Section 2: Research into examples of comparable media products- Seven Screening Notes

Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt

The opening scene of seven is of the main character- Morgan Freeman in a kitchen alone stood at the sink. The camera view immediately relates to the film being a thriller as the angle is from a point of view as if somebody is watching him from behind, instead of a regular frontal shot. It shows his daily routine of doing his tie in the mirror, and picking up his knife. These shots have been particularly chosen because they tell the audience things about his character straight away, that he is organised and lives alone, also knifes are related with crime a theme regular throughout this film. The sounds in the background are police sirens and noises of the city, these warn the viewer something is to happen and sirens are worrying for everyone. When doing his tie in the mirror I think this shows he is also getting ready for something to happen and a man with a routine, his room and flat show he is a man living a life outside maybe involved a lot in his job as it is minimal and not very personalised. The fact that everything such as his bedding is plain shows this too and his manly touch as opposed to if he was living with a woman figure. He seems lonely and can show how you find out later in the film he is dedicated to the job, his costume show it is a formal job and he is serious about it. His double bed also shows this, and props around the room tell his character- such as a lot of books to show his intelligence. The lighting and colours throughout the whole opening are dark and dismal, as in the codes and conventions of a thriller.

After being introduced to Morgan the next scene immediately shows the dead body on the floor and murder scene. This opens the audience to disturbing images and sets the scene for more murders to follow. The setting is in a regular house, as in most thrillers real life situations are common making the film more realistic. After seeing the body you are also introduced to both detectives, this shows they will be main focuses in the film and show their importance because the murder is not shown for longer than a couple of seconds , the camera focuses on the main characters instead. Morgan being the most dominant is at the scene first shortly followed by Brad Pitt another of the main characters. They are both wearing typical detective costumes and look sophisticated for the job. They both walk outside together where pathetic fallacy is used as it is a dreary day and raining heavily- this shows miserable things are to come and reflect the dark mood of the film. The body is shown being brought out as the camera angle changes to Pitt and Freeman again.  It anchors the image to the audience and makes them realise the two men’s connection.

Dramatic noises then follow, and eerie sounds then start quietly as the credits begin. The sounds are mainly of things squeaking and buzzing, music then starts quietly. This type of sound is scary and adds suspense to the opening credits. It eventually gets louder and more has more beats building up to a dramatic stop. Disturbing pictures, photographs and newspaper cuttings are shown in a scrap book kind of way. The first thing you see, is a book’s pages turning, this shows text and images that are clearly being made into a book. As you only see the hands of this person it adds mystery and makes the viewer question what is happening. This also adds to the suspense and makes you want to carry on watching to see who it is and what they are doing. You see somebody using a blade to scratch off their fingers layer of skin, this is a scary image and again makes the viewer question, it is later explained in the film. The credits appear in black and white and flicker on and off the screen, in a scratched spooky type of font. This is effective because if the just appeared in a bold regular font it wouldn’t relate as well to the film or add suspense as well as the chosen one does, it adds to the themes of death. Close ups are frequently used in the credits scene if nothing else as it is a personal and more mysterious approach, mees on scene is focusing on one page of the book or one photograph, this is effective because it focuses on the scary details such as a picture of a man’s head with an arrow through it. The colours used are just black white and red that relate to the codes and conventions of a thriller. The red shows connotations of blood and horror, it flashes on and off the screen as the credits do to create a scarier, gorier feel.

After the credits the film then goes back to normal life, now the morning routine of Brad Pitt. It reflects Freeman’s morning routine as he does his tie up in the mirror in the same way- this shows their similar life styles job related. However they contrast a lot as Brad has a wife and wakes up next to her, the first thing he does is think and look at her. The setting of the room is mainly boxes everywhere, because they have just moved in, this again contrasts with Freeman’s organised way of life showing their different personalities. The fact the phone is ringing early in the morning shows his dedication, however the fact he is new to the job and later in the film it seems people think of him to be of a rookie and not as good at it as other detectives, this could be down to him not being fully dedicated as he has a wife and is a dad to be. Relationships are a theme throughout the film and with a job like they have it could show relationships being a weakness.