G321 - Film Title Timelines

It is important for me to look at the way in which film title sequences are constructed in different films of different genres so that I get an idea as to how to create and format my own when it comes to creating my film opening. To get a good idea of how film titles run, I made film title timelines for three different films, shown below. This has helped me to understand title sequences fully and to give me an idea as to what order my titles will run in.

Spiderman Titles Timeline

	Time	Title No.	Title	Duration
Background Music Starts – 0:00                                                                                 Voice-Over starts – 3:08       Background Music and Voice-Over end – 3:23	0:37	1	Columbia Pictures Presents	2 secs
	0:43	2	A Marvel Enterprises/ Laura Ziskin Production	3 secs
	0:49	3	Spiderman	7 secs
	0:57	4	Starring Tobey Maguire	4 secs
	1:02	5	Willem Dafoe	4 secs
	1:07	6	Kirsten Dunst	4 secs
	1:12	7	James Franco	4 secs
	1:17	8	Cliff Robertson	4 secs
	1:22	9	Rosemary Harris	3 secs
	1:27	10	J. K. Simmons	3 secs
	1:33	11	Gerry Becker Bill Nunn	3 secs
	1:38	12	Jack Betts Stanley Anderson Ron Perkins	4 secs
	1:44	13	Casting By Francine Maisler and Lynn Kressel	4 secs
	1:49	14	Co-Producer Grant Curtis	4 secs
	1:56	15	Music By Danny Elfma	4 secs
	2:06	16	Costumes Designed By James Achseon	4 secs
	2:11	17	Visual Effects Designed By John Dykstra, ASC	4 secs
	2:17	18	Edited By Bob Murawski Arthur Coburn, A.C.E.	4 secs
	2:22	19	Production Designer Neil Spisak	3 secs
	2:27	20	Director Of Photography Don Burgess, ASC	3 secs
	2:34	21	Executive Producers Avi Arad Stan Lee	4 secs
	2:42	22	Producer By Laura Ziskin Ian Bryce	3 secs
	2:47	23	Based On The Marvel Comic Book By Stan Lee And Steve Ditko	3 secs
	2:54	24	Screenplay By David Koepp	3 secs
	3:01	25	Directed By Sam Raimi	6 secs

Donnie Darko Titles Timeline

	Time	Title No.	Title	Duration
Background Music Starts – 0:01                                                 Background Music Ends – 1:36	0:01	1	New Market Presents	2 secs
	0:03	2	In association with Pandora	3 secs
	0:06	3	A Flower Films Production	3 secs
	0:10	4	A Richard Kelly Film	3 secs
	0:18	5	Donnie Darko	4 secs
	0:26	6	written and directed by Richard Kelly	3 secs
	0:29	7	Produced by Sean McKittrick Nancy Juvonen Adam Fields	3 secs
	0:32	8	Executive Producer Drew Barrymore	3 secs
	0:35	9	Executive Producers Hunt Lowry Casey La Scala William Tyrer Chris J. Ball Aaron Ryder	3 secs
	0:38	10	Director of Photography Steven Poster, a.s.c.	3 secs
	0:42	11	Production Designer Alexander Hammond	3 secs
	0:48	12	Jake Gyllenhaal	3 secs
	0:51	13	Jena Malone	2 secs
	0:57	14	Drew Barrymore	2 secs
	1:00	15	James Duval	3 secs
	1:04	16	Beth Grant	2 secs
	1:08	17	Maggie Gyllenhaal	3 secs
	1:13	18	Mary McDonnell	3 secs
	1:18	19	Holmes Osborne	3 secs
	1:24	20	Katherine Ross	2 secs
	1:27	21	Patrick Swayze	3 secs
	1:31	22	Noah Wyle	2 secs

