Opening Sequence Sheet

Opening Sequence Conventions – Reservoir Dogs & Seven

Analysis

Reservoir Dogs

Seven

How does it engage the audience? (enigmas, clues, techniques)

It engages the audience by providing a cast of characters of which they would be able to identify as the main characters who are dressed and would appear to be partaking in crime also uses an enigma code with the person in the back of the car saying he is going to die as he is bleeding.

The opening title engages the audience by providing them with a montage of images of some of the plans that the killer is preparing to enact as well as the book of which the killer appears to be making leaving the audience curious as to what the book holds and what the killer is going to do.

How does it introduce the characters & setting?

It introduces the characters as some form of gang that take part in some criminal activities and the setting is shown as an urban area which might mean that they are local to the location they commit crimes in.

The introduction does not introduce us to the characters or the setting but rather showing us what appears to be a man who is preparing for some forms of torture and prepares some sort of book of which he appears to be creating himself with a hidden motivation at exactly 1:00 to 1:03 and 1:07 to 1:10

What technical language does it use and to what effect?   •Mise-en-scene •Camera language •Editing •Sound

The camera is used at a mid shot showing each of the gang members off indivually showing who the main characters are. I.E. at 0:25 to 0:30  Each member within the frame is shown to be wearing a suit of sorts and looking smart and formal apart from two characters within the group implying that they are somehow different or unique in some form or the other evident from 1:01 to 1:18 We do not hear any of the main characters speak until the scene when one of them is bleeding in the back of a car but instead have music in the background implying that they are off criminal nature implying that they are about to partake in crime. The sequence is edited with jump cuts between the main characters within the sequence to serve as a form of introduction to present the character to the audience as the film starts. 0:17 to 1:18

It uses a montage of events in order to show off what the killer is preparing to plan and what book they appear to be creating.  No words have been spoken keeping the killers identity a secret and instead we have music that is used to create tension from the images of the book they are making. A majority of the time on screen there are images of the book that the killer is working on or images that are showing the victims showing how much the killer cares for his book and how well he wants it to become. i.e. 0:31 to 0:35 show an example of this book. All of the shots that are close up shots of either the killers hands as they are crafting the book or of the contents of the book itself leaving people curious as to who wrote it.

What information about its production companies does it give?

The sequence provides us with the names of the actors and their characters as well as additional people that have worked on the production of the movie such as the editor and the co producer.

The sequence provides us with the name of the company and the director and multiple other names of the people who worked one the film such as Morgan Freeman and Brad Pit.

How does it introduce the themes & narrative?

It introduces the narrative as it  shows that the gang is heading  and prepare for whatever job that they are about to do.  The themes of crime and violence are shown when one of the gang members is in the back of a car and is bleeding large amounts of blood on the back seats of the car.

It introduces the narrative by identifying who the antagonist is within the case and the book that he is creating for it. It creates the theme of the violence through the collage of images of either dead victims or the means in which the killer goes about their business