"The Shining" and "Se7en" opening title sequence analysis

 

Opening title sequence analysis

Pt.1: "The Shining"

 

⧐ Produced and directed by: Stanley Kubrick (co-written with Diane Johnson)

⧐ Starring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duval, Scatman Crothers, Danny Lloyd
⧐ Based on: "The Shining" by Steven King
⧐ Distributed by: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Columbia Pictures Industries Inc., EMI Films
⧐ Release date:  23.05.1980 (US) and  02.10.1980 (UK)

Prior to watching the film, only two bits of  information are required in order to realise that the masterpiece you are about to observe right now will most likely turn into a nightmare you won't be able to get rid of for the next couple of months. The poster and the knowledge that this movie is based on Steven King' s horror novel. Don't these two things already make you uncomfortable?  Well, if you are still keen on the idea of going through this risky emotional rollercoaster, let's analyse how Kubrick managed to make even the opening title sequence  macabre and heinous.

The opening title sequence starts with an establishing aerial shot of the ravishing yet savage and mighty mountain lake landscape. Accompanying image with sudden, dramatic horns, that are low-pitched and loud straight away, Kubrick creates a juxtaposition between the scenery and the sound. As the camera approaches the shallows, it rotates and stays at an angle to the surface of the water, making the audience feel dizzy and uncomfortable.

The crystal clear lake reflects the mountains like a mirror, which creates an illusion that we see the same landscape twice in the same shot and emphasises the frightening power of nature. A crossfade brings us to the next bird's eye shot, tracking the white car through a lonely, endless road, located between the forests. The sound is parallel, so as the image changes, we can hear a drone, that is used as a sound bridge. The unpleasant music, with the dissonant melodic intervals, sets the genre of the film - horror, psychological thriller. From now on the editors use cuts to guide the audience through the beautiful, hidden places  in the mountains, implying that the car's destination is isolated and far from civilisation. 

We observe the nature changing from dense forests to snowy cliffs and even though we haven't been introduced to the characters yet, we already feel nervous and worried for them, as they are approaching their solitary location. The tension enhances, when we hear a crescendo of sound effects, including muffled screaming, alarms and sonorous noises, similar to the knife blades getting sharpened. Kubrick continues to make us more and more anxious by accelerating the aerial dolly shot and overtaking the car on the road. 

This implies that whoever the driver is, he or she is not safe and the danger is almost chasing them. The sudden rolling neon aquamarine titles make the audience feel sick due to the excess movement in the shot and uncomfortable camera angles applied at the same time. They appear at the same pace as the music (larghetto tempo), that adds on to the tension of the atmosphere.

After a long, tiring and horrifying journey, we, finally, get to see what the car was approaching all this time. A gothic sombre hotel, which colour merges with the mountain at the background and implies the lack of safety and powerlessness of the characters in this place. Even after this opening title sequence, the audience can already predict something ominous is about to happen in the movie.

Pt.2 "Se7en"

 

⧐ Produced and directed by: David Fincher,  Arnold Kopelson (written by Andrew Kevin Walker)

⧐ Starring: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, John C McGinley
⧐ Distributed by: New Line Cinema
⧐ Release date:  22.09.1995 (US)

The art of filmmaking is astonishing due to the variety of ways the same emotion, atmosphere can be conveyed. In the previous opening title sequence, we were introduced to the story through long and aerial shots and were undeniably left feeling anxious and out of place. Whereas in the entry scene of "Se7en" we are about to analyse, the tension is built through the rigorously selected sequence of close-up shots, lighting and music.

We enter the fictional world of the movie by recognising the sound effect of a thunder or rather a muffled explosion, prior to seeing anything on screen. This technique applied already sets the atmosphere of obscurity and suspense. The upcoming close-up and extreme close-up shots provide the audience with an intimate perspective on what is happening and due to the fast pace of their alternation, we are able to visualise the whole scene, "connecting those small pieces of a puzzle".  Accompanied by low, steady music with occasionally appearing pleonastic sound effects of saw, screams and squeaks, the camera captures diverse unconventional items, including rusty metal instruments, film stock, violent images of torture (brain surgery sketch). Our attention is drawn to hands - both the character's and the ones depicted in the notebooks, that are in turn filled with untidy handwriting, words set extremely close together. Through these shots we are introduced to the psyche of the presumably main character, whose face is not revealed, but the evil intentions, distorted, violent thinking and instability are exposed. The low-key lighting, predominant throughout the sequence creates the chiaroscuro effect in most shots, emphasising the horror genre of the movie. Sudden images of the darkroom (with red lighting), where photographic paper is processed imply that one of the main themes of "Se7en" is violence, blood and murder. Although, most of the shots are cut together to build the continuity of the events,  some of them are overlapped (with one being more transparent than the other), which implies the duration of the character's writing process. In the very beginning we saw an empty book, which by the end is filled with notes and the editing technique applied (overlapping) expresses the passing of time and efficiently guides us through this process at a fast pace. The titles font and movement adds on to the tense ambiance of the sequence. Apart from the fact that they are uneven, flashy, jumpy and scratchy, they are also handwritten, which makes them unique and directly linked to the character's excessive note-taking in the sequence. Appearing on both fully black screen between the shots and dark spots in the clips, the titles are easily noticeable and their animation makes us feel dizzy and uneasy. 

Finally, the director emphasises the significance of religious connotations and main character's possible obsession with them through the extreme close-up shot, capturing the word "God" being cut out (from paper or maybe a bill). By this moment the music has increased its volume and the audience can clearly hear the phrase "you bring me closer to God" played in the background. It creates a dissonance: we already know the main character is violent and psychopathic, he might even be a serial killer, but this makes him sinful, which is a complete opposite to being "close to God".  Even though the audience now has a myriad of questions about the meaning of everything depicted in this opening title sequence, they are sure that "Se7en" is a horror almost certainly about violence, pain and a story about a mental murderer.

Pt.3: Comparison

On the one hand, both "Se7en" and "The Shining" opening title sequences clearly set the genre of horror and psychological thriller. Kubrick and Fincher build up the tension through suspenseful music and terrifying sound effects, affect the audience not only through the camera shots, but also through titles animation, colours and font. In both cases we are not directly introduced to the main characters, but we receive enough information to create a certain impression of them and develop primary attitude towards their image we construct in our minds. In "The Shining" we feel worried for the driver, meanwhile in "Se7en" we are aware of the evil, ominous intentions of the main character. 

(Stanley Kubrick)

(David Fincher)

On the other hand, directors use completely different techniques in order to create the identical effect. Kubrick introduces us to the story through aerial shots, various camera movements (dolly, rotation) and uncanny angles, whereas Fincher develops the narrative mostly through close-ups (and ECU), lighting and complex editing. The mise en scenes in both sequences are completely different. In "The Shining" the landscape and nature's dominance over the small car, that feels isolated, is the main focus. At the same time, in "Se7en" the attention is drawn to smaller details, like hands, notes, metal instruments, sketches and film stock, that helps us create our own perception of what is happening. 

To summarise, the emotions conveyed in both opening title sequences are identical, but the techniques used to achieve that effect vary. This shows that diverse approaches in filmmaking can still lead to the same result, if desired. In my opinion, "The Shining" and "Se7en" opening scenes were successful, as they clearly set the terrifying atmosphere, gave us an idea about the main characters and provided us with hints on the plots that are going to be developed in the movies.