Textual Analysis On 'Se7ven'

The opening sequence of 'Se7en' uses extreme close up shots to create a sense of disorientation, they have used this to make the audience find things more difficult to understand and make sense of. The quick cuts to make the opening foreshadow the rest of the film and how it will be a mysterious story. The low angle shots of the detectives show the dominance between them, the two characters change positions through out the scene to show the domination of the conversation at  different points.

In terms of editing the cuts of Morgan Freeman on his own in one place then another, gives the audience an idea of his life and maybe also how he feels. When the shot cuts to him alone in his house, the lighting helps to create a more depressive mood. The lighting is dark and low, implying how he feels, and also how he keeps to himself.

The storm which is heard outside Morgan's window when he is in bed could symbolise how he feels. The sounds all tend to have a melancholy feel about them, and all the scenes that Morgan is in are either dark, have poor lighting or rainy which quite strongly foreshadows the setting for the rest of the film, it makes the viewer subconsciously aware of the dark nature involved within this thriller.

In the scene where Morgan is laid in bed with the storm happening out side of his window, there is a metronome which clicks and a sequence which could represent the organisation within his life and how he feels in control even if he lonely. The way that the lighting, sound, mise-en-scene and camera angles, and editing all work together in this scene to create a sense of sadness, loneliness, organisation but also catastrophe makes this scene very empowering for the representation of the character that Morgan Freeman plays because he is not made out to be a happy person throughout any of the opening sequence. This automatically starts questions being asked about he motives and also what he has experienced. During the titles there is repetition of organisation and order in the person life who we haven't being introduced to yet, the audience make connect these two people as either the same or having something in common. I think the significance of Morgan's character being shown in  negative way before any other character is  because he somehow links to this other character who we don't see (the murder).