How does the director establish character in the pre-title sequence of Se7en?

How does the director establish character in the pre-title sequence of Se7en?

The director uses the setting, mise en scene and enigma to establish the characters in the pre-title sequence. 

 The film opens with the detective in his home. The room establishes his character because the objects connote his loneliness such as the chess- board, which also connotes his intelligence. Also there are animal ornaments on the shelves which implies that they belonged to his late wife which emphasises his loneliness. The camerawork creates no head space, the director deliberately does this to suggest he's stuck in this world that he wants to escape from, and the framing makes the shot claustrophobic. The use of quadrants brings focus on the props, as in the corner of the screen are the animal ornaments and at the bottom of the screen there is the chess board then the character is in the centre of the shot, this could be to connote all the aspects of his life and draw attention to his loneliness.

The detectives objects are neatly arrange and summarise the important things in his life. The gold police badge signifies his important status and professionalism. The knife connotes violence, suggesting he is involved in a dangerous lifestyle and it could foreshadow things to come. The pen shows he is smart and the rose suggests he is sentimental, and it creates an enigma as it could have belonged to his wife or be a reminder of her. 


This shot shows him removing a speck of dirt from his jacket, neatly laid out on the bed. This connotes his obsessive cleanliness and sense of order.







The director uses lighting to establish character. There is a shallow focus on the other detective in the background , him being out of focus brings the attention on detective Somerset, it also implies that the detective isn't as superior or significant in the plot of the film.

  The director introduces detective Mills . His character is established when he checks out a passing woman then he bumps into a man angrily and the second time a man moves passed him he moves out of the way. This connotes that he is overconfident of his status and sometimes arrogant. It could also suggest that the people aren't very nice or friendly there. 

 The setting is very bleak and the director uses diegetic sounds to emphasise this such as when it's constantly raining and the police sirens, which connote that the city is dangerous. This shot of the two characters is a low angle shot which makes it seem uncomfortable between them as there is a conflict of power between them. The setting also connotes imprisonment as there are bars on all the buildings emphasising the characters feeling of being trapped in this city. 

Detective Somerset sleeps with a metronome ticking next to him. The metronome creates an enigma as it gives a sense of curiosity into why he listens to it while he's sleeping. This gives an insight into the detective's character as it signifies time ticking away or his life running out, which could also suggest he is traumatised by the things he has seen in his job. 

 

From looking at the opening of Se7en I have taken ideas from it on how I can use this to help plan my own thriller opening. I would like to use similar techniques in the planning of my opening such as how the character is established through the use of props. Also I will think about the location, as in se7en the grim setting connotes the characters entrapment which I could take ideas from by looking at the metaphorical locations, such as bars on buildings or a tunnel, to connote the character wanting to escape.