The Adventures of TinTin Titles Timeline

	Time	Title No.	Title	Duration
Background Music Starts - 1:03                                                                                                                                   Background Music Ends – 3:58	1:09	1	Columbia Pictures And Paramount Pictures Present	10 secs
	1:20	2	In Association With Hemisphere Media Captial	3 secs
	1:24	3	An Amblin Entertainment/ Wingnut Films Production	3 secs
	1:27	4	A Kennedy/ Marshall Production	3 secs
	1:31	5	A Steven Spielberg Film	3 secs
	1:35	6	The Adventures Of TinTin	5 secs
	1:37	7	The Secret Of The Unicorn	3 secs
	1:48	8	Jamie Bell	4 secs
	1:52	9	Andy Serkis	3 secs
	1:56	10	Daniel Craig	3 secs
	2:01	11	Nick Frost Simon Pegg	3 secs
	2:08	12	Toby Jones	2 secs
	2:11	13	Daniel Mays Gad Elmaleh	7 secs
	2:12	14	Mackenzie Crook	6 secs
	2:22	15	Casting By Jina Jay Casting By Victoria Burrows And Scot Boland	3 secs
	2:29	16	Music By John Williams	5 secs
	2:34	17	Senior Visual Effects Supervisor Joe Letteri	3 secs
	2:38	18	Visual Effects Supervisor Scott E. Anderson Animation Supervisor Jamie Beard	3 secs
	2:46	19	Co-Producers Carolynne Cunningham Jason McGatlin	3 secs
	2:58	20	Edited By Michael Kahn, A. C. E.	3 secs
	3:09	21	Executive Producers Ken Kamins Nick Rodwell Stephane Sperry	3 secs
	3:19	22	Produced By Steven Spielberg Peter Jackson Kathleen Kennedy	3 secs
	3:26	23	Based On “The Adventures Of TinTin” By Hergé	2 secs
	3:39	24	Screenplay By Steven Moffat And Edgar Wright & Joe Cornish	3 secs
	3:45	25	Directed By Steven Spielberg	4 secs

 

G321 - Analysis of Student Films

Analysis of Student Films

I have analysed film openings created by previous students so that I am unable to gain a better understanding of what is possible to create in the short amount of time given to us as well as to gain more knowledge on what aspects of these film openings work and which do not so that when it comes to making my own film opening, I do not make the same mistakes that have been made in the past.

Retrospect

Genre: The genre of this opening is unclear and could potentially be either a drama or an action film. However, establishing the genre is extremely important in a film opening and therefore this is a negative aspect of the opening.
Editing: The transitions between the different aspects of the clip are extremely smooth and so the content flows freely. This is a positive aspect of the opening.
Sound: The sound clips in multiple places, making some of the dialogue unclear and this prevents clarity of presentation. This is a negative aspect of the opening.
Camera Angles: A wide variety of shots and camera angles gives the opening a professional appearance and clearly attempts to help establish genre. This is a positive aspect of the opening.
Mise: The continuity of the clip is off at times and therefore makes it apparent that the mise has not been carefully considered, for example the girl evidently throws the newspaper completely out of shot, far away from her, yet in a later shot the newspaper is next to her again. This is a negative aspect of the clip.
Titles: The titles displayed suit the aesthetic of the opening and are integrated suitable which is a positive aspect of the opening however, by displaying the title at the end of the clip, it appears to be more like a film trailer rather than a film opening, making this a negative aspect of the opening.
Character: There is very little revealed about the characters in the film, allowing them to remain ambiguous. However, the protagonist is appeared to be strong, independent and emotional. This gives the audience a good sense of her character, making this a positive aspect of the opening.
Other Positives: N/A
Other Negatives: The narrative of the opening appears unclear throughout the entire clip.

Rural Superheroes

Genre: The genre of the opening appears to be a comedy and due to being evident to the audience, this is a positive aspect of the opening.
Editing: The transitions between clips
Sound:The non-diegetic sound track and sound effects have been carefully considered for this piece and suit the genre of the opening. This is a positive aspect of the opening.
Camera Angles: There has been a big range of camera angles used which is a positive aspect however none of them appear to have been considered in any particular detail which is a negative aspect.
Mise: The range of shots is extremely minimal,  making the opening appear unprofessional and therefore is a negative aspect of the clip.
Titles: The titles have been carefully considered in terms of the film's genre and mirror this, making it a positive aspect of the clip.
Character: This opening is a good demonstration of why using young actors can be detrimental to the opening as the characters all appear massively underdeveloped and not particularly humorous, detracting from the genre of the film. This is a negative aspect of the opening.
Other Positives: The location fits in well with the title of the film and helps to portray the rural aspect of the film.
Other Negatives: The narrative of the film is unclear and therefore detracts from the sense of verisimilitude. The camera appears uncontrolled and jumps around during some of the movements such as the pan left.
 

The Edge

Genre: The genre of this film is evidently action and is presented effectively which is a positive aspect of the opening.

