Textual analysis of Se7en

2.  Morgan Freeman’s character is seen wearing a suit which conveys that he
is traditional and does his job professionally. Also, his apartment is
extremely well organised which shows that everything has its own place
and he keeps his standards up.
 Alternatively, Brad Pitt’s character wears a leather jacket which suggests
he is more of a laid back, unprofessional kind of cop.
 During the opening of se7en, Freeman’s character starts a metronome
which could represent a countdown to something which is going to
happen. Also, it can be seen to symbolise the life Freeman’s character
‘ticking’ away.

3.  One camera shot which is used in se7en is a tracking shot when Brad Pitt and
Morgan Freeman are walking down the street. Pitt’s character is shown
walking into people and comes across as quite arrogant. However, Freeman’s
character presents himself as knowing the area well and avoiding people.
 Another shot which is used is a low-angle shot, this is used to convey
Freeman’s character is someone to ‘look up’ to and is presented as being
wise.
 Finally, when Freeman’s character is lying in the bed, a wide shot is used to
show his surroundings and how he likes to keep things tidy.
This could also show that he is alone and has no one with him.

4.  The editing of se7en is constantly used throughout the entire opening of
it, therefore making it difficult to properly analyse.
 However, you can establish that the scenes cut very quickly to one
another, this could suggest that the characters don’t mess around and get
straight to the point of solving a crime.

5.  In the opening, there is no sound used at all, this could signify that the tension
will be built up later on in the film.
 Also, when the title sequence begins, the music is very eerie to listen to, this
suggests that there is going to be a sinister theme throughout the film. Sirens
are also heard in the sequence, which can specifies that there will be some
sort of crime involved.
 Using the dialogue, we can understand what type of people the characters
are. For example, Freeman speaks very professionally which suggests he is
hard-working, whereas Pitt’s character appears very rude and arrogant and
would only do things his own way.