The document provides analysis of key elements in the opening scenes of the film Se7en. It summarizes the introduction of the two main characters, Detective Somerset played by Morgan Freeman and Detective Mills played by Brad Pitt. The camera work establishes Somerset's living space and shows a mid-shot of a victim's body. The editing builds tension through a zoom into Somerset's face and a switch to a metronome. Diegetic police sirens and non-diegetic music are used to add sound effects that keep the audience on edge. Details in Somerset's tidy flat imply his career-driven and lonely nature.
1. Se7en
The introduction
As the opening scene starts to unfold, it
introduces one of the main characters
(Morgan freeman) into the film. It starts to
give clues about what kind of character
he will show in the rest of the production.
It then starts to go through a regular day
of this character and how he acts and
thinks. The scene after, introduces the
next main character (Brad Pitt) where he
then starts to show his true personality
and how much he looks up to Morgan’s
character. The whole film is based on the
2. Camera shots, angles
and movements
The start of the production is an establishing
shot of the living area that Morgan Freemans
character lives in. It gives the viewer a in
sight look into what the character will be like
in the production. This shot includes a chess
board and shows different sections around
the living room and kitchen.
The second shot in this production is when
they give the viewer a mid shot of the victims
body (women) on the floor with blood all
around her. The highlight is the red blood on
the dark backgrounds; this gives the viewer a
clue of what the rest of the film will entail.
3. Editing
Throughout the film, editing was used
to show the audience the chilling
effects and creepy shots. One way
they edited the scene is when they
slowly zoomed into Morgan’s face and
then swapped it to the metronome.
This is making the audience
unexpected on what will happen next
in the upcoming scene. This makes
the viewer confused on the storyline;
making them eager to keep on
4. Sound
Throughout the opening scenes, they
have added in a diegetic sound of police
sirens on a quiet level. This is showing
the audience that something big is going
to happen and always keeping them on
edge and tense.
Another sound they added in is the non-
diegetic sound of fast music which
continuously becomes louder and faster.
This builds up a climax to the audience,
making them anxious.
5. Mise en scene
As the scene opens, the
characters flat looks clean, tidy
and untouched. This makes the
audience think the character
doesn’t live at his flat meaning
he’s career driven, giving a
sense of loneliness.
Also, in his flat he has a
metronome and a chess boards.
These are both items that work
the mind. Showing he