Editing: The continuity is spot on and the editing is diverse and interesting, making it a positive aspect of the opening.
Sound: The sound used in the clip is incredibly relevant to the genre and helps to create an atmosphere full of suspense and ambiguity which works well in hinting towards a continued narrative. This is a positive aspect of the opening.
Camera Angles: There has been a wide variety of different shots and camera angles used which is a positive aspect of the opening.
Mise: The  the camera use is clearly controlled and careful attention to framing is evident throughout the clip. These are both positive aspects of the opening.
Titles: The titles are integrated effectively and are not intrusive in any way and the institutional logo has been well integrated which is a positive aspect of the clip. However, the title of the film is quite difficult to read which is a negative aspect of the clip.
Character: The characters used are believable and suit their roles which helps with the realism of the entire opening. This is a positive aspect of the opening.
Other Positives: This opening is extremely well thought out. The opening is suitable for both audience and task and it is easy to see that the narrative can continue.
Other Negatives: N/A

 

G321 - The Evolution of the Title Sequence

The title sequences used in a film opening are extremely important. They create the first impression of the film, prepare the audience for what is to come, outlines the filmmakers intentions and draws the viewer in. Not only this but it allows the filmmakers to raise awareness of the most important members of production, helps to establish the scene/setting and allows the viewer to identify the major actors and crew. However, the title sequences are easily restricted by budget and more modern title sequences have become works of art, rather than just a presentation of names.

1920's
In the 1920's, titles were simply superimposed on to a blank screen. This was an extremely simple process. Different type faces were used to help depict genre and the titles were usually white on a black screen. This method is sometimes still intentionally used whether that is due to budget restraints or simply to give the film an old-fashioned and authentic feel.

1930's - 1955
In this time, titles started to become accompanied by still images and musical scores were added. Earlier title sequences (1930's) included hand drawn cards and borders and it was the beginning of adding more than simply text. Production companies began to make title sequences visually appealing and the credits got longer.

1955 - Present
In 1955, titles started to accompany moving images, including the use of a range of camera angles and movements. The titles themselves also started to become animated and images from the titles started to reflect images from within the film. The music soundtracks started to accompany symbolic images, however there was normally no dialogue other than this soundtrack.

1990's - Present
From the 1990's onwards, titles started to become built around animation and motion graphics. Animating the text became popular and the soundtracks used would have a very distinctive sound.

Present
Nowadays, anything goes. Some of the titles are even read aloud (Fahrenheit 451) or shown backwards (Momento).

This evolution of the title sequence is important as it shows the progression already made and encourages further development. It also helps with my understanding of what is to be expected from my own title sequence.

G321 - Importance of Titles

Different fonts are used in title sequences to help connote the genre of the film as well as to reflect the narrative of the film that is to follow. For example, Romantic Comedies are likely to have flowing, loopy writing to connote happiness and a carefree nature whereas horrors are likely to use fonts that look like dripping blood.

Romantic Comedy Example - P.S. I Love You (2008)

Horror Title Example - You're Next (2011)

The size of the titles used are also important in terms of presentation. Small titles allow the viewer to focus on the action whilst bigger titles that take up a lot of the screen cause the reader to take notice of the clearly significant title being shown. This difference is most evident within the same opening, when the actor's names are smaller than the film's title, such as in Shutter Island;

The colour of the font used can also be an important indication into the genre of the film. However, this usually works in conjunction with the font. For example, the use of red titles is common in both horror and romance films and the use of white titles is extremely common amongst thrillers, horrors and action films. 

White text used for a Horror

White text used for an Action

Some titles sequences, like that of Casino Royale, are animated and reflect the narrative that is to follow. This is usually due to the film having a larger budget which can be spent on the intricate animation and editing processes and are most commonly found in mainstream films. On the other hand, title sequences can also be extremely basic and simply be text over-layed on the first scene of the film. This technique is most frequently used by independent institutions of on films with lower budgets, however is also adopted by films that will receive no benefit from a lengthy, extravagant title sequence.

Some films don't include title sequences at all. This can be for a multitude of reasons. The most common is to prevent the titles from distracting the viewer from the events within the film. However, this is not a common occurrence as generally members of the production team and cast will have to have their names displayed on screen for a certain duration of time for legality purposes.

This research will help me when it comes to making my own film as it has helped me to understand the significance of the presentation of our titles. To ensure that the genre is indicated correctly, the titles must be reflective of this so as not to confuse the viewer.

