Thriller Research Task

SE7EN

The introductory sequence to the thriller "Se7en" (1995, David Fincher) [1] is largely effective in creating a tense atmosphere and raising questions right from the beginning of the scene.

Sound

Sound plays an effect, albeit small part in helping to create tension and a dark atmosphere during the opening sequence of "Se7en" The steady beat of the ticker evolves into a deep drum sound, which develops gradually into a heartbeat, and helps the film (and the audience) create a sense of pace, like the intro is building up towards a climax. This, combined with sounds of muffled shouts and visual cues such as distorted video, all help create a dark atmosphere during the opening sequence of "Se7en".

Editing
The introductory scene for Se7en uses editing successfully to create a tense atmosphere. The director uses fast cuts shots of the killer's hands and photographs of people's faces, being scratched out. The fast cuts between these disturbing images creates excitement and mystery for the audience, as they are wondering who these people are, and why they are being scratched out. The fast cuts creates a good pacing for the scene, which is in time with the ticker.

Mise-en-Scene
Mise-en-Scene plays a smaller role in creating a tense atmosphere during the intro scene. Short cuts of the murder's hands are shown during the scene, during which time they are seen scratching out faces on images of people, and using a knife to remove his fingerprints. This is a largely disturbing part of the scene, as you can instantly tell this person is not a friendly character in the plot, and being in the 'presence' of a villain increases the levels of tension dramatically, as you are unable to predict what will happen next.

Camerawork
Camerawork is used effectivly in this scene to help create a tense atmosphere. At one point, you see an image of a head, with the eyes being scratched out. The next shot we see is the same face but entirely scratched out. The face is highlighted in a clear circle, surrounded by darkness. The highlighting of the face, and the scratching out, simply hints that the person in the head shot has been killed, or 'scratched out'. The darkness around the image could be representing death, and death is surrounding the man in the picture. The scratching out of the face could be hinting that the man's life is being scratched out. The darkness around the image also helps to create a sense of mystery.

THE DARK KNIGHT

The introductory scene to the comic book thriller "The Dark Knight" (Christopher Nolan, 2008)  [2] uses various techniques to create a tense atmosphere.

Sound


[1] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114369/
[2] http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/