se7en

Se7en- how do mise on scene and editing establish character and situation in the opening two minutes?

Thrillers generally establish there genre immediately this is achieved in a multiple ways that I am going to explore. Se7en is a crime, mystery, thriller hybrid. This means that thriller is just an element of the piece and it is not solely based around the thriller principles. The thriller genre is renowned for its plots to surround a hard type character, that through accident or occupation is led to face a villain. Thrillers have a close link with mystery however the bold difference is that in a thriller the leads are trying to prevent what’s going to happen next, rather than uncover what has happened. Se7en is a typical thriller, two cops uncovering a murder, following clues in an attempt to prevent more from happening.

The question I have been asked is to establish how Mise-en-scene and editing establish character and situation in the opening. As this is an opening I would expect to see credits of some form and to see a character or event significant to the film. As this is a thriller my guess is that it will follow conventions of a typical thriller film, the opening may not consist of an establishing shot as to create confusion and suspense as to where we are. The shot may be tight and not give to much away again to create a mystery around the characters.

The first thing that appears before the movie is the distributing company credit. This not only establishes the companies associated with the film but also raises some audience expectation. Newline cinema is quite a large company therefore they will be a rather high budget of the film. Strong cast and direction also creates the idea its going to be a good film. Around 1995, the time of release for ‘Se7en’, Newline were producing mostly martial arts thrillers this may come through in ‘Se7en’.

The first shot consists of a character played by Morgan Freeman in what we believe to be his kitchen, this is mundane and suggests he is an ordinary guy. The use if set is simple, however as the kitchen is clean and structured it suggests the character is organised, minimal ornaments and applications suggest he is either not wealthy or he is not home allot which coincides with his occupation later.

We then cut to a shot of a him placing his tie on in a mirror, again this suggests organisation and possible occupation, we then pan up to see his face, this close up reveals his plain faced expression that suggests this is not for a special occasion or that he has done it many times, again leading to the idea of his appearance being occupation based.

It is within the next shot this character becomes clear, the use of prop (badge) informs us he works within the police force. Again the organisation of the prop reveals more about the character having been in the job for a while. We can now associate the badge with the clothes and come to the conclusion he is a detective. The pen, knife and gun show how his work ranges in action.

The next cut goes to a high angled mid shot of a dead body; we assume it to be dead as although we cannot define the colour due to the dark lighting there appears to be a pool of blood surrounding it. This creates confusion as we are unsure if this is a cut to another location or it is within Morgan Freeman’s characters home, in the back of our mind we assume he commited the murder raising questions of his character.

The change in location becomes clear a simple cut to the next shot reveals Morgan Freemans character in a corridor, the low key lighting stays the same to maintain the continuity, it also creates a dark, eerie effect creating a tension and suspense. It becomes clear that he is investigating the scene of the murder reinstating his clear character as a detective.

In conclusion, the mise en scene and editing of the opening sequence produces a tension and suspense surrounding the film. Through use of realistic location and mixing natural and low key lighting a realism is created to match the moods of the film. In terms of character establishment, key information is given such as occupation and few characteristics to gain audience expectation and question.

Opening Of A Thriller By Sonja Moss

How Lighting and Sound is Used in the Thriller Se7en


Film: Se7en
Year Created: 1995
Director: David Fincher
Writer: Andrew Kevin Walker
Starring: Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey

The film Se7en is a Police Drama/Thriller. It is about two homicide detectives who are hunting for a serial killer. This thriller portrays the exploits of a deranged serial killer. His victims are seven people who are (to him) representatives of the seven deadly sins. The killer views himself as the Sword of God, handing out horrific punishment to these ‘sinners’.

At the beginning of this film there is only background noise from what I can only make out to be a TV or radio and also what sounds like busy traffic outside of his apartment, although background noise is very busy it is quiet and hard to hear this makes the audience focus on the character and his actions. The busy background noise conflicts with the calm visual atmosphere that the audience are witnessing. This conflict could represent the calm and relaxed atmosphere of the character at home and the busy and hectic career the character leads.

The lighting in this shot is not dim yet it is not bright either. There is light coming from what I can only assume is a small window in-between cupboards, this light highlights the white kitchen furniture in the room but the curtains/net curtains are dark. This blocks out the rest of the natural light which could be used to fill the room with light. This could have been done to portray the characters feelings that surround him. The light being him calm and relaxed home life and the dark representing his homicide case at work as it is dark and he is surrounded by death.

In the next shot there is still all of the busy background noise and also the TV dialogue but it seems slightly louder than the previous shot this could be to make the audience feel uncomfortable and as if there is atmospheric pressure building around the apartment.

The lighting in this shot is quite bright and you are able to see everything within the shot clearly. It is an over the shoulder shot of the character and you can see him in the mirror that is in front of him but you cannot see his head you can only see his white and black. This could represent a clear vision of how the character see’s life, mainly in black and white.

In the next shot there is still the same background noise and no dialogue from the character. This still makes the audience feel like the atmospheric pressure is still mounting getting more and more as the character gets closer to being ready.

