Se7en Analysis

Sound:
The opening scenes of Se7en (1995) contain almost constant diagetic emergency service sirens and heavy rain fall sound effects. This gives the audience a sense that no-where is safe and that danger is everywhere. The rainfall also sets the mood as quite gloomy.
The montage featuring someone constructing a scrap book contains a non-diagetic score which consists of distorted synthesized sound, random drum beats and a deep bass line. This is used to create tension and fear in the audience as there is no tune, only synths that sound a bit like screaming. The music is very similar to that of horror video games such as "Silent Hill" (1999 - Konami) which make the audience scared even though nothing scary may be happening on screen.



In the first victim's house the score is made up of just deep bass. this is unnerving and creepy for the audience. it also hints that something is going to jump out at them as it builds and gets lower.
The dialog is quite hard to make out over the sound of heavy rainfall which makes it hard for the audience to quite fully grasp what they are saying. This makes the film mysterious as the audience never has all of the information. The dialog that makes sense is hard boiled and reminiscent of the Film Noir genre, famous for it's detective themes., which ties in with the storyline. It also makes the characters seem experienced and quick witted as there is no general chit chat.

Camera Angles / Movement:


Mise-en-scene:

The clip starts in Morgan Freeman's character's apartment. This is set in a dark, anonymous apartment in a city. Incorporated with the sound, this makes the scene as a whole darker and more mysterious to the audience.

Morgan Freeman's character wears a normal suit, of black and white, contrasting but normal colours, which presents his character as a fairly normal man living in a fairly normal life. Then his colleague arrives. The colleague wears a leather trench coat, which is used as costume in many thriller films, especially The Matrix (1999). Brad Pitt's character is presented as younger, wearing more youthful clothes, such as a beige suit and his leather coat, which contrasts Freeman's basic suit and basic coat.

Throughout the entire clip, there is rain. This helps to create a melancholic image of the plot of the story, which is common amongst thrillers and is used a lot.

The opening credits start with a burst of sound. There is a large montage of clips used, showing seemingly random images which the audience do not know the point of. This gives a mysterious feel to the opening credits, which draws an audience in to watch the rest of the film, used in all films but particularly in thrillers. Here it makes it seem that there is something more to the film's plot than has been suggested. There is much black and white used as well, which gives a dark image to the clip.

After the opening credits have finished, then we return to the city. This time it is much darker, and still raining. This adds to the melancholy feel of the film we have already seen.