Compare the opening sequence credits of these films: 'Se7en' and 'Psycho'

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Compare the opening sequence credits of these films: ‘Se7en’ and ‘Psycho’

          Cinema has been a part and parcel of our life. We have been entertained by the movies all our life. It is a great means to distress a person and get away from the real world into the reel world. The children of this generation are all professional movie goers. Then there is also the piracy of movies on the internet. But even as this prevails, nothing beats the sheer excitement of being in a cinema with the huge screen in front of you and the Dolby sound surrounding you.

    The opening credits sequence is an important part of the movie as it is the first thing the audience will see to prepare them for the story lines that will face them. It informs the audience of the whole crew involved in making the movie, like the makers, director, actors, producers etc. It creates the appropriate atmosphere for the audience and also builds up tension. Furthermore, it also gives the audience a glimpse of the genre and the events of the movie.

     This essay compares the opening sequence credits of two very popular movies: Psych’ and Se7en. These two movies were of the same genre i.e. a thriller, a murder mystery. There are similarities and differences in both the credits sequences in terms of music, credits, images and the colour/light used.

   The film Psycho was made in 1960 and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, who was famous at the time for psychological thrillers. The film Seven was made in 1995 and was directed by David Fincher. Psycho was a start to many a things. It had the first visual scene of murder. It also had effective music and graphics used. It was a major influence to a number of movies in the later years, and this is where Seven comes in. Although Seven has a different storyline, it is of the same genre and there are traces of the earlier released Psycho. In Psycho, there is no opening scene, whereas it is present in Seven. This is the key difference in both the movies. Comparison can also be drawn between both the films in terms of music used, credits, images and the colour/light used.

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             The music in both movies create tension and excitement but in different ways. In Psycho, there is the use of staccato strings. The short, jerky sounds reflect emotions. It can also be interpreted as the stabbing of a person by a knife. As the credits proceed, softer harmonious music is played. The music goes hand in hand with the moving lines throughout the sequence. In stark contrast to that is the music used in Seven. There is the harsh, industrial, metallic sounding beat. There is little melody or harmony. The music is loud ...

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