How David Fincher tricked us with Color in Se7en

[@wolfcrow]

Download My Free Ebook! How to Make Stunning Films on a Budget. My Proven Secrets: wolfcrow.com/free-ebook/

[@maitreyimittal3742]

I thought he ran out of budget for rain machines

[@antoinepetrov]

Lol

[@RoshDroz]

Water too 'spensive

[@kennethmullen-qe9hg]

There was not anything left with to load the machines, thanks to Kevin Costner and _Waterworld!_ Lmfao!

[@userJohnSmith]

Sometimes it's both.

[@jeremyleonbarlow]

Se7en was a masterpiece on the page of the original script. Fincher kicked it up a notch, but the contribution of Andrew Kevin Walker's script should not be discounted. Se7en was the first film that I had ever read the script to before I watched it. I got the script in film school about 2 weeks before the film released in theaters. I read it in one sitting that took just about the same amount of time to read as the running time. Knowing who was in the movie and having read the script, and having seen the trailers it was the only time I've ever walked into a theater knowing that a film was going to be a grand slam home run. The marketing team were also very smart. Not letting the whole world know that Kevin Spacey who at that point was best known for his turn as Verbil Kint &... well 🤫 was even in the film was an amazing reveal and one of the touches that does make Se7en Fincher's best work.

[@LatchKey1]

wow. how'd you manage to get your hands on the script back in the day? It was so hard to do that in the 90s :(

[@jeremyleonbarlow]

@@LatchKey1 I was in film school and they were selling them at the student mall. I had The Usual Suspects and Pulp Fiction too.

[@shredheadterminal]

@@LatchKey1 It's a load of BS. Filmmakers don't go around distributing scripts to film schools before the movie is released wtf, lol.

[@ajstclair]

curious, doesn't sound like the early original submission, before the studio said "we can't kill a brad pitt!" then they created scenes w/ "a wife" and changed the ending. shooting the original would have been highest level, this version was fine but watered down....hollywood.

[@jeremyleonbarlow]

@@shredheadterminal it wasn't "distributed" I bought it at a pop up store in a student mall. I bought "The Usual Suspects," and "Pulp Fiction" at the same pop up. It was probably totally bootleg, but I assure you that is true as is the story classmate Joe Lynch told about us catching the end of Wes Craven's New Nightmare in between us watching Pulp Fiction for the second time on its release weekend back to back in an article on Wired. It wasn't quite as interesting of a story as our quest to watch Natural Born Killers a month before, but it happened.

[@MadelineMysterious]

I actually liked brad pitt's acting in that final moment, it was relatable and real and out of control. I look forward to it everytime i watch this film.

[@MadelineMysterious]

had to fix the typo!

[@jacobp8294]

​@@MadelineMysteriousI want you

[@lerecklessbadger2411]

Gimmicky.. but yes I get it, people like entertainment.

[@zodiacstorm]

I can't think of another film character that shows that level of emotion of being utterly broken. and without the aid of lines of dialogue.

[@williamsomerset1250]

I have persoanlly never understood how Pitt's acting in the final scene has become the go-to joke for bad acting. I thought he nailed it and I think a percentage of the dislikers perhaps don't like it because it is not the cliche actor reaction that we have been programmed to expect. Or maybe not. Either way, I love it.

[@dameanvil]

00:13 🎨 Color in "Se7en" shifts dramatically for impact, using warm tones in the climax against the film's predominantly cold, gloomy palette. 01:47 🏙 The city's exterior in "Se7en" is consistently cold and blue, contrasting sharply with warm, orange interiors, symbolizing safety amid a bleak environment. 02:55 🎬 Due to film processing, colors in "Se7en" were desaturated, necessitating deliberate use of lighting and set design to introduce colors relevant to each of the seven deadly sins represented in the murders. 04:18 💀 Each murder scene in "Se7en" represents a deadly sin, employing specific color schemes such as black for gluttony, blue reflecting greed, green for sloth, and red for lust. 07:17 🔍 The warm, deceptive lighting in the climactic scene of "Se7en" creates a false sense of security, contrasting with the film's established color schemes and signaling a departure from obscured morality. 08:54 🦈 Similar to Jaws' score, "Se7en" strategically subverts color and setting expectations to deceive the audience, relying on the success of the final scene to uphold its intricate storytelling.

[@jorgebarreto5093]

Se7en is my fav movie and your analysis is beautiful. A masterclass in the psichology of color. Great job!

