In 2017, American Cinematographer interviewed cinematographer Darius Khondji about the atmosphere of Seven. It’s a treat to learn some of the techniques he used. Pictures and captions taken directly from the article.
In the Gluttony scene, a practical flashlight bounced into a piece of card stock on the detective’s notebook adds a perfect bit of soft fill on Pitt.
Investigating the Greed killing, Mills and Somerset (Morgan Freeman) find a message written in an “invisible ink” method. UV tubes reveal the clue and light the high-contrast, low-key scene.
By pushing his stock by a stop, using a re-silvering process occasionally flashing, Khondji dramatically deepened the blacks and saturated the remaining colors.
Mills, Somerset and SWAT team members discover the Sloth victim. Khondji captured the film’s gritty interiors on 7293. Looking for a “moist, fungal look,” he used cool green gels on daylight-balanced lights.
The flashlights used in several scenes were normal, yet the wattage was slightly boosted to cut through the lightly smoked sets.
