Conventions Of A Title Sequence

Conventions of title sequences usually start with the title in a specific font and colour depending on what type of genre it is representing. For example, a thriller film would have a very Erie opening soundtrack and the font colour and style may be blue or white giving of a cold/icy feel.

In addition, title sequences also start of with flashbacks sometimes and give us a small insight into the film early on. This creates an urge to watch more and see who the character is or why the scene is where it is and more. Often, the title sequence can put an opinion on the film immediately. For example, Se7en was a very uncomfortable title sequence. This was made from the Erie sound in the background and images that appeared. Automatically i got a feel for the film and got an idea of what it will be like.

Conventions Of The Genre Thriller

A Thriller movie is a genre which follows a certain role in order to fulfill the audiences experience on the film. We tend to often see the start of a thriller based around a character or a very deep lot which the film will explain later on into the film. This is a technique used to capture the audiences attention to make them carry on watching.

Thrillers can also use enigmas within the film which tend to be in the beginning, they will then be worked to complicate things throughout the film until the end to create a final climax.Enigmas are mysteries of the plot, this can range from several different things. Such as, the audience not knowing the identity of killer or we see the killer but then the movie will rewind and show us how the killer got to where he was. This often causes suspense and an atmosphere in the film.

Sound and unique camera shots are also a major factor in conventions of a thriller film. Angles that are different and show a different perspective from every angle of one shot will create a lot more emphasis on the scene and Will intrigue the audience that little bit more. Also, sound can contribute to this and create more of an atmosphere and tension.

Eagle Eye (D.J. Caruso,2008,UK) (Genre 2)

The Title Of The Film:
The title of the film is very modern and snazzy. This gives us an indication this could be a modern army based film.

How The Setting/Location Is Revealed:

The setting is revealed when 2 little kids are running. They look like brothers. They then run up a little hill and the camera pans up to reveal the location. its a little town with shacks or a fa vela. This automatically gives me the impression that it is not a rich environment.

Costumes & Props:

The costumes we see are religion clothing. The people look as though they are from some type of Arabic country as their clothing gives off the impression.The scene then switches and we see a US soldier with his high tech intelligence. This Juxtaposes the location that was revealed at the beginning.

Interesting Camerawork/Editing:

Interesting camerawork is shown straight from the beginning. An example of this is when it introduces the location. Another shot is of the 3 cars driving, immediately we the audience gets a bad vibe of the cars as we then see their being watched by American government agencies. The shot of American officials walking in the corridor is a great shot. it establishes their importance and is very horizontal.

Title & Font Style:

The title and font style is a very jazzy , modern text. Something we would associate with America or big country's.

How The Opening Sets Up A Story:

The opening sets up a story as we see two different parties involved and people acting suspiciously. We get a feeling something is going to happen and as the scene gradually builds up we get a scent of what is happening. As the scene ends we see a missile being released which is dedicated towards the people who were in the vehicles . This gives us questions to ask, however , for the answers, we just have to keep watching the film.

Genre:

We can tell this is a thriller as tension is created from the beginning. People being watched in the cars and quick simple shots backwards and forwards almost leading up to something. We then see the 'eagle eye' release a missile and blow up man people. The reason, we do not know, it has dragged us in to find out and carry on watching more.

Inside Man Analysis (Spike Lee, 2006, USA) (Genre1)

The Title Of The Film:
The title of the film is very modern and represents the film will be a thriller from the beginning. The White cold font gives out an Erie feeling

How The Setting/Location Is Revealed:
Firstly, we see a van and a man with a white suit (overalls) on. An establishing shot was taken of this and it gives us questions to ask already. Who is the man and what relevance does the van have to him. The Next shot is in a bank where we see one of the characters with the white overalls on. Immediately we get a sense of suspicion and want to watch more.

Costumes & Props:
The costumes we see are white overalls. It is a deceiving costume as it is made the audience lead to think that it is for something else however we then see it is used to disguise themselves. At the beginning of the film we see a man being interviewed who is in a plain black top. This could relate to a prison.

Interesting Camerawork/Editing:
An interesting shot was when they robbers raided the bank and took complete control. The robbers stood on tables and the camera done a mid shot of all the hostages on the floor. This could represent the dominance they have over the hostages and really emphasis it with their wielding of guns and excessive force.

Title & Font Style:
The font style and title is very modern and is very unique in the way it is brought onto the screen. It can also establish that the film is very modern with the font being curvy. This could be contrasted from another thriller film such as double indemnity as it was made a long while ago, the font and title are much different.

How The Opening Sets Up A Story:
The opening is full of suspense from the start. Firstly, we see a man entering a bank in a special type of overall. We then see more of them, this creates an excitement for the audience as we get a deep suspicion that something is going to happen, presumably a bank robbery. Also, at the beginning, the main actor is seeking. This could be seen as an incentive to carry on watching the find to find out what the outcome is at the end.

