Dhruv Trivedi
David Fincher’s 1995 psychological crime thriller ‘Seven’ (stylized ‘SE7EN’) follows the young detective David Mills (Brad Pitt) and his grizzled partner William Somerset (Morgan Freeman), who find themselves on the trail of a brutal murderer with a penchant for the seven biblical sins. Each crime scene follows the motif of one of the deadly sins, and the two detectives are drawn into a deep, dark rabbit hole in trying to catch the killer.
The movie’s gloomy urban backdrop forms the perfect setting for the morbid story to unfold, as most scenes relay a feeling of doom and gloom, making the killer and his surroundings seem all the more ominous. If you’re curious where the mind-bending film was shot, here is the lowdown of all the locations used to bring ‘Seven’ to life.
Seven Filming Locations
‘Seven’ was filmed entirely in California, specifically in and around Los Angeles. Principal photography reportedly commenced on December 12, 1994, and wrapped up in about 55 days by February 5, 1995. Despite being set in New York, the production crew used multiple locations around Los Angeles and a few neighboring areas to bring a dark version of the Big Apple to life. For this movie, David Fincher wanted to visually and stylistically depict a dirty, violent, polluted, and depressing city. Let’s take a look at the specific locations that were used for filming.
Los Angeles, California
Much of the film was taped in Los Angeles, California while attempting to pass it off as New York City on screen. The “crime of passion” murder, which is the first crime scene of the movie and the one where detectives Mills and Somerset meet, was shot at 746 South San Pedro Street at Agatha Street near downtown Los Angeles. Several other spots in the downtown area were used as filming locations, including the Alexandria Hotel at 501 South Spring Street, the Giant Penny Building on 3rd Street & Broadway, and Spring Street Towers at 650 South Spring Street.
Other Los Angeles shooting spots include 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. In the movie, eagle-eyed audiences can also spot glimpses of the Chester Williams Building at 215 West 5th Street and the Quality Coffee Shop at 1238 West 7th Street.
The crew spent time recording at some lesser-known spots in Los Angeles- scenes depicting Wild Bill’s Leather Shop were lensed at 123 East 6th Street, while the barbershop seen in the movie is Salon Pure on 117 East 6th Street. A few scenes were captured at 673 Mateo Street and the Biltmore Hotel Limousine lane located at 530 South Grand Avenue. Even the New York Pizza outlet that we see Somerset and Mills eating at is actually a New York Pizza Express outlet from 6302 Hollywood Boulevard, which has since been demolished.
Burbank, California
Parts of the film required studio filming, which was unsurprisingly carried out at the legendary Warner Brothers Burbank Studios, located at 4000 Warner Boulevard in Burbank. Opened in 1926, the hi-tech production facility has 36 sound stages, 14 exterior sets, 20 re-recording stages, six ADR stages, and a complete range of production-related rental and service departments. Over the years, the studios have hosted several renowned productions like ‘Animal Kingdom,’ ‘Shameless,’ and ‘Friends.’
Lancaster, California
Perhaps one of the most iconic scenes (and endings) in psychological crime cinema, the closing scene of ‘Seven,’ was lensed in Lancaster in northern Los Angeles County. The scene was actually taped a little outside of the city, on West Avenue just east of 110th Street and west of Lancaster. The arid surroundings and powerlines seen in the concluding scene are also seemingly a part of the Mojave Desert. Furthermore, the cast and crew visited Mojave, an unincorporated Kern County community just 42 kilometers from Lancaster.
Read More: Is Se7en Based on a True Story or a Book?
