Se7en Opening Scene: A Textual Analysis
The opening sequence of "Se7en" runs for around 4 minutes and it is intended to introduce us to the central protagonist, Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman), as well as to set the mood for the remainder of the film. It also gives the audience lots of information about him- including what he does for a living and what he's like as a person, not least introducing another main character, Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt). The look of the entire opening scene (and, consequently, the entire film itself), is very rough and raw. This is to keep the tension high and the mood dark, it also links the film with dark ideas such a murder and serial killers. The opening cuts from the distributor's logo straight to Somerset in his apartment, getting ready for work. It shows he is very meticulous and exact- his things are all lined up parallel on his desk in the order in which he picks them up. Continuity editing is used for this scene so all of the audience's attention is focused solely on Somerset- although the edits are fairly fast, to keep both the pace and tension as high as possible. It also keeps the speed of the scene up- he gets ready very quickly, in the very next shot we see him at work straight away. This shows that Somerset
There is no music in this scene- only the diegetic background effects of the city in which he lives. lives a basic life, and his work takes up most of it. There are people shouting, cars moving, dogs barking, and alarms and sirens going off. Mills is dressed very differently from Somerset- he's wearing a black leather jacket and he looks a lot more stylish and up-to-date. This also suggests that this part of the city where Somerset lives is not a pleasant one- especially if all this is happening at this time in the morning. We see him stroll slowly throughout the room with in hands in his pockets though: being on the scene of a murder is not unusual for him. This is to get the audience to feel closer to him- instead of suddenly being thrown into his personal life, we are taken slowly- step by step. From here on in until the end of this scene, both of the stars are at the same eye level- placing them at a similar place within society, with a similar level of power. The reflection of the window in the blood on the floor leads us to no false conclusions about what has happened, but still keeps the dark and gloomy atmosphere. These could all be considered as different sins, which is a recurring theme of Se7en. The frantic and melancholy nature of his surroundings contrasts Somerset's relaxed attitude to life (his movements throughout the scene are very slow), and also his caring personality. In this shot, the rain is very loud and very prominent- contributing to the cold, hard tone of the events that are taking place. In each different one of these we see a little bit more of Somerset- so to introduce him gradually. Mills is introduced to the audience when he runs up the stairs. As a big star has been used in the role of David Mills, and the fact that Somerset has already been established as the central protagonist early on, we now know that the story will revolve around the relationship between these two characters.
Common topics in this essay:
Brad Pitt,
Mills Somerset,
Brad Pitt's,
Morgan Freeman,
Somerset Mills,
,
central protagonist,
David Mills,
mills somerset,
mills introduced audience,
personal life,
mills introduced,
dogs barking,
loud ticking,
people shouting,
background effects,
david mills,
brad pitt,
|
Acceptance Essays
