This is the opening credit sequence of the opening sequence.
The Credit sequence of the opening is very dramatic. The music is heavily beated with a scratchy tone, it sounds similar to a heart beat. The music is dramatic, disoreintating, discordant and unpleasant, all of these make the audience feel a mix of emotions and make them feel uncomfortable. There is also use of dark, disturbing images; these introduce the genre of the film giving its audience knowledge of that they are letting themelves in for. The title sequence also uses flashing and montage images, they confuse and disturb the audience. They could also be a way of hooking the audience into wanting to see more. The credit sequence could be seen as a way of questioning the audience making them want to watch on. The techniques of how the images are put together is really clever, there are flashes between images and they don't flow. The discording images may worry its audience and keep them wondering what will happen. They all create a sinister portrait for its audience and evoke emotions and a reaction from them. The credit sequence also uses flashes or red throughout the black and white images, the red represents danger or death and the colour stands out on the black and white.
The two main characters in the sequence are Morgan Freeman who plays Detective Somerset and Brad Pitt who plays Detective Mills. The two represent very stereotypical characters: The older, wiser detective and the younger, cocky and less experienced character who looks up to the older of the two. Detective Somerset is represented as a very tidy, precise character: his home is set out in a very particular way, everything lined up on his desk. He also represents a lonely lifestyle as he is alone in his apartment and reads himself to sleep. He shows a compassionate side when questioning another detective "did the kid see?", asking if a child saw the murdered body of his father, this is significant as it shows him as caring. The other character is Detective Mills, He is a young and less conventional character. He is shown less in the sequence but he appears to look up to Somerset as he moved to that city to work with him. He seems ahead of himself, walking into a crime scene,chewing gum. It also represents how he can be considered cocky.
The enigma code of the opening sequence could be seen in the credit sequence. The montage and questioning images confuse the audience and hook them into wanting to see more from the killer or stalker in the rest of the film.
Seven used all the mise-en-scene factors to not only create effect and meaning, but to establish the appropriate genre. Firstly, we see the crime scene. Although it is not a conventional gloomy and mysterious setting, we - as the audience are still capable of establishing why the characters are there. Inspector Summerset, is a lonely, pernickety professional man who does not only do his job well, shown by the typical inspector clothes (long drench coat, hard hat and a immaculate suit)but though his caring nature ‘’did the boys see?’’ shows he is a loving, kind man. Subverting the usual stereotypes of a cold, hard brutal inspector.
The setting is a significant convention in an all time American crime scene, a family orientated apartment where the murder takes place. This shows that the audience can also establish with the story line as it is a home setting, proving that there must have been a home murder.
When the characters are outside, the dramatic effect of the rain reinforces the idea that something bad has happened - pathetic fallacy. The dull, rainy yet busy street in America reinforces that the movie isn't planning on getting better.
The lighting in the apartment emphasizes the idea that a murder has taken place, dark, cream, brown colors are used with the blinds half shut portrays secrecy and therefore the chance to commit murder- reinforcing the chance to actually commit murder.
Natalie Murray and Ellie Mannix
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