Analysis of ‘Se7en’ screen grabs
The shot is a close up, showing a detective’s equipment on a
table. A knife is shown in the centre of this scene, as it is the item of most
importance. The knife is important as it foreshadows danger and violence. A pen
is also shown slightly off centre, to remind us of the slightly more boring
tasks that come with being a detective. The setting of this scene is the
interior of the detective’s apartment. This fits the conventions of a thriller
film as the lighting is low, and the apartment looks slightly run down. The
shot directly after this, is of the detective picking these items up, this is
significant as it links a character to these items.
This is a mid-shot showing a medic carting off a body bag,
and a police officer putting up police tape. It is also a two shot. One of the
characters in this shot is wearing a police uniform, which reminds us that a
crime has just occurred which makes the audience feel unsettled. It is raining
in this scene which has connotations of misery and depression. This scene is
set on the exterior of a block of flats. The fact that the building looks old
and rundown makes the scene feel more dangerous and gritty. This scene isn’t
particularly well lit which fits the conventions of a thriller film. This also
adds an element of mystery and uneasiness to the scene. There is a body bag at
the side of this shot. This is to tell the audience that this is a dangerous
situation and that a crime has been committed.
There is also police tape in this scene which makes the audience feel
cautious.
This shot is a mid-shot showing the main two detectives
inspecting a crime scene, and the grand surroundings. It is also a two shot.
The two characters in this scene are dressed similarly to fit in with the
detective dress code. One of the characters is even wearing a stereotypical
fedora that is associated with detectives. They are both holding flashlights
which indicates that they are searching for something. Flashlights also come
with an element of danger and uneasiness as you don’t know what you are looking
at. This scene is set in the interior of a very run down, old house. This fits
with the thriller genre as it brings a sense of abandonment. The two characters
in this scene are opposites which is stereotypical in a buddy cop scenario. The
lighting in this scene is extremely low key, which makes the audience feel on
edge as they don’t know what’s ahead.
This shot is a close up, showing a dead man with his head in
spaghetti. The dress of the man shows us that he has probably been dead for a
while. This scene is set in the interior of an old, run-down apartment. This
fits in with the conventions of a thriller film as it makes the scene feel
gritty. They have used an unattractive actor in this scene to make the scene
feel even grittier and real. The lighting in this scene is extremely low key.
This makes the apartment feel even more abandoned, and makes the audience feel
on edge.
This shot is a mid-shot, showing the two main detectives and
a forensic pathologist examining a corpse. This is also a three shot. This
scene is set in a morgue which makes the audience feel uneasy as it is a room
filled with dead bodies. This setting fits in the with the thriller genre as it
is unsettling. The character at the centre of the scene is the forensic
pathologist, which is significant as this character is linked closely with
death. He is also wearing a shirt with blood on it which has connotations of
violence. This scene is quite dimly lit which fits in with the thriller genre.
This makes the scene feel mysterious and creates dramatic tension. In the
background, typical morgue inventory is shown clearly. This is done to make the
scene feel more realistic. Also blood is shown in the foreground of this scene
which makes the audience feel on edge.
