Seven (1995) is a american thriller/horror film based on the seven deadly sins: Gluttony, Envy, Lust, Pride, Sloth, Greed and Wrath. It's packed with gory, graphic and sadistic murders that two detectives, David Mills (Brad Pitt) and William Somerset (Morgan Freeman) must solve before it gets out of hand. To keep the effects of the creepy side to the plot line, the way the film is made and all it's details must be perfected by the creators. There are four important factors that contribute to make the film more authentic to it's genre; Mise en scene, sound, camera angles/shots and Editing.
Mise en scene
Mise en scene is important to completing the entire look of a film, making sure it completely fits to it's genre so it doesn't confuse the audience. The film SE7EN is deep, dark and mysterious it shows throughout mise en scene as settings are all very dark and secretive places, to confuse but intrigue the viewer.
This screen shot is part of an apartment corridor from the film, however you wouldn't expect it to be this dark and dirty in reality. The shadows add even more effect that something may be being hidden from the characters and watchers of the film.
The costumes of the characters are also very important. Pitt and Freeman are both dressed insmart work clothes, they also have guns and badges which will help the viewer to realise they have something to do with the police. The costumes they are always wearing always seem to be dark, there are never any bright colours involved which implies that overall feel of the film is a deep dark secret, even for the "good guys".
During the opening titles of SE7EN, the bible is implied to be a main part of the film as it is a person flicking through a bible. It is important that the colours in the opening sequence are dull and dismal because it portrays the entirety of the film being dark and mysterious; keeping the viewer scared before the film itself has even began.
Sound
In the small clip from the opening credits that is attached, the sounds implies the genre of the film very subtly.
The non-diegetic sound, the track playing; Nine Inch Nails - Closer is very sinister and almost confusing. It messes with your thoughts as it has different types of sounds playing together that you wouldn't usually put together in a track. With this being the beginning to the film, it implies that what is coming up in the film will also being sinister and confusing, therefore it is foreshadowing the future of the film. This music is key to making this film a thriller because it gives a sense of tension, nerves and slight panic.
Sound is important throughout the film SE7EN as it plays with the viewers mind, keeps them confused and guessing until the final twist to the film. Without the soundtrack in SE7EN it would not be as eerie and mysterious as it is, it plays a very important factor on making sure it is a thriller film.
Camera Angles/Shots
In the opening sequence for SE7En it shows somebody flicking through pages of the bible methodically, looking at photos and somebody cutting his own thumbprints off.
However it is the close up shots that help the viewer to understand what will happen later in the film, as it focuses onto somebody crossing out certain words in the bible.
There are also many shots of photos being cut up and stuck down into a book, this could foreshadow that a character may be stalking another character. It could also imply the idea of a serial killer picking out victims, which will start to make the viewer feel nervous about what is to come, this helps the film to fall under the genre of a thriller.
Editing
The cuts in the opening titles are quite fast straight cuts that go well with the background music, they also fit well to the person flicking through the bible quickly. It also has flashes/shutter effects between each shot, implying confusion of whats going on to build the nerves of the audience. Editing is important between each shot because it shows sinister parts with quick cuts, implying something bad is happening fast.
Titles
The titles for the film reflect what is going to happen in the rest of the film, it is foreshadowing that the entire theme is something to do with a religion as someone is using a bible. It also implies that somebody has committed a murder or crime, because they are cutting of the tops of their fingers to remove fingerprints. Everything included in the titles implies something to do with crime, murder and religion which helps the viewer to understand what they are about to watch.
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