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Kimberly Smith
Dr. Baker Alkarimeh
MDIA 2023-10A
September 12, 2022
Seven-The Story, Lighting & Color
This is the first line in the essay about the story, lighting, and color in the film Se7en. This movie was released in 1995. It was written by Andrew Keven Walker and directed by David Finch. The cast of Se7en includes Morgan Freeman, Brad Pit, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Kevin Spacey. This movie is R rated and is under the suspense and drama category.
Let me start by saying that this movie deserves more analysis than what these several paragraphs contain. This film tells the story of two detectives. One is a seasoned veteran who is days away from retirement, played by Freeman. The other detective, a young hotshot looking to make a name for himself, is played by Pitt. This duo is thrown together to solve seven murders (hence the title) which is the work of a psycho serial killer.
The title of this movie, Se7en, references the seven deadly sins detailed in the epic poem Inferno, written by the Italian writer Dante during the 14th century. Each murder in this film represents one of those seven deadly sins: gluttony, greed, slough, wrath, pride, lust, and envy. This film's lighting and visual elements successfully capture the director's intent to create an environment conducive to presenting these seven unholy attributes.
This movie does not disappoint in utilizing the traditional low-key lighting and drab suspense-filled imagery used to create an "on the edge of your seat" drama. What is different about this movie than
Smith 2 , in other movies (that I have seen) in this genre, this movie keeps the low-key lighting throughout most of the film. In the first scene, the detectives arrive at the crime site. To set the stage, it is a rainy day, and the season is around mid-October. The time is around five thirty in the evening, maybe a little before sunset, sort of a Seattle-ish look for a better understanding.
The detectives are going inside what appears to be a home basement or a ground apartment. There is a noticeable difference. The darkness of the apartment against the backdrop of the cloudy evening sky throws the detectives in silhouette, setting the stage for introducing the second deadly sin. Light peeps through the gap in the door where they enter and from cracks in the wall by the back door. Detective Sommerset, played by Freeman, flips a light switch, and nothing happens. As they move throughout the apartment with their flashlights, there is a wall sconce in the den, two televisions stacked on top of each other, both TVs on, and a sofa lamp, all lending little assistance with lighting. The victim, a large 500lb(maybe) man, sits at the kitchen table with his hands and feet tied and his face in a plate of spaghetti. What is interesting about this scene is that the lighting from the television, wall sconce and lamp leaves the den in darkness but lends light to the adjacent kitchen where the victim is. Of course, the lack of light in this scenario could be attributed to a message the serial killer is attempting to convey.
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Indescribable washed-out shadows are present throughout the apartment. With the help of the detectives' flashlights, the wall sconce reveals dingy, use-to-be white walls with chipped paint, roaches crawling on the floor, and a purplish dead victim. Combined with the gruesome organ music and dim lighting, these details make for the perfect chilling scene.
The grunge aspect is present throughout most of the scenes in the film. The homes of both detectives are unexceptional. With the same dull-colored walls and non-personable characteristic features, both homes could just as well have served as the scene of the following heinous crime. Their wardrobe is appropriately dreary and compliments the setting. Senior detective Sommerset wears the customary khaki trench coat. The young detective Mills, played by Pitt, wears a colorful paisley tie. However, it is overshadowed by the dim lighting and successfully blends in with his other boring attire. The color of the clothes chosen for these detectives was apropos and fit right in with the subject of the scene. Bright clothing or well-dressed dapper detectives would have been distracting, altering the film's tone.
The next scene is the last in the movie. The serial killer, played by Kevin Spacey, has been captured and leads the detectives to two bodies. What is interesting about this scene is that sequential stages appear lighter when the serial killer is captured. That may also be a result of the absence of rain and the fact that this scene takes place outside. The lighting goes from dark to the typical blue overcast seen in movies. The serial killer presumably leads the detectives to two other bodies in the police car. The lighting is dim in the front seat when focused on the detectives
Smith 4 but is lighter when focused on the serial killer. That may occur from the extreme front facing close up of the character or the side lighting used to highlight the serial killer for that dramatic effect. Although the sun is shining, the film gives a sepia tone when the view is from the sky down. This perspective comes from a helicopter following the detective's car.
The final scene occurs in a field where cloudy skies, blue overcast, and the sepia tone seem to run together. As the detective approach their destination, an arsenal of lighting techniques come into play, as the detectives receive an unexpected package from a delivery driver in the middle of no-were. Side lighting, for the dramatic effect, focuses on detective Sommerset as he opens the package sent by the delivery driver. Side lighting continues to take center stage as it focuses on each character's reaction to what is revealed to be in the box.