[@wolfcrow]

Thank you!

[@thenout]

Thanks, always appreciate your show. Just FYI, you might want to check out the featurettes on the good ol' Se7en DVD. You'll be led through a color grading course with the film's colorist while he's operating on a Baselight. He breaks down all the masks he used in the final scene etc. The most crucial thing to note however is that the film was re-graded for the DVD, as they only had a classic analog DaVinci at the film's release, which of course didn't have secondaries or even masks (if memory serves correctly). The film you show here looks significantly different from the original film print.

[@wolfcrow]

The original was timed at Deluxe, Would love to see it again, projected.

[@tylero8595]

God damn. Se7ven is 29 years old now???? WTF. I saw it in the theatre.

[@LatchKey1]

another great video... odd to call out brad performance... seems arbitrary in a video about colour and cinematography. I actually liked his performance throughout the film. Really love your videos and can't wait to see the next one!

[@remlya]

Unexpected you would not like Pitt’s performance in the final scene since Morgan Freeman admits in the Seven audio commentary that he failed to convey the situation. He finds her head in a box yet acts like it’s a mild inconvenience. I’ve always loved Pitt’s breakdown.

[@wolfcrow]

It's interesting. One can explain Morgan Freeman's lack of emotion as shock or as being so used to such scenes throughout his career. He's not one to overreact. I'm not saying that's what happened, but it's certainly within the realm of plausibility.

[@emanuelebresciani6281]

Also, I would say that Somerset's reaction comes from realizing John Doe's plan and trying to de-escalate the situation in order to not let Mills do what Doe supposed he would do. I always thought he was doing the right thing, honestly.

[@mutavhello6654]

​@emanuelebresciani6281 That was my take away as well. He knew what was about to happen and tried his best to prevent it.

[@sparrowprince3432]

Mild inconvenience? Did we watch the same scene? Somerset literally gasped when he opened the box and took a giant step back, in fear. He was shocked silly.

[@enriquemunoz6148]

This was really great breakdown of color and shot compositions. Truly. Thanks for making it.

[@wolfcrow]

You’re welcome!

[@quitepernicious6041]

Very interesting perspective. One of my favourite films too. And one of the most underrated. The Academy Awards that year went to "Braveheart", "Apollo 13", "The Usual Suspects"... Spacey's performance in the film, however short, is unparalleled.

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Not really, it was a mean film and there wasn't enough attention paid to any of the victims because they had to have 7 murders completed during the movie. I think as a TV show it may have worked, but the entire film was hijacked by the premise to it's won detriment. There should have either been fewer murders or it should have been a much, much longer film. In the years snce I saw it, I've had absolutely no interest in watching it again just because none of it really mattered. He was going to kill 7 people and by the point in the movie where the stakes should be getting higher, they don't, they just drop lower and lower. You do get a bit of a bump in that scene waiting for the delivery, but that's way too late.

[@Samas_R_Counts]

I've never been more mentally disturbed by a movie than Se7en. It's an epic cinematic story.

[@TomLis-u3o]

watch 8mm with Nicolas Cage

[@luciferfernandez7094]

Just to appreciate your no influencer bs approach in your break downs: perfectly explained, straight to the point and beautifully illustrated. Way back when I watched Seven on the theater screen it was the first time that I wondered “how did they light that?” Hot take: if Seven is the best photographed Fincher film, his second is Alien 3. Third is Benjamin Button (although I really hate that film) and the the Social Network. I’d like you to tackle Bresson’s Pickpocket.

[@mrScififan2]

This is wonderful. You made me love this movie even more!

[@nork24]

I just want to say, thank you! Keep up this great work and you have my sub.

[@TimVels]

Didn't think about colors or much of the video aspect while watching. This is really so cool to know how colors are taken in to consideration for this movie! 😊

[@wolfcrow]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@TimVels]

@@wolfcrow truly! 🙏🙏

[@Grognakwf]

I never do anything on the side when I watch your videos. It gives me an idea of what it takes to make a good movie that is pleasant to watch.

[@DrJohnnyApocolypse]

I’d say Pitt’s performance of the breakdown was fairly accurate if you’ve ever seen someone completely break and loose everything it can be pretty hysterical but I’d say the absolute best breakdown I’ve ever seen in this regard would be Andrew Lincoln in walking dead, when Rick hears Judith cry for the first time and he looks in Carl’s dead eyes and knows that Laurie is dead.. the hysteria before he just collapses to the floor… Broken..

