Analysis Of Opening Scenes in Crime Thriller (Seven and Fargo)

Seven (1995) starts off by introducing us to the main protagonist of the movie, played by Morgan Freeman. This immediate usage of a familiar actor cast in a major role allows people to easily get into the movie. We see him entering a home, no location is given, and the camera proceeds to follow him throughout the building. The focus on Morgan Freeman’s character allows us to identify him as the main character, relating to Propp’s character theory – however there is no villain shown here, providing intrigue and mystery which makes up the majority of the movie about to follow. The lighting is low key; the rooms are very dim with very little light entering them. This presents an idea of tension and a connotation of different negative emotions like sadness or fear. It lines up the movie as something that is not going to be happy. 

The costumes and props used allow us to infer that the characters are police officers/detectives, meaning that the place they are in must be a crime scene. This tends to the stereotypes of the crime genre. We proceed to see a dead body, that of which has been orchestrated by the antagonist of the film that has not yet been introduced, which plays with the conventions of a thriller, as we have not been given all of the details at the start of the film. The scene then goes outside, where we are introduced to the sidekick archetype of character, played by Brad Pitt. Both characters are now standing in the rain, the camera focused on them from a low angle. The use of weather, in a way of pathetic fallacy, allows us to tell that the characters are feeling down after what they have just witnessed. 

The use of a low angle again supports Propp’s character theory as we can clearly see these characters are going to play an important part of the movie as the director has explicitly chosen to portray them as powerful by using a lower angle. Throughout the scene there is no non-diegetic sound, instead all of the audio is focused on the character’s dialogue, allowing the audience to be introduced to them from the start of the film. The lighting in this scene is more high key, due to them being outside, but is contrasted by the weather and the scene that just followed. This contrast reflects how the movie is going to be very morally grey, with quick and simple switches between light and dark situations (both mentally and physically). This movie, much alike many thrillers, does not start with an equilibrium, according to Todorov’s Theory, but instead begins with the disruption that must be resolved, in this case through the solving of the first murder.

The opening scene of Fargo (1996), seems to start with an equilibrium, unlike Seven. It begins with an establishing shot, that begins blurred, of a car driving down a snowy road. Before the car is made clear, we cannot tell what it is in the distance. This clever use of camera techniques provides a sense of mystery and tension as we are not sure what is coming towards us as an audience. The non-diegetic backing track is calmed but still ominous and is almost reminiscent of mournful music. Then a large drum beat kicks in as the car crosses over the horizon of the scene, informing us that we need to be paying attention to what is occurring. The use of different shots after the title of the film has been shown allows the viewer to tell different things about the car and its destination, for example we see road signs, suggesting that the car is heading towards civilisation. Then it cuts to a shot from behind the car, showing that there is a large road ahead of them. This is symbolic of the long road ahead that the viewer has, as this is only the start of the movie. The lighting here is high key, as they are outside, making the audience feel as though at this current moment there is nothing wrong happening. The text used throughout this opening scene, especially the title of the movie, is white – connoting the idea of innocence. The whole way in which the scene is laid out, from its very simplistic nature to the way it uses colour to suggest innocence and the lack of trouble, creates an equilibrium at the start of the movie, applying Todorov’s theory perfectly. This equilibrium makes the soon to come disruption more shocking to the viewer.