G321 - Film Opening Analysis - Horror: The Texas Chainsaw Masacre - The Beginning

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - The Beginning (2006)

The opening sequence of this film does not include the institution logo. This decision could potentially have been made to further establish the genre of the film as it allows the audience to fully focus on what is happening in the opening without creating an initial judgement on the content by seeing the institutional logo. 



From the opening of the film it is evident that the genre of the film is to be horror. This is due to the generic conventions of low key lighting, dramatic and eerie music and the extreme close ups on words such as "mutilation".

The targeted audience of the film appears to be young adults between the ages of 18 and 30. This is due to the horror genre previously discussed and the presentation of small children in the clip which are presented as though to have a big input in the narrative of the film. It also comes across that the film would be targeted at the middle class due to horrors having a bigger impact in cinemas and tickets costing a lot more nowadays.

The narrative of the film appears to be based around a man called Tom, shown through the display of the name "Thomas Hewitt" and a non-diegetic voice over saying "Don't worry about it Tom". There also hints towards mental deformities within this protagonist shown in the exposition through the documents telling of "tendencies towards mutilation". However, for the most part the narrative remains quite ambiguous, allowing the mystery behind the horror to become the key aspect of the opening. 

The opening of this film appears to be passing on a message about the protagonist, more than a message for them to follow. This is shown through the focus on what appears to be Thomas' childhood and his problems. This adds to the development of genre as it allows the reader to focus on the narrative rather than contemplating the message being put across.
 

The atmosphere of the opening sequence is one of anger, regret and potentially self-hate. This is done through the destruction of the memoirs such as photos and the flashbacks to different moments in the protagonist's life. It appears as though the person destroying the photos etc. is the protagonist themselves and this therefore creates the portrayal of self-hatred.  The dark colour palette emphasis this idea and creates a sense of anger and sadness, thus helping to foreshadow the remainder of the narrative.

The setting of the film is established as being in a desolate place in Texas, shown through the shot of the newspaper with the headline "Texas Town Dies". It seems that this has been done to add to the mystery and suspense within the setting to be shown in the remainder of the film as it is believed to be empty and therefore foreshadows the significance of the setting within the narrative of the film. The use of this location makes it appear that the film has a high budget as it would cost a lot to take equipment to and from a desolate area throughout the duration of filming.

The themes made evident from the opening of the film include that of violence, murder, death, and fear. This is done through the newspaper headlines shown, the references towards weaponry (such as the chainsaw) and the low key lighting.

The opening of the film reveals very little about the characters that will be featured in the film. This is significant as it adds the mystery and tension created in the opening and prevents the audience from creating any emotional connection to any potential characters which helps to present as the film as a horror.

The different shots used within the opening help to portray the horror genre of the film due to the close ups on important information and the sepia toning of many of the shots helps to emphasis that the aspect of the narrative being portrayed is from the past. The lack of shots on the protagonist helps to build up mystery and therefore allows for a bigger fear impact later in the film. 

The non-diegetic sound creates an eerie atmosphere within the opening therefore helping to accentuate the genre as being horror. Further to this, the non-diegetic voice over has an odd, creepy tone to it and therefore adds to the build up of tension and mystery. 

The editing within the opening is discontinuous, creating a sense of unease and mystery. The events depicted all appear to be linked but the way in which they are connected remains ambiguous. It is therefore possible to infer that this connection will be explained within the narrative and that this discontinuous editing style will be replicated for the remainder of the film.

The lighting in the opening sequence is very unnatural and low key which allows the audience to create an idea of the potential horror aspects of the film due to the darkness connoting lack of understanding and mystery.
 

The opening represents a troubled protagonist in a remote and desolate Texas town. The use of the fire in the opening connotes destruction which appears like it will be a key feature of the narrative. This could help to attract the audience due to the ambiguous opening with very few representational aspects in terms of character and location. 

There are very few titles used within the opening which creates an ambiguous atmosphere as there is no information on the creators of the film or the film title itself. This is unusual and therefore creates an uneasy atmosphere and could potentially risk losing audience members. 

From the evidence provided I have come to the conclusion that this opening contains many aspects to aspire towards when creating my film opening. The most prominent aspect of the opening I would avoid when creating my own film opening is the lack of titles. However, the portrayal of genre and the way atmosphere is created in this opening are both extremely clever and I aspire to be able to do the same with the opening.

