Opening Sequence To Se7en

The other thriller film we watched in our lesson was 'Se7en' which is a film starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. It is a thriller about two police officers, Morgan Freeman who is about to retire and Brad Pitt who is going to be his 'side kick' in the case they have to solve.

The film had scary, confusing images during the opening credits so it made me think that the film was going to be a horror film or similar to the film 'Saw'. The music over the opening credits had screaming and scratching noises which created a creepy sound, enhancing the mysteriousness of the images being shown on the camera. The titles were highly edited and looked as if it was a detectives writing- as detectives take notes. The titles went on for about two minutes which is a long time for the opening credits, this builds up tension and the longer it goes on for, the more the audience wants to know what is going on.

Shots and Movement

The first shot in the film looks like there is someone watching Morgan Freeman in his apartment and the camera switches through lots of different angles. For example there is one point that is an 'over the shoulder' shot, when he is looking into the mirror. Then, when they are walking down the road, the camera is at a low angle, which makes both of the actors look powerful and important. The camera is also using 'tracking' to follow them down the road during their conversation. 

Generic Themes

Morgan Freeman is portrayed to be the dominant character out of the two of them. You can see this because of the way Brad Pitt is shown in the film. For example when they are walking down the road talking, Brad Pitt keeps getting pushed out of the way where as Morgan Freeman walks down the road with nothing in his way, making Pitt look less important than him even in society. 

Although Freeman is portrayed important and dominant, we also see him looking quite lonely in the first scene. He lives in his apartment that is dark and dreary with a single bed, implying he doesn't have a wife or a family, there aren't any pictures around his apartment either. You could say he sees himself as an outsider and doesn't work well with other people, he shows this by being quite cold to Pitt when he first meets him. 

Sound

The title scene has loud music in the background with bizarre noises, making a thick sound that is opposite to the scenes. There is rain throughout the first scenes and no music, creating a hollow feel, not very happy. When Freeman is in his apartment you can hear the speaking from flats around him, making it very realistic and natural but also dark and dull. 

Mis-en-scene

The way that Freeman puts on his tie at the beginning of the film shows his neatness and organisation. For example how everything is laid out for him and his bed is neatly made etc. It all adds to the loneliness and dull life he is portrayed to lead.