Textual analysis of Se7en.

1. Textual Analysis
Opening of the thriller movie- Se7en
By Millicent Holmes

2. Mise-en-scène
• Through the use of costume it can show what a characters
personality is like. In the scene with both Morgan Freeman
and Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman’s character is wearing a suit,
done up shirt and a tie. This could show that he is very neat
and tidy and he also tries to be and look very professional.
But Brad Pitt’s character is also wearing a suit and tie but he
pairs them with an open leather jacket. This could represent
his youth and that he hasn’t been working in this industry for
very long.
• This could link to Morgan Freeman’s character’s apartment, it
is very neat and tidy and looks like a very professional place to
work. Like in the one scene in house where you can see
everything lined up very neatly on his desk this could
represent the possibility of his character having a form of OCD.

3. Sound
• At the end of the sound track there is a voice that says the words
‘closer to god’. As this is said, there is a clip of someone cutting up
the word ‘God’ out of a dollar bill. This could show that the killer in
Se7en is religious or his/ her killings are linked to religion.
• The soundtrack to the opening of Se7en is not very comfortable to
listen to, this could indicate that there will be uncomfortable scenes
to watch in the film, therefore foreshadowing what is most likely
going to happen.
• When Morgan Freeman’s character is laid in bed a diegetic sound of
a ticking metronome is heard. The effect of this could show either
that his life is very repetitive and monotonous or it could show the
audience a better understanding of the characters possibility of
suffering form OCD, and that everything must be in order and that
he has to do this every night so that he can get to sleep.

4. Editing
• In the open sequence editing is used to show a montage of
different pictures and writing. All of these are closely linked to
deaths and murders. This could link to the horror side of the
storyline of the film.
• Throughout the beginning of the film, the scenes cut very
quickly from one to another, this could imply that the
characters are very professional and want to move straight on
to solving what crimes have happened.

5. Camera Angles
• One way that camera angles are used is by using a birds eye
view shot in the scene where Morgan Freeman’s character is
leaving his apartment, it shows him looking down on his desk,
everything on the desk is very neat and in order. This could
help the audience to further support the idea that his
character has OCD.
• Furthermore, they use a tracking shot to follow Brad Pitt and
Morgan Freeman’s movements as they walk down the street,
also dark lighting and rain shown. This sets the scene as
someone just got murdered.