Seven (stylized as SE7EN) is a 1995 American neo-noir psychological crime thriller movie directed by David Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. Starring Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, and John C. McGinley. The film tells the story of David Mills (Pitt), a detective who works with the retiring William Somerset (Freeman) to track down a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as a motive for his murders.
The two detectives find themselves on the trail of a brutal killer with a penchant for the seven biblical sins. Each crime scene follows a motive for one of the deadly sins, and the two detectives are drawn down a deep, dark rabbit hole in their quest to catch the killer.
The bleak urban backdrop of the film provides the perfect setting for the unfolding of the morbid story. Most of the scenes convey a sense of doom and gloom, making the killer and his surroundings seem all the more ominous. Now, know about Se7en movie filming locations.
Where Was Se7en Movie Filmed?
Se7en was filmed entirely in California, despite being set in New York. The production crew used several locations around Los Angeles and several neighboring areas to bring the dark version of New York to life. For this film, David Fincher wanted to visually and stylistically portray a city that was dirty, violent, polluted, and depressed.
The Se7en film was lensed over a period of about 55 days. Filming reportedly began on December 12, 1994, and ended on February 5, 1995.
California
Much of the Se7en film was shot in Los Angeles, California while trying to pass it off as New York City on screen. The “crime of passion” murder, which is the film’s first crime scene and where Detectives Mills and Somerset meet, was filmed at 746 South San Pedro Street at Agatha Street near downtown Los Angeles.
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Several other downtown locations were also used as filming locations. These include the Alexandria Hotel at 501 South Spring Street, the Giant Penny Building at 3rd Street & Broadway, and the Spring Street Towers at 650 South Spring Street.
Other filming locations in Los Angeles included the Pacific Electric Building at 610 South Main Street, the Rosslyn Hotel at 112 West 5th Street, and the Ambassador Hotel at 3400 Wilshire Boulevard.
Eagle-eyed viewers can also spot the Chester Williams Building at 215 West 5th Street, the Hotel Alexandria at 501 South Spring Street, and the Quality Coffee Shop at 1238 West 7th Street in the film.
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The crew also spent time filming in some of LA’s lesser-known locations, making it easier to make it look like New York City. Scenes depicting Wild Bill’s leather shop were filmed at 123 East 6th Street, while the barbershop seen in the film is Salon Pure at 117 East 6th Street. Several scenes were filmed in the Biltmore Hotel Limousine Lane at 530 South Grand Avenue and at 673 Mateo Street.
Even the pizza place in New York where we see Somerset and Mills eating is actually the New York Pizza Express located at 6302 Hollywood Boulevard. The building it was in has since been demolished.
Parts of the Se7en film also required studio filming. Unsurprisingly, it was done at the legendary Warner Brothers Burbank Studios, located at 4000 Warner Boulevard in Burbank.
Perhaps one of the most iconic scenes (and endings) in psychological crime cinema, the final scene of Seven was filmed in Lancaster in north Los Angeles County. The scene actually took place a little outside the city, on West Avenue east of 110th Street and west of Lancaster. The arid surroundings and power lines are seen in the final scene are also seemingly part of the Mojave Desert.
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