Se7en Essay

An opening title sequence is a very important part of the film. It introduces characters and most importantly what kind of film it is going to be e.g. comedy, thriller e.t.c. Within the opening title sequence to se7en there are many things that make up this tense thriller/action film through the mise-en-scene, sound, cinematography and characters.

We are introduced to our first character Somerset who is played by Morgan Freeman. There is a wide shot of his kitchen which is dark and dull with a touch of light coming through from the window. The connotation we can gather from this is how alone he is, but also where his house is incredibly tidy suggests he works a lot. The light seems to impose on his privacy showing he wants to hide away in a confided area. Moreover, the cold lighting gives a dim atmosphere suggesting the genre of a thriller film. Whilst in the kitchen the audience can see the mise-en-scene of a chess board. This could connotate that Somerset if very strategic but also he is always one step ahead. There is then a close up of Somerset’s ‘tools’ he uses in a very neat way. The audience would notice the police badge which will give an obvious clue that he is a police officer. Furthermore, the way he picks up his belongings is in a very particular order which suggests that he has a routine and likes a system to follow. Also, we see Somerset put on his tie along with wearing a shirt and braces. Following this he notices a speck of dirt on his jacket and takes it off. Here the audience would be able to see that he is very smart but also because of his occupation he has authority to dress smart. Furthermore, he notices small details which would tie in with his job in finding small details very quickly.

In the shot of a murder scene we then see Somerset approach with a hat on and glasses. The hat stands out meaning Somerset’s character will stand out in the film along with having importance. The glasses could connotate intelligence which we also could gather earlier on from the chess board. The audience could then feel that Somerset is humanistic when he asks if the children saw the shooting. This gives a sensitive but also caring feel to the cold and blue feel of the shot. Then arrives a cocky, confident character Detective David Mills played by Brad Pitt. This attitude is shown by the mise-en-scene of him chewing, chewing gum, wearing a basket ball tie and also wearing an un-ironed shirt. His body language also suggests he is comfortable in his clothes which then mean he does not want to make an effort to look presentable.

When walking out of the crime scene there are people walking around casually as if nothing has happened. The diegetic sound of police sirens amplifies that crimes go on a lot around this area. Also, the weather is dismal as it is raining which suggests a bad mood and atmosphere. Whilst in this scene Somerset and Mills are walking shown by a tracking shot. First Somerset is in front and then Mills walks in front which connotates that they are both trying to fight for hierarchy in their relationship. Whilst Somerset is walking down confidently with his hands behind is back in a typical detective outfit, Mills is walking along holding his head as if he is uncertain or stressed dressed looking rough and not like a detective. In a mid-shot of them both Mills tries to fight for dominance again however, Somerset becomes higher and ends the conversation by walking off. This amplifies that Somerset likes to be in control but has power also. It then switches to a shot of Somerset in bed in his dark bedroom with only one light on. The mise-en-scene of the unpacked boxes suggests that he is never home but always out working. Also, many books are seen which again shows that Somerset is intelligent. It then has a cut to a close up of a metronome with the ticking sound as if it is trying to distract Somerset from the diegetic sound coming from the outside world. It could also suggest that he finds it difficult to go to sleep after trauma from the crime scenes so this soothes him. Furthermore, it could connotate a countdown to the action of the film. The screen then goes black with the sound of lighting which is scary, loud and daunting which fits into the mood of the film.

The shot is then of pages turning, a shot of two hands that look crooked, old and scary. The flashes and small area of light suggest privacy and secrecy. The typography is also in white and a handwriting font which looks scratchy and old. This could give the connotation of white being pure but also how pale someone goes when dead. The handwriting could suggest that every death/murder is recorded as in many of the shots in the opening title sequence books are shown full of pages of writing. It is as if this character is keeping a diary of every bad deed he has committed. Some of the shots of books are shown in red which suggests blood which then immediately gives the audience a clue of death and murder which links into the genre of murder. There is a extreme close up of a person’s fingers which looks chapped holding a razor. This could suggest this person is scratching away his DNA so he does not get found out. There is then a shot of this person turning a page which could suggest this person is onto their next murder. All these shots are flashes which gives a sense of wanted to be hidden quickly and not wanting to be found out. There are also film strips to show this person is recording and documenting things that are obviously important to keep but then gives a mysterious sense of why he is filming/photographing and keeping these images. A noticeable shot is a close up of what looks like a document from somewhere about women. This person is crossing out words such as ‘transsexual’ and ‘homosexual’ which suggests this person wants to demolish these things. Lastly, we see this person cut out ‘God’ on a dollar note. This gives the connotation of this person being religious and the idea behind it that this person is murdering because he believes God told him too. This shot is put with the lyric of the song ‘you bring me closer to God’ which again suggests this person is killing for God. Whilst these shots go past there is an eerie soundtrack of non-diegetic sound what sounds like machines scratching and also screeching which could give a connotation of a woman screaming. The mise-en-scene and cinematography as well as sound and dark lighting of this opening title sequence already gives such a scary impact on what the whole film is going to be like.