[@BLUEDELUCA]

I saw this in the theater, reluctantly. The trailers made it seem like a generic serial killer flick, Fincher was coming of Alien 3 which i was still angry about and Brad Pitt was still in his pretty boy phase……man i can still remember how it felt to watch that flick unfold and how riveted i was during the third act.

[@aleksisuuronen5969]

Even tho yes it is mostly about the deception, but there also is enough of green in the shots as grass to portray John being envy and while yes the shakcking is the stricken panic but also ties in with wrath.

[@RyanMichero]

Darius Khondji is underrated. And, man, this is a really great case-study for storytelling with cinematography and color. Not sure I agree with every line in the script (hard to say this means that without direct confirmation from Khondji/Fincher), but overall you make a very compelling case. Se7en is a tough watch (grim AF!), but the visual storytelling is masterful. Great video!

[@wolfcrow]

Thank you!

[@robertdouble559]

Underrated? By ignorant fools or people too young to remember his 1990s output maybe. To the rest of us he was the KING OF DARKENESS through the 1990s and one of the top DoPs, more elite than even Roger Deakins at the time. To people with taste anyway.

[@lerecklessbadger2411]

A friend of mine worked with him on a commercial. He was all dressed in white, spotless...

[@drefrazier4266]

​@@robertdouble559you do know what underrated means, right?

[@lowlowseesee]

one correction though, this 10:21 is not a tight close up. thats for sure a low angle yet tilted up shot of a Medium close up. main tell being that the shot bottom border is at the middle of his chest. any tight close up wouldn't have this much going on

[@rw3452]

Great break down. I think you could spend hours deep diving into this movie. What did you think about the context of the flash frame at the end and were there any colour implications to it?

[@ina00203]

Was waiting for your videos and film analysis, thank you for sharing the knowledge

[@mdturnerinoz]

I have always found the color pallet in this movie compelling; now I know why; thanks!

[@wolfcrow]

You're very welcome!

[@newdefsys]

I love this movie, I've watched it several times, but the last act is bit jarring. The entire film is in a rainy & urban setting. But then, over the course of a conversation, the world changes dramatically to sunny desert plains. It breaks the melancholy mood that the other 95% of the film established so well.

[@bsharp3281]

I'm so glad his influence on film treatment is over. Give me a great DP and natural color and day

[@scottievee330]

Stunning movie from A to Z. I disagree with Pitt's performance with "the box" scene. Outstanding. Perfect climax.

[@JoshSher_]

Great video 👌 And yes, Brad Pitt is amazing in Babylon! (It's a unique and genius movie all around)

[@fabreezethefaintinggoat5484]

offing gwiiineth was a noble thing imo,a slaying the dragon moment

[@BudoDave76]

Amazing breakdown! Thank you for the education!

[@wolfcrow]

Glad it was helpful!

[@pdzombie1906]

Great analysis and video!!! Thanx!!!

[@wolfcrow]

You’re welcome!

[@DarkSideofSynth]

Great analysis of a great film

[@w.jasonspangler2952]

I spit out my coffee when I heard “if you haven’t watched Se7en…”

[@pinkyboy8576]

Contrary to your opinion, I think Brad Pitt's performance at the end of the film shone bright and at the same level as Morgan Freeman and Kevin Spacey. His reactions were natural in my opinion for someone who just got a terrible, unthinkable news. The way that he showed how broken David Mills was, was incredible. That was how a person would react albeit perhaps in different way depending on their personalities and coping mechanisms. Through out the movie we were showed many times David Mills bursted out his emotions. He was overall an emotional guy and he would definitely react like that when he knew that his wife was brutally killed by someone he tried to stop. He blamed himself, he just lost his wife and future child. Brad Pitt was great at dramatic roles in the 90s and slowly he progressed to master subtle way to project emotions and we can't deny he is a great actor that deserves his A-list status.

[@zodiacstorm]

I disagree that Pitt's acting was overshadowed. The scenes of Pitt from the time he learns the truth up to the end of the film, show a person who has literally lost his mind, just via his facial expressions. Very few actors could do that even with dialogue added.

[@kasparas9481]

Great video and insights. What is the background music that you use?

[@Jakeross123]

Great vid!!

[@dimitriospoulos7554]

Fincher shooting in film has never been surpassed in terms of aesthetics. He has made good films in digital but Seven looks amazing after all these years. Can't say the same for Zodiac...