Double Indmenity Analysis (Billy Wilder,1944,USA)

Film Title:
The film title is very basic and as the film was made a very long time ago. However, the same standards that usually occur with thriller films occur. Bold, capital font. Also, the font colour is white which can be intertwined with cold and mysterious.

How The Setting Is Revealed:
The setting is revealed when we see a city being shown to us. It is dark and we then see a car driving very fast towards us. This creates a sense of tension and gets us asking questions. We also see that it is set in Los Angeles from a sign that is on the road.

Costumes/Props:
At the beginning, we only see a man with a trench coat and hat on, we don't get to see the mans face which creates a sense of urge and wonder what his relevance is until the film. After all his driving, his face is finally revealed, however in a remote way, almost like hes hiding something.

Editing/Camerawork:
The first piece of camerawork we seeing used is when the man fills up the screen at the beginning. As the title is being shown, the man appears and expands on the screen. This raises questions in order to who he is. We then later on see he is Mr Neff.

Title/Font Style:
The title and font style is in a very old classical way. Mainly because this film was established in the 1950's. Also, the font colour is in white and contrasts with the background which is black. This gives it a stand out effect.

How The Opening Sets Up A Story:
The opening shot is conveyed as a good opening for a thriller. It gives us an established shot of the whole road and night sky. It also gives us an idea of where the film is located.A Shot is shown where it says Los Angeles. The driver is driving frantically and almost crashes, this gives us a sense of urgency and asks us why is he driving so fast? We then find out that he has been wounded (shot) and could be linked to several different reasons why. This intrigues the audience and wants us to watch more.

Sound/Genre:
Firstly, the film gives hints of many different aspects into what genre it could be. The title opening and the setting of the first scene give us a taste that it could be linked with a thriller. It keeps us in suspense and doesn't give anything away. This intrigues the audience into watching more and finding out more. In addition, the music can also incorporate the genre as it contributes to the scenes effectiveness. An example of this is when, the driver is driving frantically through LA, a frantic , up-tempo piece of music gets played to represent his urgency.

Wallander (Firewall, MacCormick, 2008,UK)

Film Title:
The colours at the beginning of the film are black and yellow. These are often associated with danger. The first part of the film, we see two girls walking away from a car with a bloodied man in it.This gives an indication that it is a thriller as it asks us questions and makes us want to know more.

How The Setting Is Revealed:
The setting is firstly revealed when we see the sea and then it pans over land (hills). We see a car and 2 figures vaguely walking from the car. The camera then gets close closer and then a transition is created. It brings us to looking over 2 girls shoulders. We don't know who these characters are and why they are there. A Shot is taken in the car where we see a bloodied man. This creates a tension and gives us numerous questions to ask.

Costumes/Props:
First of all we see a girl with extensions of red hair. A Shot is then taken back to the car which we ind out is a taxi. Several clues are given as they show his driver license, his name and the injury's he has sustained. The girl with the red extensions looks very angry in the way she is walking and could be conveyed as looking rebellious.A Close up is taken of the girl dropping a bloodied knife which we the audience can presume was from the sustained attack on the man. I Got a sense of shock and wondered if it was her knife and why she was so violent in doing what she has done.

Editing/Camera Work:
Camera shots are a very good way to intrigue the audience into watching more of the film and keep them hooked. During the first scene, there were several close ups of different things that got us asking questions. Some of these include, the bloodied face of the cab driver, his cab license and the girl with the bloodied knife.This is a great technique to get questions running through the audiences heads.

Title/Font Style:
The titles and font include a black and yellow background. Black and yellow is usually associated with danger and the colours can represent it in a way. The beginning scene has started off on a high tension and with the black and yellow included we get a feeling that more will come. The font is also bold and black which contrasts with the yellow background.

How The Opening Sets Up A Story:
The beginning consists of what typical thriller openings should include. Immediately we are on the edge of our seat when we see a bloodied man in the car. Two girls are walking to we think is relevant as to why the man is like that. This keeps us asking questions and trying to fit pieces together.

Sound/Favourite Shot:
One of the main shots that establish the girls characters is taken whilst they are walking away from the car. The girl with the red hair is focused on more so whereas the other girl is quite irrelevant in the shot. Also, the other girl is walking about 5 inches behind her. This could suggest that the girl with the red hair is the more dominant figure out of both of the girls. Sound is used to create hyperbolic effects in the scene. For example, when the girls are walking away, the footsteps are very loud and clear, also, the girls breathing are both very heavy and almost panting.

