Directed by David Fincher, “Seven” is a brilliant 1995 crime based film sure to keep viewers hooked. This R rated film follows the lives of Detective William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) and David Mills (Brad Pitt) when they are paired in an investigation trailing a murderer with a disturbing way of choosing his victims. The killer corresponds his murders based on the seven deadly sins—gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, pride, lust, and envy. The most relevant criteria that makes this film so extraordinary is the acting, cinematography and story line. “Seven” could not have had a better cast. It is no surprise that Freeman is an incredible actor, but his partnership with Pitt in the film makes the perfect combination. Somerset portrays a fed up, …show more content…
Gwyneth Paltrow plays Mills wife, Tracy, and depicts herself as a loving wife concerned about the couples move to the new city. Although her appearances throughout the movie are brief, she makes an impact later on in the film. The most intriguing character without a doubt is the infamous serial killer himself. Kevin Spacey plays the genius psychopath behind the murders. He intelligently leaves behind enough Cinematographer, Darius Khondji, and production designer Arthur Max, filmed using a technique referred to as bleach bypass. This means the silver in the film stock is not removed thus giving a shadowy and deeper tone quality. The producers’ goal was to make every scene appear dark and depressing which was most certainly achieved. Maslin describes, “The whole film has a murky, madly pretentious tone,” and continues, “Visually, the effect is that of spending a long time looking at a bowl of oatmeal on a rainy day,” (1).
Because “Seven” takes place in an unidentified city that is wet, dark, and dirty, more suspense is added to the setting. Even scenes shot in broad daylight are dull and gloomy. The approaches taken to the cinematography, such as not revealing the specific location, mirror the dark and mysterious theme. The lighting, set design, and camera angles provide a rich picture with crowded
Throughout the film, the filmmaker follows the three victims around in their everyday lives by using somber music and backgrounds of depressing colors. The documentary starts off with colorful images of the scenery
In effect all the techniques mentioned above portray a society of individuals who are weary of the world they live in. They are rejects who lead a pitiful existence in a wasteland called earth because they are not fit enough to go the out-world colonies. Suppressing their own natural instincts for the sake of physically surviving they really the walking dead. Scientific progress conducted not for the best interests of humanity but for the best interests of business has effectively brought about the progressive degradation of society. By exploiting and destroying the natural world human can no more find solace or beauty so as to recuperate their weary minds and rekindle their dying spirits. In summary the techniques that are unique to film such as camera, lighting, costuming, colour and location works in conjunction with common literary techniques such as visual symbolism, irony and characterisation to effectively convey the relationship between humanity and nature.
The scene in which Margot gets attacked, clever lighting effects are effectively employed by Alfred Hitchcock, to build up the anticipation of the audience and add-on greatly to the element of suspense and thrill present in the scene. It is noticeable how the entire set is dark and only some parts are selectively lit in order to capture audience focus. For example, the scene in which the doorknob turns slowly and the ...
Cinematography John F. Seitz used lighting and camera angles in such a way to create a loneliness and hopefulness atmosphere. The crime scene at the beginning of the film, for example, used a distortion
People flock to horror movies each year. Usually to be scared. Another is to solve the question of Who done it? Unfortunately, a lot of these horror movies fail to scare people or make the killer so obvious the audience gets bored. Occasionally, there are a few horror movies that stick out. Scream, directed by Wes Craven, is one of them. Wes Craven is always toying with the viewer's fears. Always finding ways to scare the audience at every turn. He also plays with the viewer's head, and has them second guessing themselves. How does he do it? Well, as one of the characters in the movie exclaims, "There's a formula to it. A very simple formula. Everybody's a suspect!" This paper will discuss how Craven uses sound, camera shots, and mise en scene
Alfred Hitchcock’s 1954 film Rear Window is truly a masterpiece, as it uses fascinating cinematic elements to carry the story and also convey the meaning of voyeurism. Throughout the film we are in one room, yet that does not limit the story. This causes the viewer to feel trapped, similar to the main character, while also adding suspense to the detective story. The opening scene itself, draws the viewer in. In just five minutes and 27 shots, the viewer is given an introduction to the main character, his lifestyle, his condition, and his neighborhood. The lighting, the costumes, and the set are all presented in a way to catch the viewers eye, compelling them to crave more. Combining vivid lighting, edgy cinematography, and unique set design, Rear Window, proves why Hitchcock is still remembered as one of the greatest and most influential directors of all time.
