More Research

We have studied various movie opening title sequences.

One of which is Cold Mountain. Many features have been used in this sequence.



Text on screen is used at the beginning of the sequence, this makes the audience aware of the setting of the film and also the dates in which the film was set.

A voice over is also used at the beginning of the sequence, this gives the audience information as to who is in the film. A female character is reading out a letter she has written to her loved one.

A linking device of a Rabbit is used. This is a clever device to use as it is very subtle in how it links the two forces together. We first see the rabbit underground and then it appears above ground where the other force is situated. The rabbit lures the defence force in to the oppositions trap.

Donnie Darko is the next opening title sequence we studied. We established as an audience that the atmosphere/mood of the movie is very unusual/ weird and this is portrayed through out the movie in various different ways.



We as the audience are introduced to this unusual atmosphere at the beginning of the movie when we see a young man (who we later establish is Donnie Darko) lying in the middle of road which attracts the attention of the audience because it is not an everyday occurness. Also the character is wearing his pyjamas, this choice of costume has an effect on the audiences perception of the character.
Unusual camera-shots are used within the sequence, this is visible to the audience when the character stands up and emerges from underneath the camera which appears odd to the audience because it is not an expected shot to use.

We have looked at the movie City of God, this is an international film, it is set in the slum region of Rio, in Brazil.

 

The beginning of the sequence starts off silent, this creates tension and mystery, we then get the loud foregrounded impact sound of  somebody sharpening a knife, ready to use, this shocks the audience as you don't expect that sound after the long silence previous to it.

Voice over is a device used in many movie openings. Voice over is used in this sequence to tell us the story of his childhood and how he ended up where he is now. This introduces us to the characters and the setting of the film.

Parallel editing is used in the opening of City of God, these are both linked together by a chicken. The chicken is seen at the beginning, it is tied up ready for the upcoming execution. It then escapes and the 'gang' chases it until they meet up with Rocket, this is a good use of a linking device as it helps the movie to flow better.

Cutting of scenes in the title sequence are very quick, this reflects the pace of life living in the slums of Rio. It is a very clever way of editing as it grabs the audiences attention and makes them want to see more.

A sound of somebody taking a photograph is used to introduce the character Rocket, this is a very clever technique as it links in with his dream of being a photographer.

Time has been played with in this sequence as it uses a bullet time effect technique, this is when Rocket is going to grab the chicken the camera revolves around him producing the image of him playing football as a goalie.

Research

We have studied various opening title sequences, one of them being Six Feet Under. this is a TV show, even though we know this information, I have learnt certain features contained within the title sequence.



Close - ups dominate the title sequence, this is for the audience to question why the subject is being represented in this way. E.g. There was a close - up of the feet with a tag on the big toe, to focus on the tag, which suggested it was a dead human being.

Animation was used in this title sequence, on two occasions, this made the titles more interesting for the audiences viewing. These were, the credits chiseled onto the grave stone, and the name above and below the line on the embalming fluid. Also at the end of the title sequence the animation of the tree suggested to the audience the cycle of life and it also related to the name of the TV show Six Feet Under.

Use of music at impact points, this helps to catch the audiences attention. Also it gives the audience a sense of knowledge that some parts of the programme will take place in a hospital. E.g. the trolley wheel, this turned rapidly, which made the audience aware of where it was going, another impact on music is when the image of the flower slowly dies, the music gets louder.


Secondly we looked at the opening title sequence to Dexter.



There is one main similarity in Dexter to Six Feet Under, this being Close - ups. Close - ups are used in dexter to manipulate the audiences view on the reality of the programme. E.g. Dexter starts to cut the meat which the audience are put under false pretenses, they are led to believe that it is flesh. Then the audience are re-assured when he fries the ham in the frying pan, and then he eats it. The tension is then later resumed when he cuts his egg and the ketchup spurts out onto the plate, this suggests to the audience blood, even though we know it is ketchup.

Union of the correct sound with the correct image, this represents power. E.g. when the blood droplets falls into the sink, a triangle is played to draw the attention to the blood droplet which then creates power.

Brief

Video
Main Task: the titles and opening of a new fiction film, to last a maximum of two minutes.