Genre:
As soon as the body is discovered n the car from the close up, you automatically can determine that the genre is thriller. It gives us lots of questions to ask and also, when the Red haired girl drops the knife. Another close up is produced. This then transitions into the opening title. It almost leaves us n a cliffhanger wanting to know more.

Brick Anaylsis (Rian johnson, 2005,USA)

Film Title:
The film title has plain white bold writing which makes it stand out to the black background. It gives out clues in the film that will be revealed towards the end.

Setting/Location:
The setting is revealed at the beginning when Brandon is hovering over Emily's dead body.Brandon looks very paranoid and nervous whilst crouching and looking at her. Firstly, this gets the audience thinking and asking numerous questions, such as, Why is she dead, who is she and how did it happen. This is a technique used a lot to draw the audience in.

Costumes/Props:
One of the major props we still is her bangles on her wrist. Whilst Emily is laying dead in the gutter. We see the blue bangles and there is a close up of them. We then see an image of Emily putting something into Brandon's locker. The audience can distinguish that it is Emily because of her bangles and makes us curious. This would of been one of the last things she done before she died so it puts the spotlight on the question. Why is she dead.

Editing/Camera Work:
At the beginning an establishing shot is created taking a picture of Emily lying in the gutter with Brandon crouching. Immediately, this creates a tense atmosphere and gets questions raised into why she is there and how she died. This will capture the audiences attention and will make them want to watch more.

How The Opening Sets Up A Story:
Brick establishes a tense atmosphere from early on, at the beginning, a girl who we later find out is Emily is lying dead in a gutter with a man called Brandon crouching next to her. In addition, we then see several clues and questions built up to try and find out who she was and why she was there. This really gaged the audiences interest and made them want to watch more.

Sound/Favourite Shot:
My favourite shot would have to be the first one where we see Emily lying on the floor and Brandon crouching over her. This really got me thinking and kept me interested. Also, straight after this shot, we see Emily putting her hand in Brandon's locker. This was a very important shot as we then know she has something to do with him.Music is played a lot at the beginning, you get the usual thriller music, very dim but powerful in the background which creates more tension.

Genre:
The genre 'Thriller' is established early on from when start asking questions. Automatically, a person is lying dead on the floor. This creates an Erie atmosphere and keeps the audience glued to their seats to find out more.

Kiss Me Deadly Analysis (Aldrich,1955,US)

Film Title:
The title sequence is very confusing and doesn't look correct. It scrolls down the screen whereas films usually scroll upwards. Another aspect is the font is very large and in white which contrasts with the black background. When the title of the film 'kiss me deadly' appears on the screen, it is presented the round way around and appears as 'deadly kiss me'. This sends out several messages including confusion and interpretation on the actual film itself.

Setting/Location:
The setting we first see is a long stretch of road with a woman running. She is panting heavily and suggests she has been running for a while, immediately, this conveys a sense of mystery and makes the audience want to know more. Also, the man that stopped in the car seems as though he is a very tough actor. His car meant the world to him as at first he didn't even ask the woman if she was fine, he said 'you nearly wrecked my car.'

Costumes/Props:
Firstly, the costume the woman is wearing is a long trench coat which is a contrasting colour to the night sky and colour of the road. Also, we see she is in her bear feet which could determine underneath her jacket could be no clothing at all. The man inside the car is wearing a normal jacket however his car establishes the type of arrogance he has. The uniform the police officers are wearing automatically distinguishes that something is not quite right and something mysterious is going on which we will find out as the movie prevails.

Editing/Camera Work:
The camerawork and editing within the film is very basic as it was made a very long time ago, however there are several shots taken which are very clever and gets the audience intrigued. First of all, there is a long/mid shot of the woman running down the road. This gives the audience something to think about so early into the film, why is she running and whom is she running from.It also sets up the location of this scene which is set on a motorway/road in the middle of no-where.As the credits are scrolling down the screen, they give a shoulder shot over the car as it is still driving. This could indicate the woman is frantic and just wants to get away from what she was frightened of as soon as possible. Match on action was also used when the woman grabs the mans hand when the police are approaching them. This shows her vulnerability and shows us that she is in need of help.

Titles/Font Style:
The font and colour used is very basic hence the year it was made in. Not much technology was created therefore the font was very large, bright and in your face. You could see everything that went past on the screen.

How The Opening Sets Up A Story:
The opening sequence of the film establishes that the woman who is running is running from something. Her heavy breathing indicates that she is vulnerable and has been running for a long time. This creates a sense of urge to find out what she is running from and why. When the man is brought into the scene, we get a sense of arrogance, we see this when he says 'you nearly wrecked my car' instead of asking the woman if she is alright. We find out that the woman has fled from a mental institute and is a very vulnerable state, this also intrigues the audience into asking questions. Why she was there and how she escaped.

