Seven
Seven is a
thriller/ horror film directed by David Fincher. The film is about a detective
working his last case before retirement. He conducts this case with the newly
transferred detective of a serial killer who is targeting people who he
believes represents the seven deadly sins.
The
opening scene of Seven (1995) is engulfing it throws the audience straight into
the narrative. It opens with Morgan Freeman’s character (William Somerset) in
his home which is pure white which represents the innocence of the man, it
suggests to us that he doesn’t have a family and if he does then they live
somewhere else as if there was there would be color and flowers that would
indicate to the audience that he has a family. Then, what we assume to be an
apartment due to its openness and one floor, is organised strictly. This is
presented clearly through his bed being made perfectly, suggesting to us as the
audience that he has had a military background, which is common for people in the
police force, the organised items he has as he walks out of the door, which is
presented through an over the shoulder, close up shot, this also suggests the
military background. The organisation could suggest that he is good at his jobs
as everything in his house is neat and exactly how he wants it so it may
suggest he is good at picking out small details, this is supported by when he
picks the tiny hair off of his jacket before he puts it on.
Another
effective feature that David Fincher uses in the opening scene of Seven is the
use of the diegetic sound, which we guess is amplified. The use of the sound of
traffic and sirens that are going off in the city that the characters are
presented in, suggests to the audience that the city poses danger on them and
that the city is possibly ‘soaked in sin’ which in this case is what the killer
believes. It gives the audience a glimpse at the narrative of the story which allows
the audience to become even more involved in the story-line so soon into the
film, which means that the film will be watched all the way through, this means
that the film is successful. The effect that the traffic sounds such as tires screeching
and sirens, have on the audience is to pursue a negative effect on the
audience, a sense of possibility and unpredictability. The unpredictability is presented later on in
the film with the numerous about of murders and the method of the killings have
no link, as it seems at first. The dialogue used that comes from detective
Williams, suggests to us that he thinks differently to them around him, as he
asks if the child saw it, when the child has been killed in one of the murders,
this thought is supported throughout the opening scene as there are constant
hints at his intelligence, from the chess board at the very beginning and his seemly
odd questions.
The use of
pathetic fallacy within the opening scene is effective, this is because the
film uses rain to reflect the mood and the relationship between the two
detectives and the mood of the city. These things are both sadness and loss and
it suggests a struggle, which could reflect the relationship. The use of
pathetic fallacy helps the director make the audience share the emotions that
the characters within the film have, it makes the scene more intense and
creates more suspense for the audience which keeps them interested in the film.
The sound of the rain within the scene makes the audience stay calm although
still tense as they focus on the unstable relationship between the two
detectives. The use of this device means that the director is easing the
audience into the story-line, it suggests to the audience that the film will
have loss and sadness within it. The use of the characters costumes suggests
that the detectives were prepared for the rain, suggesting they are prepared
for the crimes they are about to try and solve, in a way the rain is a catalyst
for the numerous deaths as either after or before the audience is shown the
murder scene there is a shot of the rain, it signifies to the audience that
there is an environment of loss and sadness in the area.
The medium
long shot that is used at the start of the opening scene when William is in his
kitchen is used effectively too portray a message to the audience. The shot
presents the costume of William which at the moment is an un-tucked shirt
without a tie and suit trousers, this at first suggests to the audience that
William is an average office worker, not necessarily a high qualified
detective. The shot presents to the audience an average morning for an average person
and not someone you would stereo-typically think of as a detective, this is
because of his actions as he cleans out the coffee pot and his mug slowly and
calmly, you would think that a detective would not have time to do this in the morning
as stereo-typically we as the audience are presented with the fast pace
detectives. The effect of that the audience believes that William is just a
normal office worker means that the audience can briefly relate to him and can
therefore start to make judgments of what type of person he is, they want to
continue to watch to see if their thoughts were true and if they can relate to
him anymore as a character. When the character turns around we are presented
with his facial expression, which is relaxed and calm as he looks down at the
buttons on his shirt, this again is not what you expect from the stereotypical
detective, which means that the idea of him being a person with an average job
is still apparent and people can still relate. The long shot presents to the
audience his basic colored apartment and how he fits in perfectly with the
basic colors of white and black due to his uniform, this suggests to us that
the apartment is his and no one lives with him as the apartment and detective both
reflect themselves. The shot has low key lighting which at this stage of the opening
scene creates a calm and in a sense a moody emotions perhaps because the
character doesn’t like his job or maybe the lighting is reflecting his age.
Overall
the use of the codes and conventions to create the ‘neo-noir psychological
thriller’ are very effective and put the audience on edge and makes them
curious at what could happen within the rest of the film. It easily takes
people away from their daily life with its new twists and turns in the
narrative and the reoccurring enigmas throughout the film.
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