Se7en Opening Sequence

The film Se7en is a thriller with some elements that could be classed under the horror genre it is hard to classify it under just one genre as it challenges the typical conventions of both horror and thriller individually. The film was made in 1995 and starred big Hollywood actors such as Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. It was directed by David Fincher who had already built a relationship with Brad Pitt in the films Fight Club and the curious case of Benjamin Button.

At the start of the film we see a black male in a kitchen making a hot drink that we can assume is coffee, this along with the ambient noise of a busy city in the background helps us build the assumption that the man is in New York City. We also hear the diegetic sounds of people living in close proximity suggesting that the man is living in a flat. The flat looks to the eye like it is just used as a place to sleep, it looks bland and colourless suggesting that he doesn't care much for his house, also we can gather that there are no women living there as it lacks the feel of a woman's touch.

The man is wearing a suit in the opening sequence which suggests he is well educated and likes to be smart, both these theories are reinforced by evidence later in the sequence. There is a chess board on the table in one of the scenes which suggests he's strategic man and also has patience. We see the man's well presented side again when we see various objects such as pens in a regimented order and a perfectly made bed suggesting that he could be from a military background.

The shot changes to a long shot, the man (detective Sommerset) is wearing a trench coat and trilby styled hat, this is representative of the stereotypical detectives clothes. With Sommerset is a new character named David mills, he is also a detective but you can tell who is the more experienced and professional by there appearances as Mills is wearing a scruffy shirt and tie and isn't clean shaven.

When Mills and Sommerset enter a crime scene containing a dead man who is in a real bad state, Summerset's lack of reaction shows his experience in this field and how he is used to seeing dead bodies and the experience is nothing new to him. We later hear that Sommerset is approaching his retirement which confirms his level of experience in his field.

The titles are very clever in including hints as to the content of the film. They show clips of the murders steps in setting up and planning the killings, this becomes clearer after watching the film and you can reflect back and pick up extra notes on the motive of the killer.