Compare and contrast the 2 films Matrix and 7even

The genres of the two films are slightly different. ‘The Matrix’ is a science fiction action thriller, which is made apparent in the first 6 minutes of the film. It begins with the FBI trying to find out a telephone number. The screen displays hundreds of bright green numbers on a black background. The camera slowly zooms in on 6 numbers. The only sound at this point, is a conversation between two people that are not named at this stage. This adds a mysterious and intriguing side to the film. The opening image could be seen as quite bizarre and unusual. This scene is followed by a ‘tunnel’ of green letters that the camera travels down; there is a light at the end of it, which could be interpreted as ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’. This convention creates a science-fiction genre, as it is clearly not a ‘normal’ scene. I think that this was the directors’ intention, and it clearly sta

The fact that it is dark, allows other forms of light to be exaggerated, such as torchlights, and the headlights on the truck. The subdued lighting creates an eerie atmosphere and will make the viewers feel uneasy. Even inside, the lighting is never ‘natural’, and it stays dim, not letting the viewers relax. I believe the directors have done this intentionally, to make the viewers feel on edge, as this uneasy feeling is linked to the main genre of the film, (a thriller). This is a very effective way of connecting with the audience, and making them feel that way. The lighting also has a sinister feel in the opening shots, as the ‘WB’ logo has been changed from the bright gold and blue colours to dark green and black. This gives a sinister and disturbing feel to the film, before it has even begun. ‘Se7en’ uses a similar form of lighting to create similar atmosphere. It is mostly dark and even outside in the middle of the day; it is still not daylight (natural lighting) giving a suppressive feel to the film. This again, creates an unsettling and ominous feel to the film. In the murder scene, the lighting is very dark and the only light seems to be coming from the blood stained wall, this highlights the importance of the blood, and will draw the viewers attention to it, making them feel edgy and uneasy.

tes that it is a science-fiction film.

Music plays a big part in films. Without music, a film would be quite boring, and would decrease the audiences’ enjoyment. Both of the films I have studied use sound to add to the action and tension. ‘The Matrix’ uses a lot of incidental music when Trinity is running away from the FBI. This music is heavy orchestral music, as it is a fast, action filled first scene, so the music needs to be fast paced and intense. This is an effective way of making the audience feel part of the action, and feel the tension of the storyline. The music is used instead of words, as it is fast pace when she is running fast, and slows down when she slows down. This will increase the pleasure of the viewers. There are a lot of crescendos used when the tension reaches mini-climaxes to highlight them, and make them stick in the viewers’ mind. There are also gaps in the music to highlight the noises in the plot of the film, such as speech, and the phone ringing. Sound effects are also used to exaggerate certain things, such as Trinity’s punches and kicks when she is attacking the FBI. This particular sound effect exaggerates Trinity’s actions, and makes her actions seem more ‘over the top’. I think the directors’ main intention by including this form of cinematography was to increase the audiences’ enjoyment by making them feel what the characters feel. In my opinion they have been successful in doing so.

Some topics in this essay:
Lieutenant Somerset, Media Assignment, Lieutenant Somerset’s, David Fincher, Detective Mills, ‘the matrix’, lieutenant somerset, target audience, genre film, camera shots, title sequence, camera shots increase, sets genre, subdued lighting, sound effects, 6 minutes, getting ready morning, viewer feel action, scene background music, sound effects exaggerate,