Seven - Opening Scene Analysis

In any film, mise en scene is how it makes the characters look and how it makes the audience see the film. The location of the film seems to be a busy city which could be New York. This is shown through the sounds. Within this over all location, there are 4 main areas which the opening scene is filmed in. These are the house, murder scene, street and then it returns to the house. You know that the house is an apartment that the detective lives in. In a long shot of the kitchen, there are props that are used are significant to the detective character. For example, there is a chess board in view within this shot. A chess board is known to be a slow and strategic game. This game is known to be a game for those that are intellectual. This chess board could represent that the opponent within the film is someone that likes to play games. It also shows how smart the detective is. Within the kitchen, you have a view of the kind of objects in there. There are no clear signs that the detective has a family. There are no picture frames with photos of the family in them. This shows that the detective is lonely and does not have a partner or any children. You tell a lot from what the characters wear. Morgan Freeman's character is smartly dressed and is cleaning shaven. This is shown by his waist coat buttoned up and also he has no stubble. Brad Pitt is the opposite to what he wears. He seems to be very scruffy and no as formally dressed as Morgan's character. Below is a screenshot of the characters together so you can compare the costumes the detective wears.

Within the opening scene, there was not a lot of editing that was done. The only kind of editing technique that was used was cuts. This is a simple technique which could have been used so the audience will concentrate on the content of the film and not what techniques have been used in order to make it look more advanced.

Like in any other film, camera angles are important when filming scenes. One of the camera shots that were used was a close up. This was used at the beginning of the scene when Morgan Freeman, the detective, was looking through his personal belongings which he would soon take to work. This close up was used to show the importance of the objects. In order there was a handkerchief, a police badge, a flip knife and a pen. The objects were left in a certain order and a certain width apart. This shows that the detective could have a form of OCD. You can see this from the organisation of the objects. The director put the knife within the other objects for a reason and the flip knife could foreshadow what may happen later in the film. Another camera show that was used within the film was a low angle. This was when the two detectives were talking outside in the street. The low angle shot was used in order to show the equality between the two detectives even though they are complete opposites.

Sound is used within in any film to create more of an effect for the audience. One of the sounds that were used within the film was the sound of thunder. There was also a ticking sound played shortly before the thunder. This stands for the saying of the ‘calm before the storm’. This means that at the moment the film is calm and not dramatic but later during the film, the atmosphere and the film will be more dramatic which is considered the ‘storm’. Another sound that was used was used during the opening scene is diegetic sounds. These sounds consist of sirens, and shouting. This shows that the location of the film is in a busy city which could be New York. For example, at the beginning of the scene when Morgan freeman is in the kitchen, you can hear the traffic that is near the apartment. You can hear cars and the beeping of the horns which shows what is known as rush hour.  Dialogue in any film is good to use because within the opening scene, the audience can learn a lot about the character. In the opening scene, at the murder scene, a co-worker of the detective asks “What kind of question is that?” This shows that the detective have a different thought process compared to the other detectives. This could also foreshadow events that happen in the film.

Overall, when watching this opening scene, you know a lot about the characters before they even speak. This is by looking at the costumes that they wear and the environment they live in. You can also tell who they are by their body language. The distance between the two detectives (Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman) showed their kind of relationship. It seemed to be quite hostile between them. Also, Morgan Freeman is stood upright and Brad Pitt is slouching.