Mise-en-Scene
Common mise-en-scene techniques are used throughout the opening of se7en. For setting it starts off showing a white kitchen, this connotes purity and makes the place seem safe. It is then starkly contrasted with the next location which is a dark, run down apartment. This apartment is also covered in blood with splatters on the wall and on the floor, it is very misty/dusky which gives a tense atmosphere and makes the audience question what has gone on there. The audience is shown very little of the dead person, this is to keep them questioning what has happened. The next scene is Detective Mills and Somerset outside the apartment, they are situated in a rundown neighbourhood which gives a negative connotation as the audience don't see it as a nice/homely place. The apartments are also shown to have the number 7 at the start, this links in with title and is an enigma code throughout the rest of the film. It's also raining outside, this reflects the mood and makes it seem dull and gloomy, creating the atmosphere that something bad has happened and is going to continue to happen. The next seen is of D.Somerset in bed, he is in a dark and dingy room which doesn't look very nicely done up or furbished. This room seems dull and gives a negative effect.
Costume is used to show the difference between the characters D.Mills and Somerset. D.Somerset is seen in a sharp suit at the start, this helps show he is a smart and respectable character and also fits in with the old conventions of how police detectives were dressed. His suit is also grey which shows he is neither a black nor white character and he has tendencies to be both good and bad. D.Mills is dressed in more casual attire, although he is still wearing a shirt and tie to show he is an important character he is wearing a leather jacket over the top which makes him out to be 'bad boy' character as leather connotes rebelliousness. Comparing him to D.Somerset who wears a cotton shows their difference and contrast in characters, already hinting at a bad cop, good cop kind of relationship.
At the start of the sequence the lighting is bright and soft in D.Somerset's kitchen, this (like I said before) helps show the contrast between locations as when shown the next scene the room is basically the complete opposite. Dark lighting is used to make the place look mysterious and creepy, there is also a lot of lighting to show shadows this creates a tense atmosphere as it's like the characters are being followed. Dull lighting is used outside reflecting the weather rather than showing how it is a dark day and giving it negative connotations. Dark and dingy lighting is then used in D.Somerset's room to show it's not a very nice place to be. This then contrasts with the title sequence which uses strong bright lighting and also red lighting. The red connotes blood and I felt the bright lights reminded me of hospitals so the lighting here had a theme of pain and death.
The props we are shown first are D.Somerset's items, a badge, knife, pen and gun. These are important as they help show a lot about his character {say what}. Police tape is used to show it's a crime scene, it creates a dangerous/creepy mood as the audience have negative associations with this and know something bad has gone on. A metronome is used to create tension by playing the sound loudly, like it's building up to something.
Camera
To start off with the camera uses a lot of establishing shots to show what is going on and to set the scene. For example it shows an establishing shot which allows the audience to see the full view of the apartment and the dead man. There is no close-up on the dead man which I liked because it made it more mysterious as you didn't know what had happened.
There are close ups used throughout this sequence. At first the camera shows a closeup on D.Somerset's possessions, they are a knife, badge, pen and gun these all help illustrate he could possibly be a dangerous character and also help link to how he is a detective.
The next closeup is on a metronome, this motion makes the audience lose focus for a while as the closeup only focuses on that. It then transitions into the title sequence, this is an extreme contrast to the original opening scene and is extremely creepy.
During the title sequence many closeups are used on drawings etc, these help creep the audience out as the images are quite disturbing. There are a lot of enigma codes used during the title sequence, like certain words being highlighted, this already puts an idea in the audience heads of what is going to happen.
Throughout the main opening scene which shows D.Mill's and Somerset there are many red herrings dropped around the number 7, as the number of the apartment where they are investigating a murder starts with the number 7. This is already highlighting a clear link with the plot and title.
Editing
The editing between the part with Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt to the main title sequence shows a massive contrast. The editing in the first part is smooth and doesn't have any harsh or sudden jump cuts, whereas the title sequence includes an assortment of sudden and jumpy transitions.
There are many jump cuts use in the title sequence this helps create a tense mood as the audience is flipped between one clip to another. It also adds confusion to the audience so they're already confused before the film has begun, confusion is a common technique in thriller films as it helps the create a tense atmosphere.
The whole title sequence is full of enigma codes for the audience, the quick editing sequence makes the audience want to watch on as they want to find out what all these things link to and what is going on.
Some of the sequences are changed into red lighting, this help connotes the theme of death and gore as red helps connote the idea of blood. There is also loads of flashing images used this makes it look distorted and creates a tense mood because it doesn't make sense.
Sound
In the opening sequence a lot of diegetic sound is used to create tension and show the theme of danger. At the start it's very quiet but you can hear the noises of a busy and possibly dangerous neighbourhood. This is shown again when D.Somerset is shown in bed, it's quiet in his room except you can hear the noises outside, this includes things like people shouting and dogs barking. This makes the audience think of dangerous and possibly dodgy neighbourhood's which can include violence etc. So this already shows that the film is set in a dangerous place.
The really liked how they used the sound of the metronome and made it louder than all the other sounds. I found that because of the repetitive sound of the metronome there was a tense mood and atmosphere as I felt it was building up to something. I also thinks it helps show the contrast between the scene when it transitions into the title sequence.
