Se7en Research Task

Portfolio Thriller Research Task
Se7en
The first film I looked at for this research task is the disturbingly powerful Se7en, starring Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt. The movie is about an unidentified city crippling from urban decay, in this city surrounded by crime Detective William Somerset is about to retire after a very successful career. For his final job he's pared with Detective David Mills a cocky, young and short-tempered cop from Springfield. The film follows the two men tracking down the serial killer, John Doe who after years of being hard done to he has decided to use his intellect to make an example of the world. John Doe creates 7 murders demonstrating the seven deadly sins. The film combines so many disturbing sounds and images to make you feel uncomfortable in you're seat. For example the 7 murders are extremely graphic, the example below is of John's demonstartion of Pride. The murder included John Doe badly tearing apart the victims face, glueing a phone to one hand and a bottle of pills to the other giving the victim the choice to ring an ambulance living out the rest of her life with a deformed face or kill herself.

 

A thriller usually consists of a war between a protagonist character or group of pragonists against an antagonist or group of antagonists.The thriller would then include a disruption in the equalibrium, which the protagonists will try and rectify where as the antagonists will try and keep it that way. The protagonist is usuallty a brave male where as the antagonist will have a hidden identity which will be uncovered as the film goes on. The stroyline is designed in such a way that it creates this feeling in the audience that it could happen to them which scares them even more.

Conventions of a Thriller -

• Low key lighting
• Quick cuts
• Shadows
• Tension music
• Changes in the angle shots
• Diegetic sound of breathing
• Black and white shots
• Montage of shots
• Protagonist is in the mercy of the antagonist
• Alot of Close ups and extreme close ups
• Antagonist shots cut quickly and hide there identity.
• Usaully low key shots,silhouettes or shadow of the antagonist
• Music is used to create suspense and tension
• Protagonist wears everyday clothing creating versimilitude
• Antagonist will be in dark clothes.

Se7en uses all of these several times, I'll go through some examples to show clearly when se7en uses certain techniques and what effect it creates. The first is Low key lighting which is abundant in this film, an example is when the cops first find the prostitute who is murdered to demostrate lust in John Doe's sick game. The low key lighting is used to enhance the already disturbing image shown on screen, also to create almost verisimilitude in a very sick manor as the low key lighting shows what a brothel looks like in todays world.

The video above shows very clearly how the convention of music is used in se7en. It is also an example of how the film creates tension as the music is almost uncomfortable to hear as it rockets from fast two slow and almost upsets the listener.
The clip Below shows 2 minutes of the film se7en and in that clip there is at least half a dozen conventions, I'll mention a few to look out for then you can spot the rest. The beatiful use of the camera shows several conventions, the way different angles are used to create tension during the chase as we are unsure what is about to happen next. The way the camera angles can make such a simple chase past a lorry seem so tense to the viewer is remarkable. After John Doe knocks Detective Mills to the ground he is shown to be wearing dark clothes and is not fully shown. Finally to tease the viewer and to keep them guessing on who John Doe is we only see John Doe's body through a reflection in the water and his face is still not clear. The method of leaving the audience constantly guessing and figuring out what could possibly happen next is what gives the film the power to distress and strike fear into viewers still after almost 20 years.