene progresses.
The shots become faster in order to bring suspense and therefore tension to the audience.
Mise En Scene:
The set is shot so close up that it is almost impossible to identify where it is. This cleverly allows the audience to maintain interest throughout the long intro so that they will continue to watch.
The opening scene shows props:
photos
book
written notes
sowing needles
filmstrip.




Presented by New Line Cinema
Arnold Kopelson Production
Directed by David Fincher

Actors:
Brad Pitt
Morgan Freeman
Gwyneth Paltrow
Richard Roundtree
R.Lee.Ermey
John C.McGinley
Julie Araskog
Mark Boome Junior
John Cassini
Reginald E.Cathey
Peter Crambie
James Hawthorne
Michael Massee
Leland Orser
Richard Portnow
Richard Schiff
Pamala Tyson

Cast:
Billy Hopkins
Suzanne Smith
Kerry Borden

Music:
Howard Shore

Costume Deginer:
Michael Kaplan

Editer:
Richard Francis-Bruce

Production Designer:
Arthur Max

Photo Director:
Darius Khondji

Co Producers:
Stephen Brown
Nana Greenwald
Sanford Panitch

Co Executive Producers:
Lynn Harris
Richard Saperstein

Executive Producers:
Gianni Nunnari
Dan Kolsrud
Anne Kopelson

Written by:
Andrew Kevin Walker

Produced by Arnold Kopelson
Phyllis Carlyle

The titles are very sans serif in a handwritten style. The words jerk about and are placed mainly on one or the other side of the screen. Large letter dart across the screen to demonstrate an old style film.
The shots are very rough and the camera flickers in and between titles. The titles also flicker to a larger size and lines can be noticed across the screen. This clearly shows that the style they are aiming for is of an old early american film genre of the 1950s. However the film is set in the 1990s.