Timeline on the opening of the film Se7en

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEZK7mJoPLY

Lighting:

(0-6 seconds)

The first shot you see in the opening titles of se7en has high key lighting in the background. But in the foreground the lighting is low key. I get the impression there is a window in the background with the object (book) resulting to the foreground being low key. There is a brown tint to the lighting almost like a mild sepia affect was used.

(8-11 seconds)

The next shot we see is very low key in places particularly near the edges of the shot. There is a use of shadows as well emphasising movement.

(11-13)

It then continues to another shot with similar lighting to the first scene, fairly natural although the camera angle is of a close up of objects moving so the lighting in the location is difficult to see, but you get the sense that the lighting is high key enabling the audience to see the objects.

(14-17 seconds)

Yet again the lighting is high key but not too bright with a similar tint as previously used, and the same affect with a window possibly being in the background. The colours are very neutral in this shot.

(19-23) 
there is very fast camera work again and it switches between high and low key lighting fast. It starts with high key lighting with a slight blue tint emphasising the water in the shot. Then it flashes to low key lighting with dark grey tinting. Then quickly back to high key again but still not very bright.

(25-30)

start of high key lighting then a shadow appears diagonally across the page. Then at 30 seconds in the lighting is very low key, you can only see the silhouette of the person in the scene.

(32-38)

high key lighting, projected onto the page of writing maybe a reading lamp although it still looks like natural daylight. Then at 36 seconds the lighting is low key but with a vibrant red tint.

(39-50)

the lighting is similar throughout this section of the opening titles, natural daylight with yellow glow tints.

(51-53)

Then the lighting is very high key when the pages of the book are being turned like a light is behind them casting a hand shadow through the page.

(1.00-1:01)

the lighting is bright again and creating more shadows from objects like the pen the actor is writing with.

(1.03-1.03)

The first scene is repeated of the book.

(1:10-1.14)

Here the lighting is low key apart from a circle of high key light surrounding a image of a man. It then flashes up a red light covering the frame.

(1:16-1:19)

there is a red light, I can see this is the light they use is a dark room (photo room) when developing a photo.

(1.19- 1.30)

The lighting is all day light affect with neutral tints.

(1.30-1.31)

The light flashes red tint again.

(1.31- 1.43)

the lighting is similar again (high key).

(1.44-1.45)

the lighting then goes back to a very low key with lighter areas where shadows are moving at fast speed revealing some light.

(1:47-2.03)

lighting goes back to natural glow high key but not bright until end of opening titles.

(As the titles appeared there were flashes of very high key lights, appearing at high speed and vanishing within in seconds almost like a camera flash.)

Camera Work:

0-6 seconds

Close up shot of book pages. Facing onwards on to the book.

8-12 seconds

Aerial shot showing drawings of hands.

12-13 seconds

extreme close up of hands turning a bolt

extreme close up of metal objects.

15-17 seconds
extreme close up of hands holding a scalpel. 
20-21
close up aerial shot of a piece of paper in water.
21-21
fast aerial camera angle of a photo of a man. 
21-23 
Aerial camera angle showing liquid with red tinting maybe used as blood 
25-31
POV (point of view)  shot/aerial angle looking down on to a hand moving a lid off a box.
27-29
aerial shot of hand opening the box and looking in.
29-30
Face on view mid close up onto someone's hands flicking pages of a book.
31-35 seconds
Side angle mid close up of pen writing on paper
36-36
extreme close up on hand writing
36-38
aerial shot of photo.

The camera work in the opening shows a variety of different angles, from high crane shots, point of view shots, low angle shots, and face on. As you can see the beginning (not finished)

Setting and Props:

(0-6 seconds)

The prop is a book that appears to be quite old and looks mistreated; the pages look damaged and frail. They also look discolored possibly from the sun causing them to appear faded. The setting is hard to see, the camera shot is a close up of the prop that is positioned in the centre of the page. Although there is a high key light in the background that makes me think there is a window creating the book to almost have a silhouette but the light wasn’t strong enough to create it to have a black outline. The book is also lying on top of something I’m guessing a desk.

(7-11 seconds)

The next prop is a detailed drawing of hands on lined graph paper. The main focus is on the drawing so we are not able to see the surroundings but again it looks like its placed on top of another object maybe a table or desk.

(12- 13)

Here we can’t see the surroundings, as it’s an extreme close up. The prop is a metal bolt like object that looks dirty. The shot continues and we see more mechanical objects twisting and turning up close, the setting still not visible.

(16-18)

It flicks quickly to another scene the prop used; a sharp scalpel. Here we see how the scalpel is cutting through the tip of a finger.

(19-23)

Here we can see a pool of water. There is a sheet of paper that is being pulled through the water. Then a fast shot of a picture of a mans face. Then back to some water with red coloring it, which looks like blood.

(26-32)

In this scene we still cant see the surrounding but a vast amount of props are used mainly books.

(32-36)

Here we see more books and a pen writing on a page information.

(36-38)

Here we have a quick scene of what looks like a dark room used for photography with a image of a man in some sort of photo developing liquid.

(39-50)

props used in these sections

photo films at 39 seconds

scissors at 39 seconds

photos of man 41 seconds

book 41 seconds

celeotape over metal 43 seconds

small photos 43 seconds

scissors 43 seconds

money 46 seconds

black and white photo of a man 48 seconds

newspaper 49 seconds

(51-52)

prop – book pages being turned.

(1:00-1:08)

Props – pen crossing out words in a book. 
A pregnancy book with words crossed out.

(1:10 – 1:13) 

Props –

Picture of mans face

Pen scribbling out the face with lines.

(1:15)

-      more pages of writing.

(1:16 – 1:18)

More photo’s being developed in a dark room, I can tell this by the red lighting and the photos being dipped in the photo developing liquid substance.

(1:26-1:29)

Here we see a mental object with hocks coming off it and someone’s hand layering it on to some paper.

(1:30)

More pages of writing.

And a clip of the dark room again.

(1:31 – 1:34)

photo’s of people in a photo book.

(1:37)

someone’s hand covered in plasters