Se7en is directed by David Fincher (1995). I will be analysing the opening sequence of this thriller.
fincher was one of the first to actually introduce the characters before the title sequence. We got to know the two detectives Sommerset and Mills.
We found out that detective sommerset played by Morgan Freeman was formal. He was very neat had everything organised showing signs of OCD, lives alone, very lonely. He's intelligent shown by the chessboard.
We found out that detective Mills played by Brad Pitt was younger. A bit scruffy looking, he looked like he didn't care that much about his appearance but he was wearing a suit. He's very sarcastic and a bit cocky. He's wearing leather which shows us how he's 'cool'.
Mise en scene
It looks like this particular scene is set in a basement as there is lack of lighting also its hidden away. The title at the beginning of the film is written in a format that looks like a child has written it’s not formal it’s also jumpy. This makes it creepy. You see a book in the opening sequence of a book. It looks like he is remembering all his victims. His fingers are cut up; from this we get an impression that he is not right in the head. The music through out is sinister making and it has that religious feel to it.
Sound and editing
The ticking clock at the beginning puts emphasis on the time running out. The thunder is kind of like the calm before the storm. Telling us something major is going to happen. The theme tune is sinister and goes well with the characters. It gets louder and quicker as they show us more victims. The grinding sound is very unpleasant and shows us his frame of mind. The editing is jumpy with lots of cuts, it’s fast and distorted. It’s erratic and shows us the characters mind set.
Camera angles
There is an extreme close up of mostly books, this is all his other victims, and it’s showing us that the character is dangerous. There is a high angle shot of him showing us his power and dominance, it’s his point of view of the murders its showing us his unstable. There is a tracking shot of the books telling us it’s kind of like his hobby to collect pictures of his victims.
