The opening title sequence within the David Fincher’s 1995 crime thriller Seven has inspired much of the early design process editing footage on this site. The title sequence which is directed by Kyle Cooper plays a pivotal role within the film by unveiling to the viewer the psychotic process of the killer through a frantic mashup of disturbing process images.
Kyle Cooper comments during an interview to Empire that:
“I was really into horror movies when I was a kid. …and I used to get frustrated when they’d hold back the monster to the very end. It occurred to me to get an idea of the killer before they finally catch him. We wanted to get the audience curious about what this guy is going to be. He has to be super, super evil.”
What for me is most fascinating about this sequence is that you get to see the process. Most films hide this and only cut in and out of a process. Examples of this being Howard Roark, as the architect, in the adaptation of the fountainhead (1949) where his design process is glossed over with cuts. Or Charlton Heston’s portrayal of Michelangelo in The Agony and Ecstasy (1965). Perhaps this is to maintain the mystique of the creative individuals or because the audience would simply lose interest. The portrayal of process through film and shedding light on the architectural design process is critical to the research of this website and something I hope to explore more.
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Process portrayed through film
14 November 2016
The opening title sequence within the David Fincher’s 1995 crime thriller Seven has inspired much of the early design process editing footage on this site. The title sequence which is directed by Kyle Cooper plays a pivotal role within the film by unveiling to the viewer the psychotic process of the killer through a frantic mashup of disturbing process images.
Kyle Cooper comments during an interview to Empire that:
“I was really into horror movies when I was a kid. …and I used to get frustrated when they’d hold back the monster to the very end. It occurred to me to get an idea of the killer before they finally catch him. We wanted to get the audience curious about what this guy is going to be. He has to be super, super evil.”
What for me is most fascinating about this sequence is that you get to see the process. Most films hide this and only cut in and out of a process. Examples of this being Howard Roark, as the architect, in the adaptation of the fountainhead (1949) where his design process is glossed over with cuts. Or Charlton Heston’s portrayal of Michelangelo in The Agony and Ecstasy (1965). Perhaps this is to maintain the mystique of the creative individuals or because the audience would simply lose interest. The portrayal of process through film and shedding light on the architectural design process is critical to the research of this website and something I hope to explore more.