The opening credits for "Seven" and "American Horror Story" were actually created by the same person and the same team: Kyle Cooper and the company Prologue. This may be the explanation for why both openings look similar.
The mise en scene in "Seven" is all related- the colours are dark and grungy and the props are all semantically related (criminal-related). This is similar in "American Horror Story's" title sequence. The colours in the "American Horror Story" title sequence are dark, gloomy or cold. The mise en scene then becomes engulfed in flames (such as the baby picture) which foreshadows what happens to Larry and his family (burnt alive). The flames may also reflect the danger of the Murder House due to the fact that since it was built countless people have died in it. Also, "American Horror Story's" props are all semantically related to each other and to the season. Each prop in the opening is relevant and symbolic of what happens in the season. For example, in "American Horror Story: Coven" the burning witch foreshadows Myrtle Snow's burning at the stake and the nun rape scene foreshadows Sister Mary Eunice raping the Monsignor.
The sound in both opening title's is very similar. Both the sounds are cryptic and irregular due to the crackles. The sound creates a tone of menace and abnormality which is the exact tone they are trying to convey as "Seven" has a very creepy character in the opening title sequence and "American Horror Story's" twisted and warped plot. The sound is essential for both "Seven" and "American Horror Story's" as they both need to inform the viewer of their genre. The sound also indicates hidden danger in every day life which is "American Horror Story's" main theme. The sound, when paired with the images, portrays the props as menacing. When the baby pictures are paired with the ominous sounds they become demonic and unsettling as the sounds are associated with the paranormal (such as the crackling).
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| Figure 1 |
The editing in "Seven" is very effective. It uses over 90 different shots which cut at random points to create a sense of uncertainty. The font that is chosen is handwritten and cryptic due to the sharp edges. This may be foreshadows the danger the mysterious character is creating. This is similar to "American Horror Story's" opening as the font can foreshadow a character's death. For example, in "American Horror Story: Coven" Lily Rabe's name disintegrates which may foreshadow her character's death, shown in figure 1.(her character, Misty Day, disintegrates into ash when she died). "Seven" also used an old technique of editing (cutting the film strip) which caused an overlay effect of flashes and lines of white blinking over scenes. This is similar to "American Horror Story" as it also uses flashes over the scenes to create a "found footage" feel. This allows the viewer to become suspicious and wary of the various scenes and cause the viewer to fear for character's lives.
What ideas or techniques could you take from this to inform the planning of your own thriller opening
What ideas or techniques could you take from this to inform the planning of your own thriller opening
The sound of "Seven's" opening switches between loud and soft which presented the film as ever changing. The varying sound could be used in my opening to either foreshadow the film's events or a character's personality.
The editing used in "American Horror Story's" opening is very effective when coming to fonts. For example: "American Horror Story: Coven" used fonts to foreshadow death. The fonts flashed and disintegrated on and off the shot and the names appeared against a slowly moving background where the name is visible.
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