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.