The light comes from the left side of the frames. This fully lights up the left half of the shot and the right half is very dimly lit. This could represent the battle between light and dark within the characters lifestyle, the constant switching between calm and relaxed home life and death surrounded work life.

In the next shot the lighting highlights the characters face to show his neutral expression on his face. The background lighting is varied depending on the distance between the camera and the different props. This makes the audience feel uncomfortable as you cannot tell anything about the character or what will happen next. The noise in the background is almost silent in this shot. This could show that the character is further away from the noise source than he originally was.

In the next shot the sound is still very busy and much like a city centre in rush hour. It is slightly louder than in the last shot to show that the character has moved closer to the noise source again. The lighting in this shot highlights the characters cleanliness and organisation. The light could also represent his pride in his home life.

In the next shot the lighting is very dim but there is enough light to highlight the body on the floor and the pool of blood that surrounds him. The light could represent the life that is no longer and also the ‘white light’ of death. There is still the sound of a TV in the background but the characters have dialogue over the top of the background noise.

The lighting and sound in this opening sequence portrays the conflicts in life of a homicide inspector and him having such varied emotions through his job and home. You can tell he is a person to himself as everything in his home is all specifically place and all organised to his routines.

Lighting problem

Our first issue is that the college does not have the equipment we require. The only lights they have to offer are spots with only 15 minutes of lighting power, not sufficient for our shoot. In order to get round this problem we may have to hire from an external source.

what were shooting.

we are cross cutting between a guy rushing through a wood for a reason unknown to the audience and a group of unknown teens who pull into a car park take a tied up teen out of the boot, tie him to a tree and burn him alive for a reason unknown top the audience. we bring the two together in a shot of character 1 arriving at the scene a little while after the gang have left, he sees the body and a relationship between the two is shown. we want to raise the questions of what is their relationship? Who are they? what has the dead character done? and who were they who tied him up? we use both restricted and unrestricted narrative with the audience knowing more than character 1 about whats happened, but restricted in the sense that an enigma is created.

Lighting

Lighting the shoot is going to be pretty simplistic, we need to create a natural effect. to do this i will use a 3 point lighting system but not use domes to create a harsh tone on the characters depending on the shot i may not use a fill light.The lighting will be mixed high key and low key but always using a harsh tone. we want realism so not much shadow work will be needed. In the later scenes i will need to focus on specific body parts and may play with this. I need to ensure the makeup looks real so i intend to use mainly a back light to create a shadow over the burns. this will darken them and harshen the nooks and crannies in the hands.

1st script innfluence

After deciding on the story and developing characters we wanted to create a little bit of dialogue to assist the cinematography and establish some character for the film. The complicated part is making the story suffice as not only an intro but as a scene we can lead into later in the story as it is also part of the ending. we wanted to make it gritty and try to avoid the Hollywood style of thrillers. I went for diolouge based on that of British gang films such as snatch. To add a thrilling effect i brought the lords prayer in as religion is a thrilling subject and can be used in many ways. One character uses it for redemption before death, another as a power statement. It is a very dramatic speech and works extremely well in the sense of a strong opening and ending to the film.

1st draft script

As the car pulls up

(muffled speech)
Jonty: Stay in the car.

Sonja: No, I want to be part of this.

Bex: you always wanna be part of everything.

Junior: Just get back in the car.

Jonty: Get him out the trunk. (normal speech) He’s bleeding all over my fucking seats.

Junior:(He gets Dan out boot) Ha ha, he looks a lil car sick. Enjoy the ride did ya soppy bollocks.

Jonty: don’t play with him you tit. Let’s get it over with.


Tying him to tree

Jonty: don’t tie him up too hard, we don’t want him to suffocate to death.

Junior: He’s pissed himself. Look at him, wet like a fucking baby.

Jonty: Get on with it. we don’t have long.

Dan: (starts mumbling)

Junior: he’s praying. He’s fucking praying.

Jonty: forgive me father, for I am about to sin! You’re pathetic. You live your life pissing all over gods creations and now, now your about to fucking burn. You ask forgiveness. (spits in his face).

Dan: (at Jonty) Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours. Now and for ever. Amen

Crew and Cast list

Producers-
Bex White
Dan Shambrook
Luke Graham
Sonja Moss

Director-
Luke Graham
Sonja Moss
Bex White

Actors-
Daniel Shambrook
Jonty Egginton
Junior Ogwal
Bex White
Sonja Moss


Storyboard artist-
Luke Graham

Camera operator-
Luke Graham

Location Scouts-
Luke Graham
Bex white
Sonja Moss
Dan Shambrook

Make-up/Costume/Hair-
Sonja Moss
Bex White

Lighting-
Daniel Shambrook

Edited by-
Luke Graham
Bex White
Sonja Moss
Daniel Shambrook

Synopsis of film- District 49

Gareth borrows money from a friend in return for his services. When he becomes stuck Gareth asks his brother Tommy for some help. Tommy and Gareth work together on the streets, making deals, muggings and getting information on the local gangs. When Gareth is found to have been double crossing he is kidnapped and driven to a wood Tommy chases hoping to catch them before Gareth is burnt alive. This film follows the love of two brothers, friendship and loyalty as the two learn to put aside their differences to overcome the more serious issues.