Camera, Editing, Mise en Scène and Sound (CEMS)

I focused on the Mise en Scène and Sound side of CEMS for three horror films; the films are called "Se7en", "The Panic Room" and "One Hour Photo".

Se7en

Mise en Scène

The main locations were Morgan Freeman's character's house and there was also a base for his detective work. His house is the first location we see, which is not like a house on MTV Cribs but more like an ordinary house. In his house we saw his kitchen where there were recognisable items like a fridge and a window, and shortly afterwards, the film shows his bathroom, where he looks into a mirror as he puts on his tie, presumably in the morning. We then see his bedroom as he goes to bed in the evening. He has lamps on both sides of his bed and the lamps are supported by tables. On one side of his bed there is a metronome which he turns on and it clicks every second. This depicts that either the character he plays has trouble getting to sleep or he is a bit mad. It tells us that there may be a dark side to the character and, as it is at the beginning of the film, it will draw us in to watching the film so we find out WHY he has a strange way of going to sleep.
On the next day (in the film), we see Morgan Freeman's character going to work. He is a detective and the base is dark and gloomy, to help depict the mood of the film.

Sound

The music for the title sequence is very tense and creepy with some weird sound effects, including a thunder sound at the end of the scene with the metronome beside Morgan Freeman's character and just before the start of the title sequence. In the scene with the metronome, the music sounds like a mini version of the infamous music used on the film "Psycho". Also, on the first scene, traffic can be heard outside his house.

The Panic Room

At the beginning of the film, the film shows a city, probably New York, and the names of the cast in the film are at the top of the buildings. The music is tense, but not completely horror-filled, it is more laid backed than the themes of the other two films and the music sounds like something from James Bond. Also, when the director's name is shown, there is a view of what must be Central Park.

One Hour Photo

One of the main companies that with with "One Hour Photo" was Fox Searchlight, who also played an important role in the making of the Film4 film "Slumdog Millionaire". The music is tense and more horrifying than "The Panic Room" but not as tense as the music in "Se7en".
A camera is shown at the beginning and there is a build up of tense music and the audience immediately expects something dramatic or exciting or bad to happen, but it is only Robin Williams' character getting his photo taken! On the screen his information is shown on the screen in the cameraman's point of view showing things like Robin Williams' characters date of birth and gender.