Se7en, David Fincher (1995) Mood Board - Detailed

Se7en, David Fincher (1995) Mood Board - Detailed

In the title sequence for Se7en, the titles are very effective at setting the mood of the sequence due to the fact that they are very sporadic (they appear in multiple places of the screen) and also flicker slightly which creates a suspenseful/dangerous atmosphere. The font also contributes to this, as it looks quite sketchy which combined with the flicker can make the viewer feel slightly uneasy. The titles are white, this contrasts against the black/dark background and therefore makes them stand out greatly. They also appear in multiple different sizes which makes the sequence seem quite unorganised.

The use of mise-en-scene is also very effective in portraying the mood of the sequence as a lot of the props seem quite out of place, as if they don’t fit with the sequence e.g. razor blades and other sharp objects (which are effective in creating a sense of unease) alongside harmless objects such as newspapers and books. Similar, to the sharp objects, the blood is also very effective in portraying the mood as blood is usually associated with danger. There are also many photos - which look to be of children in horrific positions. As I previously stated, the entire sequence is all quite dark which, like the blood, is associated with danger and can make the viewer feel uneasy.

There aren’t a lot of different camera techniques used in the sequence, the main/only technique used is an extreme close-up depicting what the person is doing and of the various props such as photos and newspapers. An extreme close-up would be more effective than an ordinary close-up as it allows us to see the props/objects in more detail e.g. the man’s dirty fingers which suggests he is quite uncaring of what other’s think or possibly dangerous (when other factors are taken into consideration such as the blood)

There are no voices present which makes the concept of the – possibly – even more frightening as we have no indication of his thought processes.

The music is the most effective convention as it is incredibly creepy and makes the viewer feel very uneasy due to the fact that it slowly builds up and adds more instruments each time. It becomes particularly bizarre at about a minute into the sequence.

There are only two characters present in the sequence: the boy, and the man (shown from the numerous clips of hands). The enigma effect is used as we never see the man’s face which creates a sense of mystery surrounding the character – which when combined with the props and other conventions makes him seem even more dangerous. This is especially true when the fact that the boy is only ever seen in photos is taken into account and the fact that one clip shows the boy’s face covered out with a pen.

The editing – much like the music – is very important in setting the scene as it is very fragmented; lots of things are happening at the same time which adds a sense of chaos to the sequence. It starts fairly fast paced and speeds up which also contributes to a sense of unease. The editing is mainly used to make the sequence look like an old film. The titles are shown throughout the trailer but are sometimes shown on a plain black background.

In conclusion, the entire sequence is very effective in creating a sense of unease and suspicion surrounding the unknown man which makes us fear for the child.