HCT: Conventions of a Horror Film Opening
Se7en (Fincher, 1995)

• The title sequence for the film 'Se7en' is 2 minutes long and uses heavy editing and sound to create a very discordant unnatural feel. A large amount of engima is created through the use of unanswered questions and peculiar processes being carried out.
• The camera techniques in this title sequence convey a very methodical, meticulous process. This is quite a conventional technique in many horror films for both protagonists and antagonists.
• In this clip sequence many close ups and extreme close ups are used to concentrate on various manual crafts. This technique also focuses on the characters hands an awful lot and we can see that they are dirty. The man cuts off the skin from his fingertips which suggests he wants to hide his identity and therefore we see him as someone who has something to hide. From this we can
• The camera focuses on a book quite a lot, this accompanied with the clip of the antagonist cutting out only the word 'God' out of a dollar bill suggests strong implications that the story to follow is biblical relations, This is quite a common convention in horror films. 

• Montage editing is used to portray the passing of time. As he turns the page of a book he is writing in you can see that pages of the book are covered in writing therefore this creates a sense that he must want to get this process done and it is very important to him.
• Throughout there is heavy editing and an extremely fast cutting rate. The different cuts are sometime to short to even take in what is being shown and therefore this gives the clip a very scratchy, jumpy feel
• Titles are mostly white against black background and sometimes are overlayed on top of the footage. They are in a font that could be handwriting and show an array of famous actors. This further creates a messy, staggered feel.
• Many of the clips are overlayed with other footage sometimes with slight fading for a transition or for showing two clips of the the process on top of each other to show the passing of time. This effect is commonly uses for methodical scenes and the passing of time, which has more of an effect in this case than a jump cut would.

• The sequence has very low amounts of colour and the only bright colour used is red. Audiences commonly associate red with blood and therefore is also a common convention in the horror genre.
• The sound track is very rhythmic and ads a military feel to the meticulous process.This creates a sense of dedication shown by the antagonist, such behaviour could represent him as mentally ill or possessed which is another generic convention in horror films.