Seven Trailer Research

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4YV2_TcCoE - Seven trailer

Seven

Flash cuts – Seven uses white flashes as cuts that happen quickly in order to quickly change between shots of an open window, a container with a hidden window and a body. This is done between the 7^th and 10^th seconds of the production to give an audience an insight into the mystery of the film by leaving a lot of questions unanswered and the quickness of the cuts means the course of the film is still unknown.

Close ups – There is a large number of close ups used in the trailer of Seven and this helps to highlight the expression of the characters. A key example is the eye level close up of Morgan Freeman, where he shines a torch at the camera. This emphasises that they are desperately looking for the killer and also shows his face in a very confused and uncomfortable manner, potentially because he is fearful for his own life.

Establishing shots – There is a lack of establishing shots in the opening sequence to further promote the elements of questioning the introduction. Even the location of the film is left unknown in the early stages of the trailer.

Voiceover/Narrative – It is clear that the production was made in 1997 because the outdated convention of a voiceover man is present. The voiceover man has a very deep voice and his tone presents an edgy nature to the trailer. Furthermore, the voiceover presents a use of binary oppositions between the two officers through “looking for a way in” vs “looking for a way out” showing the contrast in positions of the two main characters, adding another conflict into the production.

Changes of pacing – The trailer presents the dynamics of the introduction with a change in pacing part way through. There is a shift from a large emphasis on dialogue and character information in the first half, changing to a large amount of action and the presence of guns and violence to show the intense side of the story.

Cast names and Title – The title and cast names are presented through the use of the voiceover man. This is a demonstration of how star power is used in order to attract people to watch the production who would want to see the likes of Morgan Freeman. Furthermore, leaving the title to the end of the sequence keeps people curious what the production is about and makes them more likely to remember the production’s name.