SE7EN

Se7en deadly sins

• Gluttony

• Greed

• Sloth

• Lust

• Pride

• Envy

• Wrath

“One of the great tragedies of mankind is that morality has been hijacked by religion… But the basis of morality is really very simple and doesn't require religion at all.”― Arthur C. Clarke

David FincherFilmography:

• Alien 3 (1993)

• Se7en (1995)

• The Game (1997)

• Fight Club (1999)

• Panic Room (2002)

• Zodiac (2007)

• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

• The Social Network (2010)

• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2012)

• Gone Girl (2014)

• The Girl Who Played with Fire (TBA)

David Fincher• Consistent themes:

• Death (Alien 3, Fight Club, Panic Room, Zodiac, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Gone Girl)

• Distrust of authority (Alien 3, Fight Club, Panic Room, Zodiac, The Social Network)

• Mental Illness (Alien 3, Fight Club, Zodiac, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

• Moral Ambiguity (Alien 3, Fight Club, Panic Room, Zodiac, The Social Network, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,

• Self-Discovery/Multiple Personality (Alien 3, Fight Club, Panic Room, Zodiac, The Social Network, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)

Task: Where do these themes appear in Se7en?

Death

• Martyrdom (Religious Angle)

• Is murder unconditionally wrong? (Religious Angle; Ties into Moral Ambiguity)

• Punishment (Death Penalty) or Reward (Suicide)?

Distrust of Authority

• The American City (90s and Crime; Mayor character; Dirt and Rain)

• The Police (Ending; Captain character)

• The Church (History of Religion)

Mental Illness

• Typical Representation? (Other films; Doe’s cover as press guy)

• Is John Doe really Inhibited? (Ending)

Moral Ambiguity

• John Doe’s victims (Are they really innocent?)

• Ending – are we on Mills’ side? (Alignment)

Self Discovery/Multiple Personality

• Somerset’s Character Arch

• Mills’ Character Arch

• John Doe and disguise

David Fincher’s Style• Has directed music videos for artists including:

• Nine Inch Nails

• Madonna

• George Michael

• The Rolling Stones

• Sting

• Aerosmith

• Justin Timberlake

David Fincher’s StyleTrailers/Openings:

• Panic Room

• Fight Club

Music Videos:

• Nine Inch Nails

• Madonna

David Fincher’s Style• Cinematography and Lighting

• Mise-en-Scene

• Colour

• Sound/Music

• Editing

Task: How are these Micro elements used in Se7en?

Cinematography and lighting

• Camera Movement

• Use of different types of focus

• Tight framing

• Chiaroscuro Lighting

• Practical Lighting

Mise-en-Scene

• How is the city represented?

• Iconography?

• Performance

Colour

• Hot and cool colours

• Contributes to Chiaroscuro effect

Sound/Music

• All diegetic apart from score

• Music central to certain scenes

• ‘Underscoring’

Editing

• Speed? Technique?

• Average Shot Length? (Music videos)

Characters

• Mills

Characters

• Somerset

Characters

• John Doe

Characters

• Tracy

How does Se7en correspond with spectatorship theory?

• Dyer and Utopian Pleasures

• Blumler et al and Uses and Gratifications Theory

• Hall and Reception Theory

Utopian Pleasures

• Can we use Se7en to escape reality?

• Marketing of the film

Uses and Gratifications theory

• Will we use Se7en for:

• Information?

• Personal Identity?

• Integration/Social Interaction?

• Entertainment?

Reception theory

• Dominant Reading?

• Negotiated Reading?

• Oppositional Reading?