In the very first scene the audience views there is a man shaving and has radio blaring in the background. An alarm clock goes off in a different apartment and the viewer is trying to find out where the noise is coming from which makes them engaged in the film. The setting creates depth because the audience only sees what Jefferies is viewing. At the dinner party, the music playing in the background set a tone to audience making them feel what he is missing out on. There is an alleyway shown from the window and it very crowded. The alleyway represents Jefferies being isolated
...successful collaboration of sound, colour, camera positioning and lighting are instrumental in portraying these themes. The techniques used heighten the suspense, drama and mood of each scene and enhance the film in order to convey to the spectator the intended messages.
... music is played as a hypnotising music into the silence and beauty of the night. Similarly, these two scenes use the same style of cinematography in filming the unreality. Long shots and extreme long shots are commonly used allowing the audiences to get a big picture of the fantasy and get indulged in the imaginary world. The simplest yet appropriate costumes and make-up are applied to reflect the pure intentions insisted by the characters and their genuine expressions in their fantasy. Both of the films selected have different or similar filming techniques in depicting the characters’ fantasy world, but they consist of the same meaning of creating the fantasy diegesis: that is the portrayal of desire, happiness, innocence and pursuit of dream.
...the predominant theme of disorientation and lack of understanding throughout the film. The audience is never clear of if the scene happening is authentic or if there is a false reality.
The producer was aiming to create mystery and fear. The dark of the night and the description of the house as feeling dead in the protagonist’s narration sets a suspenseful scene filled with fear and tension. The young girl is followed by the camera as she explores the mansion. When entering the room suspected to be that of her aunts the camera leaves her side to pan around the room. The darkness doesn’t reveal everything but one becomes aware of a search. The revelation of little secrets leaves the viewer with many questions. The room is familiar to the protagonist as she finds items symbolic to her and familiar photographs. This familiarity however does not retract from suspicions that something sinister has been hidden. The producer has successfully captivated the viewer. The protagonist is being followed throughout the scene and has thus allowed for the viewer to bond with them. They are engaging with the audience through narration and have in return enticed the viewer to follow them along their journey. One feels nervous for the young girl however through tension in the scene one does not want them to discontinue the journey as too many questions have been left unanswered. One has been drawn into the world of which the protagonist dwells and is intrigued as to how the drama is
In this essay I will be analysing the use of cinematography in two films, using Peeping Tom (1960) directed by Michael Powell and Psycho (1960) directed by Alfred Hitchcock. The reason why I choose these two films is because although they are from the same genre, and from the same period, the methods both films use are similar and at the same time completely different.
A Beautiful Mind may have been developed to be a crowd-pleaser as well as a tear-jerker, because you know this is a man’s life without falsities. It is blatant and true, that’s all. This film proves that there are still instances when Hollywood-produced, big budget movies are worth a viewer's investment of time and money.
...n though they are approached in different ways to make this much more of a Hollywood film, but a work of art nonetheless. This is also more of the kind of film an audience of my age is used to seeing, so approaching it in an analytical setting was very interesting and significant when it came to experiencing the film in a different way. The weaving in between dreams gave the film an essence of French New Wave with the film’s long shots within which ever dream the central group is in, but breaking continuity in order to maintain a connection between each group member stuck in a dream phase. Also, I noticed as the group progressed further into the dreams, each dream world got lighter, however, once the groups falls into to limbo, the lighting is dark and ominous, creating the mysterious vibe that makes the film linger with wonder to the viewer after the conclusion.
Although admittedly some scenes have a comical side to them, Besson's fast paced action and gruesome images hold the tension and suspense brilliantly. His use of close-ups and camera movements, especially the subjective stance used by the victim, convey the feelings felt by the characters and the way in which they behave. Sound plays a crucial role in the opening sequence because, in my view, it is used to control the level of suspense and intrigue.