Thriller Scenes: How is editing used to drive the narrative in the scene?

Insomnia

In the opening sequence of the 2002 film Insomnia, there are a variety of shots which hint at the context of the film. For instance the title of the film is shown over a piece of carpet which has blood spreading through the fibres, as can be seen to the right. This extreme close up is an interesting one as we are only seeing the very micro side of a situation. It is a white carpet too, which signifies a few different things. White carpets usually feature in the homes of the affluent, due to their impractical nature in everyday life. Also, the whiteness of the carpet contrasts well with the blood. The total pure white of the carpet reflects both a goodness as well as an innocence.

The way that the word Insomnia has been put on top of the blood spill signifies that this is probably going to be a key feature of the movie.
There are then sweeping establishing shots icebergs, more images of the blood spilling out onto the carpet and then there are drops of red falling onto what looks like a pristine white shirt. Again, the white signifies good things and a purity, which is why it is so shocking to see blood red on it. This is effective iconography as it instantaneously implies murder due to the contrast between the two colours. Then we see someone trying to rub blood out of the linen, with an extreme close up of a masculine hand. The use of so many extreme close ups mixed with the very macro image of icebergs is rather disorientating to the viewer because in a sense we have very little idea what is going on, because we are only seeing two clues to the whole situation, which do not have any direct link at all.
This relates back to the title of Insomnia, which is most likely a rather disorientating problem for it's sufferers.
The next scene is again ambiguous. It appears as more of a midshot through the reflection of a cabinet, of the back of someone. Most of this is obscured. This can be seen in the image to the left. This is more of a clue but it is again not very helpful. Using the image of someone rubbing away the blood we can gather that this character probably is not the protagonist of the film, and we are not seeing him for that reason, possibly so that we have a similar knowledge to that of the protagonist as to what is actually going on.
Next comes some disorientating editing. From the sight of the gloved hands we see a close up of someones face, then the macro again of a plane. We see several different shots of the face, and he is looking at images of what seems to be crime scene photography in a folder. This manages to imply that he is the antagonist, yet the fact he is blatantly holding a police evidence file suggests otherwise.
The camera then cuts to the establishing shot of a plane flying across the icebergs. This indicates both loneliness and danger. Loneliness in the sense of the abandonment felt in Arctic environments, as well as the danger that is expected when one sees icebergs and frozen environments. These are tough environments to live in, and the shots of the weary looking man suggest that he is going to have a difficult time managing.
There is then a shot from even further away, and fewer micro shots. This is setting up the scene and encouraging us to feel the desolation of the area. Similarly to the scene in the Shining whereby the car drives into an increasingly dangerous looking environment whilst being totally alone, the small, solitary plane heading to some unknown destination manages to make us worry for the fate of the weary man and his accomplice on the plane.

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Produced by: Warner Bros.
Release Date: 30 August 2002 (UK)
Filmed in: Alaska, USA
Box Office Returns: $113,714,830 (worldwide grossing)
Rated 15
Given a 7.2/10 on IMDB.
Viewers called it "masterful", "excellent" and "intense"
Clip from Insomnia

Se7en

The film Se7en has an interesting opening sequence, with a lot of props, icons and clues towards the actual context of the movie. It has many extreme close ups, which manage to create the effect of an indepth, close study of something, which, when we look at the props in the scene such as images of hands and the opening image, which is of a book having it's pages dropped down slowly. This extreme close up of what appears to be a handcrafted book is appealing to the viewers eye. The pages are blank, which signify the beginning of something. He is clearly awarding the whole book to the event which shows that it is probably something special and worthy of note.



The music is timed perfectly with the images shown on the screen, with loud, bass noises coming in as the black opening credits scene appears. There are high pitched noises that emphasise the writing used on the credit screens - the official parts are in a typewriter like font, yet the actual names are written in young looking hand writing. This almost suggests a personal attachment to the names themselves, which gives us the idea that the antagonist is going to commit the crimes against people who he has identified as specifically deserving it. The slightly blurred nature of the words either side of the names signifies them being done by hand, for instance through a stamp or aged typewriter. This also instills a sense of it being personal and also carefully crafted.
Next we see the man holding a blade between aged fingers, and even slicing the skin on the pads of them away. This signifies how anonymous the killer is and how he goes to extreme measures to hide his identity. His ease with such a dangerous thing as a razor blade also shows that he is not a novice, but more experienced in this field and that he has skill. This gives off the impression of him being almost assassin like. His hands are dirty too, which although is most likely from his study, it signifies him doing "dirty work"such as murder or other illegal deeds.
Unlike in Dexter, whereby the murderer is shown in a positive light with bright, overly contrasted images and upbeat music, the mise en scene here is much different. The room he is in is dimly lit and the images are not just dangerous, such as knives, but deadly - guns and blades being an example. The music is also very ominous - drawn out and containing some high pitched, static noises which sound like the antagonist is tuning into something - for instance a police radio.
Soon the opening credits stop having a whole shot of their own but actually blend in with the images shown in the montage - for insance here. This signifies the characters being drawn into the life of the killer.
For instance, the leading lady's name is here, which suggests that she will be in danger in the future, danger caused by the antagonist. The way that her name has been put in the shadow of the book implies that she will become a part of his study.

Directed by: David Fincher
Produced by: Cecchi Gori Pictures, New Line Cinema
Release Date: 5th January 1996
Filmed in: Los Angeles, USA
Box Office Returns: $316,400,000 (Worldwide)
Rated 18
Given 8.7/10 on IMDB
Viewers called it "shocking", "suspenseful", "disturbing" and "clever".
View the scene here