Se7en is classed as a crime thriller as the plot revolves around murder and the police’s chase of the killer who as in true thriller fashion remains anonymous as the killer refers to himself as John Doe a name for unidentified people in both law and medical professions. This is also shown by Kevin Spacey’s refusal to participate in having his name as the first actor on the opening credits as he wanted to keep the theme of the killer’s anonymousness running up until he hands himself into the police. The opening credits alert the audience to the dark messages running throughout the film as it uses black and white in many of the shots to enhance the idea of good and evil, the use of red also provokes the audience to think that there will be blood and death. The setting is mainly dark which creates tension within the audience as does the slightly twisted montage of clips throughout the opening credits hinting to the audience that this is the deranged way the killer sees the world.
The narrative structure of both films are very different as Red Eyes opening two minutes introduces the audience to the main protagonist within the first 15 seconds in the form of a graduation picture which shows that not only is she pretty but she is also very smart, the presence of an action photo of her in the midst of a game of hockey also tells the audience that she can handle herself in times of trouble. The opening plants many seeds of question into the audiences mind, why is the girl in the photos important? What is in the large grey box that is being hidden inside a crate of fish? Why is Florida significant? Why was JR’s wallet stolen and who is he?
State of Play however keeps the audience guessing for longer than the opening two minutes as the first character the audience sees is a man running away from someone or something and trying his hardest to put as much distance between the two as possible whether that means he endangers himself or not. The image of him being shot followed by a passing delivery man poses the question in the audiences mind, did the first victim see something he shouldn’t have and if so what was it?
Both films camerawork uses many of the usual techniques mainly pans and tilts to follow characters movements and extreme close-ups to create tension and a nervous atmosphere within the audience.
The editing of both films starts off quite slow throughout the opening sequence but in the case of both films the editing gets quicker as the sequence progresses with the aid of background music in both and a gripping chase scene in State of Play although the styles and purpose of the editing in both films is very different as in Red Eye the audience sees many different snippets of three different sequences whereas in State of Play it is the same storyline the audience is shown so it is easier for them to follow it.
The graphics and audio are very well though out in both films as they portray the narrative, setting and make the audience sense the atmosphere in the sequence being played out before them, for example in State of Play the sound of a helicopter is heard followed by that of sirens and later rain and thunder this would cause the audience to subconsciously pick up on the grim setting of the back alleys the character runs down and sense that all is not going to end well. The opening titles in Red Eye shows a black background with the titles in white getting smaller this shows that there will be a conflict between good and evil where it seems that the good will not prevail.
State of Play however keeps the audience guessing for longer than the opening two minutes as the first character the audience sees is a man running away from someone or something and trying his hardest to put as much distance between the two as possible whether that means he endangers himself or not. The image of him being shot followed by a passing delivery man poses the question in the audiences mind, did the first victim see something he shouldn’t have and if so what was it?
Both films camerawork uses many of the usual techniques mainly pans and tilts to follow characters movements and extreme close-ups to create tension and a nervous atmosphere within the audience.
The editing of both films starts off quite slow throughout the opening sequence but in the case of both films the editing gets quicker as the sequence progresses with the aid of background music in both and a gripping chase scene in State of Play although the styles and purpose of the editing in both films is very different as in Red Eye the audience sees many different snippets of three different sequences whereas in State of Play it is the same storyline the audience is shown so it is easier for them to follow it.
The graphics and audio are very well though out in both films as they portray the narrative, setting and make the audience sense the atmosphere in the sequence being played out before them, for example in State of Play the sound of a helicopter is heard followed by that of sirens and later rain and thunder this would cause the audience to subconsciously pick up on the grim setting of the back alleys the character runs down and sense that all is not going to end well. The opening titles in Red Eye shows a black background with the titles in white getting smaller this shows that there will be a conflict between good and evil where it seems that the good will not prevail.
The narrative of the opening of Memento is fairly dificult to understand, as one of the main traits of the film is that the story runs in two strands that constantly intertwine, one being shown in black and white and the other in techicolour, the story runs from finish to start, so the audience sees the main character shooting an unidentified person in the head in slow motion and in reverse, to the point of even the pulling of the trigger is reversed.
The codes and conventions of thrillers in the opening sequence are those of mystery and confuion as the first image the audience sees is a polaroid photograph of a man who has been stot in the head with a blood splatered wall behind him. The audience know nothing of the man or his killers motives.
The close ups of various objects in the room cause concern to the audience as they see the bullets move in slow motion back through the victim and out back into the gun. The close up of the victim lying on the floor being turned upside down with blood running up the walls would confuse the audience as they are being led to believe that up is down and down is up in this confusing and backwards sequence and they would sense that because things are so messed up that wrong is right in the eyes of this killer.
The music used at the begining of this sequence is that of violins that build up to a cresendo much like the situation of a killer debating if they should pull the trigger or not and then eventually pulling it and ending their victims life.
The codes and conventions of thrillers in the opening sequence are those of mystery and confuion as the first image the audience sees is a polaroid photograph of a man who has been stot in the head with a blood splatered wall behind him. The audience know nothing of the man or his killers motives.
The close ups of various objects in the room cause concern to the audience as they see the bullets move in slow motion back through the victim and out back into the gun. The close up of the victim lying on the floor being turned upside down with blood running up the walls would confuse the audience as they are being led to believe that up is down and down is up in this confusing and backwards sequence and they would sense that because things are so messed up that wrong is right in the eyes of this killer.
The music used at the begining of this sequence is that of violins that build up to a cresendo much like the situation of a killer debating if they should pull the trigger or not and then eventually pulling it and ending their victims life.
On first impressions Silence of the lambs has a very boring opening scene however on closer inspection I can see that small details of the opening give hints to the narrative of the story such as nailed to a tree on the assault course are 4 wooden boards saying "HURT" "AGONY" "PAIN" "LOVE IT" this hints to the audience that the films female lead Clarice Starling will have to overcome the obstacles and hardships in her way if she is to complete her assignment much like having to overcome the physical pain and exhaustion felt whilst in the midst of an assualt course.
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