Title sequences in thriller films

Se7en (1995)

"Two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi." (IMDB)

The title sequence to 'Se7en' creates an atmosphere of an almost psychotic mind, and allows for the audience to gain an insight into the character of the antagonist.

The books, paper, drawings and writings of the antagonist seem to suggest they are analysing something or someone, this could show they are a detective or police officer although the jumpy and scratchy nature of the handwriting pushes these ideas away and associates them with an antagonist. Scratchy handwriting is often associated with criminals in films as it portrays a fast pace mind that is not quite as everyone else is. The effect of using this writing and the effects of it moving around so quickly, leaves the audience aware that the character is the antagonist, although it gives the character unpredictability, a sense that anything could happen.

The use of close-up shots on the needle and thread or the careful placing of photographs onto paper, shows the antagonists attention to detail, this feature is commonly used in thriller films as it allows for the audience to feel as though the antagonist will always be one step ahead of the protagonist. By giving the characteristic of an attention to detail, the antagonist again shows the slightly psychotic mind, one that notices even small things that other do not, this again allows for the audience to feel the antagonist is unstoppable.

 The use of the two layers of film overlapping at points, such as when the hand is highlighting the text, gives the sense that it is ongoing, and that they have not stopped for a while. This creates the idea that maybe the antagonist is getting somewhere with their work, in doing this the audience feel as though the protagonist is far behind, and that they will not catch up. This overlapping also allows for the film to create confusion and distortion, by placing two or more clips into one frame, it can create the illusion of an overcrowded mind and gives a distorted atmosphere to the piece.

The use of the blade and needle also give the antagonist a bad view, in showing their hands willingly hurting themselves, without the facial expressions, the audience cannot tell whether they are doing it for fun or otherwise. Although, the smooth and steady camera shot ,and movements of the antagonist, suggest they are doing it as a normal routine and that it doesn't bother them. This goes well when presenting a psychotic mind, and clearly presents them as very different from the audience.

The drums and scratching sound effects along with the sound of a typewriter add to the clip's sense of this deranged mind, whilst the audience can see the paper, drawings and analysing's of the antagonist, the sound of the typewriter especially reiterates his psychotic characteristics and reinforces the idea of his 'over analysis', a common trait associated in films with those who may be slightly deranged. 
This feature of a slightly deranged mind will be an important feature in our opening to present the antagonist, we will be using a font similar to this one shown here- resembling handwriting- to hopefully recreate this effect. 





                       Arlington Road(1999)
"A college professor begins to suspect that his neighbour is a terrorist." (IMDB)




The title sequence for 'Arlington Road' creates a distorted and uncomfortable atmosphere and gives the audience an initial impression of what the film may hold.

Beginning with black and white angle shots of garden fences and swiftly moving to a negative shot of a neighbourhood, it establishes the film's setting of a regular house, but also keeps in the eerie nature of the film. The shots also almost look as if they have been filmed on a handheld camera, this is commonly used in thrillers, such as The Blair Witch Project, to engage the audience and make them feel as though they are in the film, the use of the effect also creates a distorted almost sickening view of the location, creating a confusing and dramatic atmosphere to the sequence.

The jumpy nature of the text reflects that in 'Se7en' presenting the idea that something is wrong, many thrillers use this and immediately tells the audience that the film is not going to run smoothly, giving a sense of urgency alongside the already stated confusion.

The use of the red background in the nest few shots contrasts the black and white negative shots previously, the colour red connotes panic and danger, this paired with the ever-changing nature of the shots gives the audience a sense of unexpectedness, and allows for them to feel uncomfortable. The red also is associated with the more obvious, blood. This may be foreshadowing events to come in the film, red is not a usual colour to be seen in houses or on streets and so it creates an eerie atmosphere and makes the audience feel that something is wrong. 

The sound in this sequence starts with voices and high sounding strings, this is another common feature in thrillers as strings can be manipulated to resemble scratching sounds. This is very effective as it puts the audience on edge, and gives the film a feel of uneasiness. These sounds continue although screams are added to the next few clips, alongside the red background again, this gives the idea of possible murder or bloodshed and sets the rest of the film up to explain this. The sound gains intensity after this, with added sound effects of an almost wind-like nature and giving the piece higher volume of sounds, this allows for the sequence to gain a sense of urgency, keeping the audiences on edge. 

The overlapping shots are used again in this sequence, with the various shots of houses overlapping whilst cyclists and people go by. These shots create distortion out of an ordinary location, in doing this the audience now change what they feel is safe, and the director can manipulate these things to make ordinary events seem frightening. This is again a very common feature in thriller films often using children or toys to create something scary.

The final shots of this sequence keep with this idea of putting something uncomfortable in a comfortable situation, the screams are heightened along with the red colour, as a woman walks through the streets, the camera starts to focus on a house and uses low-key lighting and shadows to portray an eerie atmosphere. The camera also moves around as though the audience were looking around, presenting a sense of urgency and terror.

The camera flicks to a shot of some children behind a gate, and a noise of an animal growling is paired with a close-up of the child, this representation of something very ordinary being presented as something fearful again makes the audience uncomfortable and now unsuspecting of what is good or bad.