[@imacg5]

My take is John Doe is the (Dark) Sun of this corrupted world, and each murder is a beam of light shine through the lens of a Sin. It's kind of like the seven colors you get from sunlight through a prism, only these light beams are dark. That's because they come from a Dark Sun, hence the golden hour, which is a moment before sunset - but if you see it backward, the sunset is just the beginning.

[@wolfcrow]

Nice! John Doe does think that’s his mission.

[@PerfectHandProductions]

What's the background music?

[@mustafakamal8608]

My question is how do you make the scene "tonally consistent" through all the movie, eventhough several scene shows different color ?

[@atlanta2076]

Great video!

[@wolfcrow]

Thanks!

[@moonshine7374]

Dude, you should make horoscopes

[@intrinsicimagery]

Literally my fav movie.

[@hetmanjz]

3:00 I wouldn't have thought to describe Morgan Freeman's character as "cynical."

[@nh2896-p6u]

Great video

[@usmans6446]

kevin spacey is an absolute genius in this.

[@CaptainReynolds-flyinspace]

its how Max Payne movie need to look like. Not exactly, but really close to this.

[@13letras]

Se7en is to Brad what Eyes Wide Shut is to Tom: films that turned cute but average actors into big stars

[@akiratheastronaut]

Brutal and funny take. But if you have a look at the films Cruise worked on between 1988 and Eyes Wide Shut, it's clear he was already one of the biggest movie stars in the world.

[@bmefilms6879]

you gonna ignore legends of the fall?

[@kraziivan_]

Sir, it's raining then it stops. That's it.

[@B3D5X]

I know it's not the theme of the video but I also didn't care for Pitt's acting at the end.

[@ludwigvonn9889]

I dont think its that complicated but ok. The number of times i heard dp's and directors use a certain color just because they "like it that way"... Its really not quantum mechanics or Rembrandt.. Its a crime movie. Literally 90% of detective movies has cold colors as their base, its dark, its tragic, its moody...what else can it be..unless its a crime comedy.

[@kennethmullen-qe9hg]

Whoever would've guessed, that this film ENDS WITH Kevin Spacey gettin' completely OFF of the saxuel ussaalt charges...?

[@dnf711]

what is the song used throughout the video?

[@sotografik]

Had me right until you said you didn’t like Brad Pitt acting at the end of the movie, great video

[@antoinepetrov]

"Sesevenen" as Mark Kermode calls it

[@RyanMichero]

Fantfourstic

[@RyanMichero]

Methreegan

[@saysiwonder]

Fincher uses those kinds of colors in all of his movies. He said that he hates the color pink.

[@Warrior2044]

11:27 What do you mean you’re not a fan of the acting of Brad Pitt in that scene? He was fan-fucking-tastic. No other person could’ve done a better job than him.

[@archangelgabriel5316]

I a,ways imagined this as a version of Gotham city

[@DogAmongMen]

Spoilers but there are more than 7 murders.

[@davebaconusa1062]

Brilliant

[@lorenzodorsi243]

THX

[@lowlowseesee]

damn yo you flexed on this one wooooowwwww

[@PeaceDub]

Totally over analyzing it but cool vide. Im also not a fan of Brad Pit's scene at the ending

[@archangelgabriel5316]

Nah Pitts acting was great and I disagree whole heartedly he played his role perfectly.

[@theonex9953]

✌

[@lerecklessbadger2411]

I agree Brad Pitt is over rated.

[@gokhanersan8561]

David Fincher is a stylist. Since there is no substance, he has to gloss over stuff with layers of paint. Just like Nolan.

[@AlexTylerMeyers]

Not a fan of Brad Pitt’s acting? Are you on drugs?

[@bronson1392]

Lol i think you read too much into it.

[@Pharesm]

Why should anyone give a shit about David Fincher's horrific scene and whatever colors he scraped together to satisfy his need for publicity? beats me...

[@notmyrealpseudonym6702]

And yet here you are fanning the flames ... Giving a shit

[@YousufFakey]

?

[@nickm8425]

Because film is art, and analyzing the work to make sense of it is what you do with art.

[@Pharesm]

@@nickm8425 I'm gonna dispute that this qualifies at art.

[@joecalabresi4072]

What does “get the colors to pop” mean?

[@Nikko231]

It means to highlight the color i.e make it more visible by contrasting with the background