Se7en - Opening Sequence Analysis

David Fincher’s Se7en Analysis

David Fincher is known for his dark and gritty style and this opening sequence follows suit. It’s a dark atmosphere with only one light to suffice for the entire room; you can only see the outline of Summerset for the first few seconds until you see Morgan Freeman and his noire style detective attire. This is David Fincher’s style and it lends itself greatly to the scene. It gives the effect that what they’re doing isn't happy or nice, but it’s life and it’s just another day on the job for Detective Summerset.

Se7en is largely based around iconography of the characters. You have a specific character archetype for all three of the main characters and in the opening scene you see each archetype in great detail but little amount, for example you will see Morgan Freeman questioning whether or not a small child is okay and get laughed at, because that’s what the city does to you. The city is covered in sin, portrayed by rain; another great effect by Fincher. You’ll notice Brad Pitt’s brash attitude towards police work letting the audience know that he’s the student in this scenario and Freeman’s character knows what’s best and could teach him. Finally through the title sequence you will see Kevin Spacey/The killer meticulously planning and journal writing of murders later to come, almost as if it were foreshadowing, warning the audience that these two characters are dealing with a methodical evil mastermind.

In the scene where Freeman’s character Summerset is lying alone is his house the sound tells much more than the dialogue ever could. The diegetic sound throughout is the ticking metronome and the sounds of the city. This is a highly effective technique and tells us so much about the character. For example all you can hear from the city is violence and crime such as sirens and shouting, Freeman’s character uses the metronome in an attempt to block out all of that, block out his work from when he needs rest. Some may consider this selfish but to an isolated man with the years’ experience that Summerset has had, it’s more logical than selfish.

In conclusion the opening sequence of this film uses a range of effective techniques that grabs the audience fright from the start; using some of David Fincher’s iconic film style and the ability to tell a story just by ambient sound. It sets up the archetypes of the characters without making them too stereotypical and sets the dynamic and tone for the rest of the film.