analysis of narrative structure in seven Narrative and characters A film about two homicide detectives desperate hunt for

a serial killer who justifies his crimes as absolution for the worlds ignorance of the Seven Deadly Sins. The movie takes us from the tortured remains of one victim to the next as the sociopathic John Doe sermonizes to Detectives Sommerset and Mills one sin at a time. The sin of Gluttony comes first and the murderers terrible capacity is graphically demonstrated in the dark and subdued tones characteristic of film noir. The seasoned and cultured Somerset researches the Seven Deadly Sins in an effort to understand the killers modus operandi while green Detective Mills scoffs at his efforts to get inside the mind of a killer The narrative of seven is linear, the story begins with a beginning, middle and end, in this chronological order. The narrative structure of seven is omniscient, we see the story from more than one characters point of view. We see the story from both Pitt and Freemans point of view the protagonists of the film. however restricted narrative is used at the end of seven when freeman looks into the box in which serial killer John Doe played by Kevin Spacey claims to have Pitts character, Detective David Mills, girlfriends head, Tracy inside the box. neither the viewer or detective mills are shown what is in the box and this an example of restricted narrative as we only see this from detective mills point of view. seven also has a closed narrative, in which the film comes to a resolution. although it can also be seen as an open narrative which is when a story has no resolution at the end. events are left open for the plot to continue because brad pitt, detective mills has shot the killer after finding out he killed his wife, tracy, played by gwyneth paltrow. analysis of location Detective Somersets House The first location we see in seven is Detective somersets house, his house is neat, tidy and organised reflecting somersets character and personality. This is a contrast to the setting youd expect to see in a typical thriller, as most thriller locations are claustrophobic and messy. his house is brightly lit almost angelic like probably a reference to his good nature. his house comes across as simple and minimalist suggesting freeman feels detached from his home as he goes on to later say to Kathy, his detective's girlfriend that he wouldnt raise a baby in this city and this can be seen as freeman feeling as though the world outside is complicated and unsafe so his home is the complete opposite so that he can feel safe and be in a uncomplicated environment. Dark Room

We also see a dark room in seven, this location is an ideal location of what youd expect to see in a thriller. Red lighting is used in here to convey danger and the vile nature of the grotesque images that are in this dark room. The space within the dark room is small and and confined. the dark room makes the viewer uneasy and on the edge of the seat. the dark room as helps establish the psychological mind set of serial killer John Doe. the dark room also shrouds the viewers mind with mysteries and questions as to who the people are in these pictures in the dark room. analysis of colours The colours black, brown and cream appear to be common colours throughout seven. This gives a dark approach and feel and compliments the diegetic lighting in achieving an mysterious approach. The colours and lighting also help the audience establish what genre of film they are watching, for example, if the colours were primary colours and the lighting was non diegetic then the audience will get the sense its a happy upbeat film, if the colours are dark and dismal then that also reflects to the audience that this film will probably be full of mystery or action.

analysis of narrative structure The narrative of seven is linear, the story begins with a beginning, middle and end, in this chronological order. The narrative structure of seven is omniscient, we see the story from more than one characters point of view. We see the story from both Pitt and Freemans point of vie w the protagonists of the film. however restricted narrative is used at the end of seven when freeman looks into the box in which serial killer John Doe played by Kevin Spacey claims to have Pitts character, Detective David Mills, girlfriends head, Tracy inside the box. neither the viewer or detective mills are shown what is in the box and this an example of restricted narrative as we only see this from detective mills point of view. seven also has a closed narrative, in which the film comes to a resolution. although it can also be seen as an open narrative which is when a story has no resolution at the end. events are left open for the plot to continue because brad pitt, detective mills has shot the killer after finding out he killed his wife, tracy, played by gwyneth paltrow. mise en scene props clock - detective somerset is due to retire in 6 days, so for him its race against time to solve the murder cases within this time frame. to show that time is running out for somerset a clock is used to represent this. it can also be said that the clock is a symbol of somersets age. the use of the clock stresses the time somerset has left. it can also be said its although time is against somerset, he may feel solving a case in 6 days is impossible as most police cases are solved

after months or even years have passed. but the clock is also a foreshadowing of the killers ability to always be on time and ahead of somerset and his detective partner mills. guns and weapons - in using guns and weapons shows the viewer how extremely dangerous the killer is. guns are common weapons police detectives used so this would authenticate somerset and mills ranking as detectives for the audience. the guns and the weapons also show the psychopathic nature of the killer. torch - the torch is a foreshadowing of good trying to prevail over darkness. the torch is used as this is an unknown place and location is dark. when a torch is used in a thriller its either because a character is lost and trying to find their way out, being chased by someone or trying to univel or decipher something. the torch shows they have no clue as to where they are and that the location is dangerous and that anything could be looming around the corner. helicopter - in police situations helicopters are called in to the most serious of situations, in using a helicopter is conveys to the viewer just how serious this police investigation is. it also shows just how much of a threatening criminal John Doe is and that he must be found at all costs.