Analysis: Title Sequences

What is a title sequence and why are they used?

A title sequence, sometimes called an intro, are used in a piece of film to establish names of key importance to the film. A title sequence will often include the title of the film, the most important actors in the film (If actors names are included in the title sequence they are likely to be the, or at least part of the, USP of the film) and the name of the director, if it is deemed to be of importance to the piece. For example, if the director of the film was Steven Spielberg, this would be included in the title sequence, as he would be part of the USP of the film.

Title sequences help to introduce the genre of the film with the typography that is used. Additionally, the background of the title sequence differs in every film, ranging from them appearing on footage of the film, them appearing on still images, or them being part of an animation. Being part of an animation is a more rare form of title sequence, but an example of this would be the Pixar title screen with the desk lamp.

Analysis of title screens taken from existing pieces:

Tangled

This title screen is taken from one of Disney’s most popular animated princess movies, Tangled. The typography used here is representative of the focus of the narrative, and of the genre of the film. The use of the golden colour, and of the elongated typography reflects Rapunzel’s hair, which is a very large part of the narrative. Its golden shimmer represents the magical qualities that her hair possesses, and it also suggests that the film is centred around a princess, due to the colour gold having connotations with wealth and royalty. Due to the fact that the title sequence of Tangled on includes the name of the film, this highlights that the target audience of the film is children. This is because children have limited reading abilities, and are only interested in the name of the film, and not any of the actors voicing the characters, or any of the production team. 

Harry Potter 

This title screen is taken from one of the films in the extremely successful Harry Potter franchise. The typography used here helps to reflect Harry’s struggles in life, with the edges of the letters being very sharp and crooked, and it also suggests the dangers that he faces, and that he battered from the conflicts he has endured. The letter ‘P’ is very significant in the Harry Potter franchise, as the typography represents the iconic scar that was created by Voldemort that is located on Harry’s forehead. The icy grey colour used helps to create fear in the audience, and foreshadows danger, destruction and death in the film. Additionally, the words ‘Harry Potter’ appear larger than that of the rest of the words in the title signifies that the importance is not which film it is, but in fact that it i part of the Harry Potter franchise, due to the fame that franchise has created for itself. The dark, cloudy background creates an eerie atmosphere for the audience and almost creates a sense of foreboding, which further foreshadows the dangers that the characters will face in the film.

Deadpool

Deadpool is a film that took a rather unorthodox approach to the title sequence and its use. Instead of using it as a means to state the USP’s of the film, it used it as a means to add yet another comedic element into the film. As you can see in the photos above, instead of using actors/characters names, the production team have simply stated things such as “A CGI Character”. Also, when stating who the film was directed by it said “Directed by An Overpaid Tool”. The swapping of real names for names that are almost an insult to the individual, is a tool used by the production team as a means to draw a laugh from the audience, which is very much a key element of the entire film. Also, doing the title sequence in this way makes it appear as though Deadpool, the character himself, has written these titles, as he is far from complimentary to people, and delivers one liners that are designed to make the audience erupt in laughter. It also makes the film very memorable, as this is not something that is commonly, if ever, seen in films, so it draws attention to the film from the audience. 

Continuity Piece: Final Edit

Here is the final edit of our continuity piece: 

We completed our final edit at the college, using their media facilities. We got to use Premiere Pro which I found to be a really enjoyable experience. I found the demonstration that we got from one of the college lecturers to be very useful and it gave us a good idea of how to use the software. The software was a lot more complicated to use than Serif Movie Plus, but after some time to get used to it, it was actually quite simplistic.

With the software, we were able to make the changes to our continuity piece to make it run much more smoothly, and make the conversation seem more natural. We also found that when we saved our final edit, we found that the quality was a lot better than it was when we had saved it in school, even when we had saved it as an MP4 file. We decided this was because Premiere Pro is a more professional and modern software. 

An extra change that we made during our final edit, was to cut the slow pan from right to left, at the very beginning of the piece. We did this as we felt that it was a little too slow, but when sped it up, it didn’t look natural. It was for this reason that we decided to cut it, as we felt that it ruined the flow of our piece. 

Continuity Piece: 1st Edit

We conducted the first edit of our continuity piece using Serif Movie Plus. This is Microsoft software that is available on our school network. 