G321 - Film Opening Analysis - Family/ Fantasy/ Animation: The Nightmare Before Christmas

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

The opening sequence of this film begins with the revealing of the "Walt Disney" institution logo. This would have been a decision made by the production company so as to present the audience with an idea of the standard of the film due to Disney's popularity and success within the film industry, as well as eluding towards the film being aimed at children. The animation of the Cinderella castle foreshadows the fantasy aspect of the film.

The opening of the film reveals that the majority of characters in the film will be fantasy animated characters. This is important as it alerts the audience that the events presented in the narrative are fictional and therefore takes away the horror aspect otherwise created by the opening.

From the opening of the film it is evident that the genre of the film is to be fantasy and family. This is due to the animated content and the childish look of the film. However, the scary appearance of the characters and the jagged, sharp looking titles also present the film as a horror. 



The targeted audience of the film appears to be children from the age of 7 despite some of the horrific character appearances and lyrics to the diegetic soundtrack such as "I am the clown with the tear-away face". It also comes across that the film would be targeted at parents as it appears to be a film which would be better suited to showing at home rather than in cinemas and therefore would need to attract parents as they are the ones more likely to be buying the DVD.

The film opens on a celebration and reveals that the narrative of the film is to be based around this matter in some way. Aside from this, the narrative remains quite ambiguous as there is not much information given away about the remainder of the narrative. This causes the audience to start asking questions and foreshadows the narrative including an explanation of this and that this will play a major role in the films narrative.

The opening of this film appears to be passing on a message to be proud of who you are, despite the probability of you being different from everyone around you. This is presented through the characters all pointing out qualities of themselves which make them unique rather than traits they share with others.

The themes made evident from the opening of the film include that of death, violence, fear and terrorisation yet also celebration. The presentation of the Halloween town in conjunction with the singing hinting towards scaring people work together to produce the evidence for a theme of death, terrorisation, fear and violence whilst the singing and the happy appearance of the characters work in combination to provide evidence for the theme of celebration.

The setting of the film is established as being in a fictional place called "Halloween Town". This has evidently been created so as to allow for the narrative of the film to make sense as well as to interest a young audience. This foreshadows the significance of the setting within the narrative of the film. The use of this location makes it appear that the film has a high budget as the location would have had to have been created or edited in using green screens, both of which would cost a lot of money.

The atmosphere within the opening sequence appears to be one of happiness and celebration. This is shown through the character's pride in themselves and their home town as well as the singing which causes them to appear jolly. However, the dark colour palette contrasts with this idea and creates a sense of depression and sadness, making the happiness appear staged and fake and foreshadowing the remainder of the narrative.
The sound remains quite loud for the duration of the opening due to the diegetic song which the characters are singing. This allows the viewer to gain an understanding of the town, the characters and the location as well as an inclination towards the narrative of the film. However, some of the lyrics seem inappropriate for the target audience such as "I am the one hiding under your bed" which could scare children.

Editing within the opening is continuous and slow paced causing the audience to expect this from the rest of the film. This signifies that the films is aimed at children as complex editing could potentially confuse children and distract the from the narrative of the film.

The titles within the opening stand out from the black background and are not integrated into the clip causing them to be easier to read for younger audiences. There are also very few titles so as not to lose the concentration of young audience members and so as not to create confusion. This causes the audience to infer that the film is mainly aimed at young children.

The lighting in the opening sequence is very unnatural and low key which allows the audience to create an idea of the potential horror aspects of the film as well as helping to assert the film as a fantasy. This is, in some ways, a facade due to the film not truly being scary or an intentional horror. 

The variety of different shots used within the opening helps to accentuate the fantasy aspect of the film due to the many different angles used. The close ups of the characters allow the audience to differentiate between them, thus making the film suitable for younger children. This causes the audience to connect with the narrative more effectively and pulls their attention into the film.

The opening represents a fantasy land full of fictional characters which can help younger audience members to differentiate the film from reality. The song tells of how the town and the people in it are all devoted to the celebration of Halloween. This could cause younger audience members to become more careful when it comes to Halloween. 

From the evidence provided I have come to the conclusion that this opening mainly contains aspects to avoid when creating a film opening. The confusion genre portrayal could confuse the audience which is not something that I would like to cause. Further to this, I intend to create a sense of reality and verisimilitude within my film opening so as to allow the audience to connect to the narrative, therefore the use of animation is to be avoided. However, I would like to include the use of a distinct soundtrack to help portray the genre of the film.