RESEARCH: Practical Remake- SE7EN Evaluation

Evaluation: 

1)

Noting down shots:
It was fairly easy to note down the shots, as most were extreme-closeups, making it easier to identify the different tones and features of the opening. But because there were many shots within this opening, we had to split the work amongst the group in order to save us more time to analyse other micro-elements.

2)

Storyboard:
We needed a lot of sections as a lot was going on within the opening. It was somewhat challenging- given the time-pressure- so we did have to work really quick and try to get down as many shots into our plan in order to make our work as closely related to 'Se7en' opening.

3)

Location and Costume:
The impact of our choices made our Opening seem more sinister and added a tone of mystery too. We had to improvise and work with what we had available, so we made use of a dark cupboard for location as the lighting complimented and made sharper contrasts for our shots; whilst also having red ink, black ink and plasters costumed onto our main character to create a more wild look, as seen in the original title sequence.

4)

Making the Title Sequence:
With time pressure and circumstances that didn't give us enough resources to edit (lack of fonts on the program), we weren't able to make use of AfterEffects for all of our shots and had to work with PremierPro to try and fit in as many Titles. We did manage to make use of AfterEffects for the main Title "SE7EN", and so we had a chance to find distorted fonts, as closely related to SE7EN and used 'Jiggy' effect to create a very uncomfortable tone (similarly to the original).

5)

Decisions:
Because of the limited available time, we had to sacrifice a lot of editing with fonts and focused mainly on recreating "SE7EN" as closely as possible. So we captured as many Titles from the "Text" option on PremierPro and used the "distort" scale to try and make our fonts look more eerie to fit in and establish to our audience the "Thriller" genre.

6)

Font Choice:
Our font choice was very important in maintaining and adding to the sinister tone of the film. It was important to find fonts similar to that in the real 'Se7en' title sequence as Kyle Cooper, the SE7EN title sequence creator, comments on how using a handwritten font was imperative to the story line of the film. Due to our limited resources and editing time, we found the closest possible handwritten font, to link to the main narrative of the film - the serial killer and his writing. Our choice of fonts parallels the genre, however when creating our final title sequence we will ensure enough time in editing in order to download and use the perfect fonts for our sequence.

7)

Placement:
Our placement of the credits depended on the diegetic sound and action playing on screen. In terms of sound, our group was successful in editing the title sequence so that credits appeared symmetrically to the music used in the sequence, due to the way in which the black screens with a white typeface appeared rhythmically and at points where the music was less intense. More intense parts of the music would be accompanied by shots and moving image, whereas lower intensity moments were perfect for the titles on a blank screen. Some credits were also integrated, we used a mix of credits on moving images as well as a white typeface on a black screen, just as the original 'Se7en' title sequence does. As the action in the title sequence is quite minimal, just close ups of everyday actions such as opening a book or writing (with a sinister twist, of course), the titles appear at times when an action is being repeated (for example, the book appears many times). On more suggestive and sinister shots, an example being the bloodied hands playing with a razor blade, no titles are shown, so the audience can focus more on the action on screen and make assumptions about the character.

8)

What We Would Do Differently:
If we were to complete the task again, we would ensure when shooting and filming that we had all the shots necessary to mirror the title sequence. Although our shots were good, some had to be re-used when editing. This was because we couldn't recreate some of the originals, due to our lack of props and limited time. If given the opportunity to film again, we could spend a little more time filming quick easy shots which we could have used as an alternative to repeating the same clips of film twice. We would also lower the soundtrack slightly, to make the viewing experience more comfortable and direct more focus towards the footage.