Thrillers [Se7en]

The Soundtrack

Sounds like…

·         Destruction

·         Audio from a scratchy soundtrack/radio

·         The Apocalypse

·         Technology

·         Curiosity

·         Nanobots

·         Industrial sounds

·         Robotic

·         Factory noises

·         **generally composed of non-diegetic noises**

I noticed…

·         Varying tempos (the sounds get faster)

·         Multiple textured soundtrack overlaying one another

·         Starts low and dangerous sounding

·         Middle of soundtrack sounds lighter and more music-like

·         Ends with a lower sounds similar to start

·         Scream-like effects

·         A lot of white noise

·         Almost like a heartbeat

·         Similar to choral music

·         Muffled voices in soundtrack [invokes confusion and terror]

·         Absence of sound makes the audience uneasy and nervous

The Visual

·         Person removing fingerprints

o   Shaving off his finger print

·         Cutting up money

·         Flipping through pages of a book, looking at murders

·         Cutting undeveloped photos

·         Pictures of dead people

·         Sowing written paper together

Note:

§  The use of shadows and sepia on the book

§  Mysterious hands [at first it has the potential to be romantic but you realize quickly that it’s a thriller]

§  Typewriter font is multi-layered and shivering [never quite settled]

§  Title between screens is on plain black background (called an inner title)

§  Photograph of broken/distorted hands

§  1 hand in light, other in darkness

§  Seeing broken hand/crinkled veins in hands

§  Cut off at the wrist

§  Director’s name appears

§  Old-fashion razor (suggests it’s an old film)

§  Man is trying to remove the skin on his thumb with a razor blade—EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE

§  Entire shot was in extreme close-up

§  Teabag is being steeped

§  Dead person’s image with mouth open is being flashed in between images