Comparison of Se7en, One Hour Photo and The Day of the Jackal.

Date: 25/01/09

In the opening sequence of "Se7en" i like how they used long duration shots at the beginning which gives us time to try and work out what is happening. They are quickly followed by shorter ones which distract the viewer and create a flickering effect like those of an olden day film . The increased the pace and makes it more intense as we are un-able to tell what is happening. I also liked the extreme close ups of the photos and objects. There was no way of telling the relevance of each object as the shots were so short. By doing this is made us feel confused as we did not know what was going to happen next. Through out the whole thing there there is a continuous diegetic beat of a metronome which could resemble a heart beat,or time ticking away, this adds to the suspense .As the scenes progresses the beat quickens and an eerie soundtrack is put over the top. Tension is created through the short glimpses of images that we see as we cannot tell what they are. When there is a close up of the hand writing a letter a over lay is used this gives the effect of time moving forward. The way in which the scenes have been edited together creates suspense as some of them flow into each other and we begin to understand what is going on but then we are completely thrown by something that doesn't connect.

The opening sequence of " One Hour Photo " is very different as very little happens, and what does happen is obvious because of the name of the film. The camera represents the photo and the beating sounds represents time. The credits wipe in to a eerie, beating sound and then fade out to a wiping sound. It is good how there is no images and only the sound but quickly cuts into the camera which does not look like how we would expect a camera to look. When it cuts the sound of the camera is put over the beating sound which is very tense,and also each time this happens the beating sound gets faster, each cut is very fast and happens as the camera takes the photo it has just taken a photo of him which creates a shock, the use of the flash disorientates the viewer.

The older film of "The day of the Jackal" is very different from the other two as tension is not created. The scene is set by following a moped into the town and then panning across people. No tension is felt but the viewer is lead into a false sense of security because there isn't anything happening.