The document analyzes various techniques used in the opening scenes of the film Seven. It discusses how the opening credits use quick close-up shots and unidentified images to create mystery around the antagonist. The mise-en-scene establishes Morgan Freeman's character as having sleeping problems due to his meticulous room and use of a metronome. When the detectives walk in the rain, pathetic fallacy sets a moody tone suggesting something negative will happen. Differences in the detectives' experiences are also depicted through their walking styles.

1. Seven Textual Analysis

2. Mise-En-Scene
• During the scene with Morgan Freeman a metronome is used with the diagetic ticking sound used.
This may be used to show that the character that Morgan Freeman plays struggles to sleep, as he
lives alone and his room seems to be meticulously clean and organised, showing a potential
sleeping problem, possibly due to his job.
• Pathetic fallacy is used within the mise-en-scene when Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt’s characters
are walking down the street, there is a rainfall happening. This is an obvious use of pathetic fallacy,
setting the mood within the scene for what is to come, as they are detectives, so the viewer can
establish that something negative is going to happen to them or in their jobs.
• As they are walking down the street, the younger of the detectives (Brad Pitt) is constantly bumping
into people, whereas the older of the two (Morgan Freeman) is walking straight ahead. This ,ay be
used to suggest to the viewer that Brad Pitt’s character is the more inexperienced and therefore
naïve of the two, and is probably the more reckless. It also depicts Morgan Freeman’s character as
being wiser and more level-headed, therefore being more composed in his job.
• The viewers can obviously tell that during the title sequence that the man in question is a murderer
of some sort. This is because it shows the man crossing the eyes off of pictures of people,
suggesting that they are dead, as well as showing quick glances of pictures of dead people. This
creates suspense as these people have not been identified, not has the antagonist, so the audience
is wondering whom this is.

3. Camera Shots/Movement
• During the title sequence, it shows a character meticulously arranging and
planning something. A wide use of close ups are used to give the viewer a
quick glance at what he is doing, but never settling on a single shot for a
long period of time, which creates a sense of mystery, as the viewer are
not fully aware of what they are seeing, but can most likely piece together
that he is probably a murderer. The camera also never shows the person
responsible, only focusing on his hands or fingers. This is a key aspect of
an opening to a thriller, as a key convention is that through the journey of
the film, the viewer finds out the antagonist towards the end, creating
suspense through the protagonists finding out what is happening and
trying to stop it.
• A low angle tracking shot is used on the two protagonists as they are
walking down the street. This instantly places the focus on the two of
them and identifies them as the protagonists, as well as the low angle shot
being used to give them a sense of authority and give them a dominating
status.

4. Sound
• During the opening credits, the music becomes more and more uneasy as the
credits progress, and becomes more intense. This sets out that the film is about to
take a turn for the worse, which is apparent as the opening shows two detective
looking at a crime scene. The music also suits the genre of the film, as it is a thriller
so the opening titles create a sense of suspense as well as mystery. It also uses
very harsh tones to set an aggressive sound to the opening aswell.
• During the scene with Morgan Freeman in bed there is a metronome used and the
camera focuses in on it and the sound of the metronome picks up, before cutting
to a sound of lighting. This suggests that the atmosphere is about to change and
that bad things are going to happen for the main characters, through the use of
pathetic fallacy, using the weather to set the mood.
• Diagetic outside noise is used when Morgan Freeman’s charcter is lay in bed trying
to sleep to show how quiet it is in the scene. This is used to show that he is
struggling to sleep, but is also used to suggest that he is living in not the nicest of
places. This is due to the fact that the audience can hear a lorry reversing in the
scene, which is not something that you associate with a wealthy are.

5. Editing
• The titling work during the opening credits is very suitable for the opening, as a
mysterious scene is taking place, as well as a disturbing piece of music being
placed over it. The titling is therefore very messy and disjointed as well as flashing
and shaking. The combination of the three create a very disturbing atmosphere
within the opening, which suits the genre excellently.
• The scene cuts from a crime scene, where there is a lot going on, to Morgan
Freeman’s character being in bed trying to go to sleep. This shows the contrast in
the scenarios, showing the difference in the job where a gruesome murder has
taken place with a lot of sound happening, to showing Morgan Freeman trying to
sleep in a quiet scenario with a lot of diegetic sound. This suggests that due to the
things he has seen in his long career, he is struggling to sleep.
• The scene also goes from showing Morgan Freeman’s character asleep on his own,
to showing Brad Pitt’s character in bed with his partner, after the title sequence.
This creates sympathy, as Morgan Freeman’s character seems lonely and is
considerably older than the two of them, so the audience will feel sorry for him. It
is also used to show Brad Pitt’s home life, as his wife gets beheaded later on, so a
back story is needed.