Se7en

The opening credits begins with the producer and says 'New line cinema presents an Arnold Kopelson production' with handwritten styled font. The font is messy and not completely clear which could initiate a horror or thriller film. It also flickers which enforces an unsettling mood on the audience.

The next shot of hands being photocopied gives the impression of fingerprints being taken, suggesting something to do with a crime or the police. Then when we see the shot of the fingertips being shed off by a blade, we get the impression that someone is trying to protect themselves from getting caught, getting rid of their prints for evidence. This is important as later on in the film we learn that John Doe removes the top layer of skin on his fingers in order to mask his prints from the police.

In most scenes of this film the lighting is very dull and dark, creating a sense of unease and tension, specifically in the scene where both detectives are chasing John Doe. This scene is dark and edgy which gives the sense that it is dangerous and the murderer could be lurking anywhere. Even the characters are wearing dark clothing, The clothing of the detectives suggest that they are very professional and are playing their roles properly, taking it very seriously.

Although both characters present themselves rather differently in the way they dress throughout the film. For example Detective Somerset wears a straight shirt, a tie, a tweed jacket, a long coat and a hat. This is the typical assumed attire of a detective, suggesting practicality and sensibility. Whereas Detective Mills is less formal, wearing a plain shirt and tie with a leather jacket over the top, which implies that he is more relaxed and puts less effort into his appearance than Somerset; where Somerset puts more effort into his work.

John Doe, the killer, presents himself in a specific way also. He wears dark clothing, and a long jacket and a hat which covers his face when we first see him. This immediately shows that he is trying to keep his appearance unseen by anyone, and we can automatically take from this that he is a mysterious, methodical character.

Most of the film consists of dreary, rainy weather which adds to the bleakness of the film, adding to the feeling of darkness and despair created by the story line. Almost every scene is filmed in a rundown urban area too, which is typical for crimes to occur, as it feels uneasy and makes the audience feel suspicious, the fact that anything can happen at any time in this atmosphere.

As for props, almost every character in the film has hold of them at some point. Showing that guns play an important part, which is emphasised by the fact that Detective Somerset seems reluctant to use a gun unless 100% neccessary, whereas in contrast to this, Detective Mills seems quite eager to use his gun on the criminal. The fact that at the end of the film, Detective Mills shoots John Doe even after Somerset telling him that it is not worth it and thata if he shoots, the killer wins, shows that Detective Mills, although throughout the film playing the part of the more relaxed detective, is actually quite weak when it comes to making serious decisions, and he used his gun out of anger. This portrays a less professional side to detective Mills.

10 Rillington Place

What makes 10 Rillington Place British?

The ultimate aspect that makes this film British is that it is based on a true story, that had occurred in Nottinghill, London- also where the film was shot. This film rein-acts the events that had happened in Rillington Place, and the crimes that took place. In order to show realistically what happened in the duration of the crime, the film uses British actors (as you can tell from their southern accent) to represent the people who were involved. Also in the first scene, Mr Christie offers the young woman a cup of tea, which is fundamentally a part of British culture.