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(x) Se7en title sequence - processed Helvetica {gang}
Posted by anonymous in
8 Mar 2004 — 10:55am
8 Mar 2004 — 10:55am
Hi all,
does anybody know what fonts were used in the title sequence for SE7EN?
I know that the fonts used for names like
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8 Mar 2004 — 11:14am
actually, the "blurring technique" is not some
great technique.
It's simply applying
the blur or gaussian blur in photoshop and
then using threshold or brightness/contrast or mode>bitmap
to achieve varying levels of blurred rounding.
But here the key letters are not identical so
i don't think the final result could be called
a font.
8 Mar 2004 — 11:54am
All the titles for Se7en were done optically, on film, by hand. There's a bit of info about it on the DVD itself, if I remember correctly, plus there was an article in either Print or CA when it won some awards. Truly nice work by a really great designer.
8 Mar 2004 — 12:10pm
you can see the title sequence
http://www.imaginaryforces.com/
http://www.adobe.co.uk/motion/gallery/imgforces/image1.html
Sean, i'm curious if the work was done on an
Avid system ... i'd like to find out more, especially
what is meant by optically, on film, by hand.
Not doubting the info, but just find the information compelling
and would like to learn more.
I saw a Kyle Cooper book at B&N, but did not
have a chance to check it out.
thanks,
bj
8 Mar 2004 — 12:23pm
Didn't NudE come out before Truth? And isn't Truth a reprocessed gothic font anyways?
8 Mar 2004 — 12:38pm
I don't know, Yves. Truth looks like it is based on Bell Gothic whereas NudE looks like it is based on Helvetica.
9 Mar 2004 — 3:50pm
bj, I'm almost positive that the titles for seven were done on film. There's a variety of techniques to do this, but I would guess that the copy (both type and handwritten) was printed negative on photo-composition film, a strong source of light projected on the back, and filmed (16 or likely 35 mm) from the front; using any kind of transparent distorting device (a loupe, a drinking glass, a piece of plastic,...) in front of the lens to achieve the light distortion look.
Filming at different speeds will give you also a variety of effects.
The final touches, I'm sure, will be added in After Effects, where you can composite the filmed stuff whith the digital photoshop rendering of the same type if you want to, and then with the actual footage that, in seven's case, was shot specifically for the open.
You can, of course, do all this in the computer, but there's nothing that can compare to the richness and the randomness of using real film.
9 Mar 2004 — 5:12pm
As I remember from the article I read, the whole sequence was optically composited, the way it would have been done 20+ years ago. Film positives, negatives, etc were all put together and filmed by the title designer. It may have been color timed on an Avid, but certainly there was no use of After Effects.
I'm sure you could come close to duplicating the effect now in AE, but I still think it's cooler that it was done by hand.
9 Mar 2004 — 5:26pm
sounds like a sweet science ... thanks for the info ...
9 Mar 2004 — 6:49pm
Just theBeginning: The Art of Film Titles, by James Counts.
Scroll down a little until Kyle Cooper and Sie7e.
There is also a small bibliography at the end of the article.
8 Mar 2004 — 12:04pm
Thanks for helping me.
I think bj harvey is right.
It look like Brody
8 Mar 2004 — 12:11pm
This is Helvetica, treated by video software. There's
a couple of faces by Denis Dulude and friends which
approximate this style. Check 2Rebels and look for
Angry, Boggle, Chicane, DV9, Junk, K.O. Dirty (my
favourite), Scritto Politto Freako, ThinMan etc...
Also, there are a number of fine suggestions in the
Dave McKean thread that will allow you to recreate
a similar mood.
Furthermore, a search on "blur" will get you this at
MyFonts.
[edit] I spoke too hastily and too harshly about what
I erroneously believed to be a rip-off. My sincere
apologies for this misstep.
8 Mar 2004 — 12:50pm
I should look at this more in detail, but I didn't
like the look of it. Please bear with me.
8 Mar 2004 — 1:03pm
Hmmm... my reaction was a tad too hasty. Tho the
majority the curves are identical to the ones found
in Truth, upon closer investigation there are some
inconsistencies that make me believe you may be
right. They probably both achieved the same result
by using the same technique. I apologize for this
possibly erroneous statement.
I will edit my post to avoid unjust tarnishing of
Mr. Synstelien's reputation. Sorry about that.
9 Mar 2004 — 3:57pm
Not disagreeing with you Jes
8 Mar 2004 — 11:07am
FF BLUR led to handfuls of blurred typefaces and this one is probably a custom type treatment
but based upon the same blurring technique.
http://www.identifont.com/show?1DW