After our first edit, we sat down and discussed what we thought the strengths and weaknesses of our continuity piece were. Our teacher also gave us some feedback. These were our thoughts:

Strengths:

• We successfully kept continuity throughout the piece

• We included a variety of shots and camera angles which made our piece interesting

• Our teacher told us that she liked the high angle shot through the window as it was totally different to any of the other shots we used and it focused on outside, rather than inside

• The first few shots need to be cut shorter, as they are a little too long. Focusing on one thing for too long will bore the audience. Cutting the shots will make no difference to the continuity or sequence of the piece:

Weaknesses:

- To improve the continuity of the conversation towards the end of the piece, the shot of Josh saying “Thank you, I need to finish my homework” needs to be cut shorter. This means that Caitlin’s reply will be straight away, and will seem like the conversation flows.

- The shot of Josh opening the door needs to be cut and sped up. The shot is slightly too long, and as Josh must have opened the door more slowly towards the end of the clip, it almost appears that it is being opened in slow motion. As we need it to look a normal speed, we will have to increase the speed.

When will we make these changes?

We will make the changes to the edit when we go and visit the collage to use their media facilities. In the collage, they have a type of editing software called Premiere Pro, which we have never used before as our school do not have it. As we have never used it before, we have arranged to be given a tutorial on how to do the basics, to give us a basic understanding of the software before we experiment using it for ourselves. I am looking forward to learning how to use Premiere Pro as I have never used it before, and I think it will be interesting to compare it to other editing software I have used such as Serif Movie Plus, and iMovie. 

Were there any issues with Serif Movie Plus?

I thought the software was quite easy to use, and it was simple to navigate. However, we found that when we saved the piece as a Serif Movie Plus file, that it was bad quality and the footage was freezing and jumping. Therefore, we went back and saved it as an MP4 file and we found that this solved all of our issues.

Planning the Continuity Piece

Today in our media studies lesson, we were given a few helpful tips for success when filming our continuity piece. 

Firstly, we were told that we should use a story board and a script to plan what you will film, and so that you can reference back to them if you forget something that you are meant to be doing. The story board can also be used as a form of checklist to make sure that you have filmed all of the shots.

Secondly, we were told that we should always keep the camera steady. In order to achieve stable footage we were advised to use a tripod to film the shots and not to record it hand held.

Then, we were told that we should be sure to consider the shot/reverse shot technique whilst filming in order to make sure that it makes sense, and that there are no continuity errors.

Finally, we were told to include a wide variety of shots such as close ups and extreme close ups. This is to ensure that the footage is interesting to watch and helps to keep the audience engaged.

Caitlin and Hannah drew up the story board for our continuity piece and we all reviewed it to make sure that there was enough variety of shots in it. After reviewing the story board, Josh and I went and created the script. 

Before we were able to start filming, we had to make sure that we were able to set up all the equipment. At the beginning of the year, we had been demonstrated this by our teacher, and had undertaken a task to film some different types of camera shots. As this would only be our second time setting up the camera and tripod, we were watched over by our teacher to make sure that we had set up and secured the tripod correctly so it capsize, and that we had correctly attached the camera to the tripod so it didn’t fall off. We successfully remembered how to set up the camera and tripod, as our teacher gave us the all clear that it was set up correctly and was safe to use. 

The final preparations we made for filming were to clear the memory card of our camera to ensure that we would not run out of storage space whilst filming. We also made sure that we had a spare, fully charged battery on hand with us as a precaution, in case the battery we were using in our camera had/developed a fault.

As a testing shot, Josh filmed an extreme close up of Caitlin’s eye to practice this type of shot, to make sure that the reflection of the camera was not visible. We observed that very small movements of the camera were very noticeable, so we made sure that we kept the camera as still as possible when filming.

Thriller Codes & Conventions

To get a better understanding of the thriller genre, I conducted some research into the codes and conventions of the genre. I created some mind maps with what I found out when researching, and have featured pictures of them below:

Thriller Sub-Genres

The thriller genre is an extensive genre of literature, film and television. They often focus on keeping the audience tense and "on the edge of their seats", and tend to build towards a dramatic climax. Due to the fact that thriller films are characterised by the moods and feelings they create within the audience - including suspense, anticipation, anxiety and excitement - they can almost be linked with any other film genre. This is telling by the amount of sub-genres of thrillers. No matter what sub-genre of thriller, the main focus of the film will always be the danger/issue that is faced by the protagonist.

Below I have listed some of the many thriller sub-genres. I have included a brief explanation of what they typically consist of, and I have given examples of each, too.

Psychological Thriller

A distinguishing feature of a psychological thriller is the emphasis on the unstable mental states of its characters; typically focusing on their perceptions of the world, their thoughts, their distortions of reality and the struggle they face to grasp what is really happening around them. Psychological thrillers have a large focus on character development, choices and moral conflict.

Examples of psychological thrillers are: Case 39, Shutter Island & The Silence of the Lambs.