The music for the title sequence is extremely weird and creepy. It makes an extremely tense atmosphere as it plays with the audience's mind as do the pictures and clips being shown. The music almost sounds as if someone is screaming, which obviously makes it very creepy and adds danger and mystery to what is going on in the title sequence. It's a very electronic soundtrack and seems to include quite high frequency noises. I found, for me at least, that this made me more scared and like something weird and abnormal was going on.
Narrative
I liked the narrative at the start of this film as it really set the film up well and made me want to continue watching, especially the use of the title sequence as I wanted to find out what all of that linked to.
I enjoyed how they used pathetic fallacy to show the mood, as it was raining during the opening which helped illuminate how something bad had happened and added to the tense mood. I found the whole event of the murder investigation foreshadowed the rest of the film and how this was just the start, the same for the title sequence this included a lot of foreshadowing as to what was going to go on in the film.
I think Detective Mill's and Somerset are good characters because they are shown to be opposites (like good cop, bad cop) so I feel this will work well in the film. I also liked the way you found out nothing about the murder that had just happened as I was then intrigued to see what had happened and what it all linked in with.
Opinion
Personally I thought this was a really amazing opening, I loved the title sequence as it really built up the tension and wanted to make me watch the rest of the film. I found it really disturbing but at the same time wanted to understand what it all linked to. I also liked how they set up the main plot with Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt as I wanted to also know what had happened in the murder and what it linked to.
Camera
To start off with the camera uses a lot of establishing shots to show what is going on and to set the scene. For example it shows an establishing shot which allows the audience to see the full view of the apartment and the dead man. There is no close-up on the dead man which I liked because it made it more mysterious as you didn't know what had happened.
There are close ups used throughout this sequence. At first the camera shows a closeup on D.Somerset's possessions, they are a knife, badge, pen and gun these all help illustrate he could possibly be a dangerous character and also help link to how he is a detective.
The next closeup is on a metronome, this motion makes the audience lose focus for a while as the closeup only focuses on that. It then transitions into the title sequence, this is an extreme contrast to the original opening scene and is extremely creepy.
During the title sequence many closeups are used on drawings etc, these help creep the audience out as the images are quite disturbing. There are a lot of enigma codes used during the title sequence, like certain words being highlighted, this already puts an idea in the audience heads of what is going to happen.
Throughout the main opening scene which shows D.Mill's and Somerset there are many red herrings dropped around the number 7, as the number of the apartment where they are investigating a murder starts with the number 7. This is already highlighting a clear link with the plot and title.
Editing
The editing between the part with Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt to the main title sequence shows a massive contrast. The editing in the first part is smooth and doesn't have any harsh or sudden jump cuts, whereas the title sequence includes an assortment of sudden and jumpy transitions.
There are many jump cuts use in the title sequence this helps create a tense mood as the audience is flipped between one clip to another. It also adds confusion to the audience so they're already confused before the film has begun, confusion is a common technique in thriller films as it helps the create a tense atmosphere.
The whole title sequence is full of enigma codes for the audience, the quick editing sequence makes the audience want to watch on as they want to find out what all these things link to and what is going on.
Some of the sequences are changed into red lighting, this help connotes the theme of death and gore as red helps connote the idea of blood. There is also loads of flashing images used this makes it look distorted and creates a tense mood because it doesn't make sense.
Sound
In the opening sequence a lot of diegetic sound is used to create tension and show the theme of danger. At the start it's very quiet but you can hear the noises of a busy and possibly dangerous neighbourhood. This is shown again when D.Somerset is shown in bed, it's quiet in his room except you can hear the noises outside, this includes things like people shouting and dogs barking. This makes the audience think of dangerous and possibly dodgy neighbourhood's which can include violence etc. So this already shows that the film is set in a dangerous place.
The really liked how they used the sound of the metronome and made it louder than all the other sounds. I found that because of the repetitive sound of the metronome there was a tense mood and atmosphere as I felt it was building up to something. I also thinks it helps show the contrast between the scene when it transitions into the title sequence.
The music for the title sequence is extremely weird and creepy. It makes an extremely tense atmosphere as it plays with the audience's mind as do the pictures and clips being shown. The music almost sounds as if someone is screaming, which obviously makes it very creepy and adds danger and mystery to what is going on in the title sequence. It's a very electronic soundtrack and seems to include quite high frequency noises. I found, for me at least, that this made me more scared and like something weird and abnormal was going on.
Narrative
I liked the narrative at the start of this film as it really set the film up well and made me want to continue watching, especially the use of the title sequence as I wanted to find out what all of that linked to.
I enjoyed how they used pathetic fallacy to show the mood, as it was raining during the opening which helped illuminate how something bad had happened and added to the tense mood. I found the whole event of the murder investigation foreshadowed the rest of the film and how this was just the start, the same for the title sequence this included a lot of foreshadowing as to what was going to go on in the film.
I think Detective Mill's and Somerset are good characters because they are shown to be opposites (like good cop, bad cop) so I feel this will work well in the film. I also liked the way you found out nothing about the murder that had just happened as I was then intrigued to see what had happened and what it all linked in with.
Opinion
Personally I thought this was a really amazing opening, I loved the title sequence as it really built up the tension and wanted to make me watch the rest of the film. I found it really disturbing but at the same time wanted to understand what it all linked to. I also liked how they set up the main plot with Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt as I wanted to also know what had happened in the murder and what it linked to.
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