Genre:
The genre of the movie is thriller. We can tell this from the way the movie has started. It has given away character information however not elaborated on why or how the woman got there. However, as the film goes on, we will start finding out more.

Sixth Sense Analysis (M.Night Shyamalan, 1999, USA)

Film Title:
Analysing the film title, i noticed several key things which captured my attention. Firstly, the font is very spaced out and as the credits advance, they start to also expand on the screen. In addition, the font is in blue which represents the genre of thrillers. Blue indicates a cold and an uncomfortable feeling. As soon as the title 'Sixth Sense comes onto the screen', a quick short sharp burst of loud screeching sound gets played. This could imply that the the audience will get a feeling that it will be uncomfortable and jumpy as the music has no co-ordination. It just lashed out without any rhythm.

Setting/Location:
The setting is revealed in a cellar, usually, when we relate to cellars, we think of cold,lonely and creepy. When the light is turning on at first, it doesn't do it instantly, it takes a few seconds. Within these few seconds, an atmosphere is created which is on the edge of your seat almost already waiting for something to happen. The female actress who enters the cellar looks very nervy and doesn't look as though she feels safe in the cellar. We can give evidence t this when shes leaving, she starts running up the stairs.

Costumes/Props:
Firstly, the woman we see is wearing a lovely dress, it is very colourful and really contrasts against the cellar. She is collecting wine however she looks very nervous whilst she is doing it, this is also backed up by when she is leaving the cellar, she starts running, this shows that she is vulnerable. A plack is shown that indicates Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis) has won something that has honoured his work. Dr Malcolm is a child physiologist which gives us an indication that he may deal with mentally ill people. The man who broke into the house naked is the first sign of weird things within the film, he is very horrible to look at and makes you feel uneasy. Also, the fact that he is naked gives the audience questions they cant answer. Why he is naked, what does he have to do with Dr. Malcolm and why is he in the state he is in?

Editing/Camera Work:
Several different shots are included in the opening. The first one i saw was when the woman ran up the stairs in the cellar. It was as though she was running away from something.When the naked man has entered the house, the woman sees the broken glass on the window sill and floor. the camera zooms up close to give the reaction of her face. This can symbolise that she is scared and creates a tense atmosphere.

Titles/Font Style:
The title font at the beginning of the movie are all in capital letters and are very easy to read. As the title advances, the writing starts to increase in its size and spread out across the screen. The font colour is also blue which can represent the genre of a thriller film.

How The Opening Sets Up A Story:
The beginning of the story really gages the audience into the film. From the start, when the light bulb flickers, it gives an atmospheric feeling and puts us on the edge of our seats.The cellar reminds everyone of loneliness and vulnerability when the woman is alone. There is a shot where she is standing still and a master shot is taken of her and the room. She is shaking because it is so cold and then she runs up the stairs. This gives us a feeling that something is not quite right. Also, they go straight into the characters background telling us what the man does for a living. When the naked man is brought into the scene, it intrigues the viewers and hardly gives us an explanation into why and what Dr. Malcolm had done for the man to be so angry.

Genre:
The genre of the film is a thriller. There are several different ways we can recognise the film is a thriller. The title at the begging has an Erie piece of music playing in the background and also the font colour is blue which can also symbolise a thriller film. The opening of the film in the cellar is also the first indication we get of what the genre is. Creepy, Erie and intriguing are only some words that can some up the genre giveaways.

Analysis On Memento 2

Immediately, from the beginning of the film. The blue text sends of a cold dull message. Several different things keep you intrigued into watching the film. Some of these things are the sound, Close ups and flashbacks. A picture is shown to the audience at the start which we cannot establish is relevant to the film unless you keep on watching. All these techniques contribute substantially to make the opening affects have a touch on the audience.

Memento Analysis

Memento is a very unusual film and lets the audience no its a thriller right from the start.The blue text gives a sense of cold and unease. The picture in the background keeps you fixated and almost intrigues the audience to find out more. They do a close up of the picture however you cannot clearly make out what it is.This is another way of gaining the audiences attention.

The Sound Also compliments the opening sequence, the music is very blunt and gives an uncomfortable feeling. Digetic sound is used to emphasis the tension building however , when the scence is in dialogue it is calm. The main guy suffers from memory loss. The start of the film, he is in a dark room almost stuck in his own little world, alone . Also, the background is black and white which can represent when he is putting his thinking all together. In addition, i have noticed some mise-en-scene which is the characters clothing. The director has put the main character in bright clothing to distinguish who the good and bad are.

Throughout the start of the film, close ups are used constantly and are always used in thrillers. Also, another technique from cinematography used is shot reverse shot. As the story is very confusing, shot reverse shot is used to elaborate to the audience different scenes so they eventually add up.