Getting Inspiration

Following my teacher's feedback on my first script concept for my opening sequence, I decided to take a different approach and was inspired to write an entirely new script.

I decided to explore the genre of crime for my film's opening sequence. This could be because I've always enjoyed crime and mystery films and TV shows like Castle, The Mentalist, and Sherlock. I also thought it would be a good idea to have an opening sequence with a mystery theme to keep the viewer guessing and persuade them to keep watching the movie because they are now invested in the story and want to find out "whodunnit."

So, in order to research and learn more about this genre, I decided to write an analysis of the opening sequence of Se7en, a well-known crime thriller film. The plot follows retiring police Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) as he takes on a final case with the help of newly transferred David Mills (Brad Pitt), and they discover a number of elaborate and grisly murders. They quickly realize they are dealing with a serial killer (Kevin Spacey) who is hunting down people who he believes represent one of the seven deadly sins. (https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/seven)

I chose to analyze the film's first two minutes because the opening scene is roughly that long. The film begins with Detective William Somerset getting ready for his work day in a medium shot. The opening scene is very dark and ominous, as is typical of crime films. The set design hints at a meticulous and orderly personality. The chess set represents his strategic prowess; he enjoys keeping his mind sharp. Everything is neatly lined up and in its place when he begins to pick up his accessories.

The scene is edited to concentrate the audience's attention on the detective. POV and over-the-shoulder shots are employed to manipulate the audience's level of identification with the character. All evidence points to him living alone and living a simple life centered on his work as a detective. A lot of effort has gone into introducing this character to the audience in depth; in just a few seconds, we have a general idea of the detective's personality.

The body receives little attention and is only shown for a few seconds from a high angle, implying the victim's lack of power. There is no background music in this scene; the only sound is the diegetic background effects of Somerset's urban environment. There are people shouting, dogs barking, and traffic noises. These are noises that are typically heard in the morning, so there is also a rough indication of the time of day.

By watching this film, I learned a lot about the genre and was inspired to create a new version of my sequence.

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