Action Thriller

Action thrillers are designed to keep the audience entertained via the use of SFX, weapons and semi-realistic storylines. Typically, action thrillers revolve around a heroes and villains theme, often with a plot twist to add to the tension. The combination of action and suspense grips audiences and the narrative often includes kidnappings, violence and crime fighting.

Examples of action thrillers are: Taken, Inception & The Bourne Identity.

Crime Thriller

Crime thrillers combine crime drama and thriller suspense whilst keeping a close focus on the criminal, not on the law enforcement. They typically include a lot of physical violence and weapons, and common narrative themes are robberies, shootouts, hostages and murders. The chase element of crime thrillers grips the audience by often providing near misses of the criminal getting caught.

Examples of crime thrillers are: Reservoir Dogs, The Usual Suspects & Cellular.

Supernatural Thriller

Supernatural thrillers consist of fictional and unworldly plots in which typically the protagonist or antagonist have some sort of supernatural power; whether that be they are possessed or are part creature, etc. It is these supernatural powers that are the pinnacle of the plot, and what the film revolves around.

Examples of supernatural thrillers are: The Sixth Sense, The Orphanage & The Skeleton Key.

Mystery Thriller

The narrative of a mystery thriller is often very complex, and requires concentration and engagement from the audience. Typically, the story is driven by the hero, often the protagonist, and the film follows them on their quest to solve a mystery, which is often a crime. The audience is required to use their mind to try to solve the mystery alongside the protagonist, and there is always a logical solution at the end.

Examples of mystery thrillers are: Zodiac, Fight Club & Angels and Demons.

Conspiracy Thriller

Conspiracy thrillers are typically centred around a protagonist that is confronted by a powerful organisation, often with a conspiracy theory as the background of the narrative. Protagonists of conspiracy thrillers are often stand-alone, as they are the only ones who are aware of the danger, or because they are caught in a multi-layered conspiracy involving law enforcement/government, so they cannot seek help.

Examples of conspiracy thrillers are: JFK, Enemy of the State & Capricorn One.


Other thriller sub-genres include:
- Disaster Thrillers
- Political Thrillers
- Romantic Thrillers
- Religious Thrillers
- Medical Thrillers

Written in reference to:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_thriller
- https://www.slideshare.net/Elliot27/action-thriller-genre-7153146
- https://prezi.com/gs0g-die1bxq/my-understanding-of-thriller-genre-and-codes-conventions/
- http://kingedwardthegreat.wixsite.com/productionportfolio/conspiracy-thriller-conventions
- https://hunterswritings.com/2012/10/12/elements-of-the-psychological-thriller-mystery-suspense-andor-crime-fiction-genres/

Thriller Directors

As part of my research into the thriller genre, I have conducted some research into some famous thriller directors.

Alfred Hitchcock

Sir Alfred Hitchcock was born in England, in August 1899, and died in April 1980. As a film director and producer, he pioneered what are now very famous techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. For this, he gained the title “Master of Suspense” in the film world. He had an incredibly successful career in British cinema and was known as England’s best director. After this success, he moved to Hollywood in 1939. Some of Hitchcock’s most recognisable trademarks in film are using camera movement that mimics a person’s gaze, and framing shots to maximise anxiety, fear or empathy. 3 of his top rated films are: ‘Rear Window’, ‘Psycho’ and ‘Vertigo’.

Steven Spielberg

Steven Spielberg was born in Ohio, America, in 1946, and is a director, producer and screenwriter. Spielberg is seen as one of the most popular directors in film history, and viewed as one of the founding pioneers of the New Hollywood era. His work spanned many genres, and he has won the Academy Award for Best Director twice, and was nominated another five times. The combined gross of the films he has directed makes him the highest grossing director in history, with the total topping $9 billion worldwide. 3 of his top rated films are: ‘Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark’, ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ and ‘Jaws’. Spielberg’s films are often produced by Universal Studios.

James Cameron

James Cameron was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1954, and is a filmmaker, director, producer and screenwriter. His first successful film was “The Terminator”, and after this success, he became a popular Hollywood director. Cameron directed ‘Titanic’ and ‘Avatar’, which are the two highest grossing films of all time, and he holds the achievement of being the director of 2 out of the 3 films in history that have grossed over $2 billion worldwide. As a director, his films have grossed approximately $6 billion worldwide. For ‘Titanic’, he won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Film Editing. The studio which often produces Cameron’s films is 20th Century Fox. 

Quentin Tarantino

Quentin Tarantino was born in Tennessee, America, in 1963, and is a director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Some recognisable characteristics of Tarantino’s films are non-linear storylines, satirical subject matter and aestheticization of violence. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay twice, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director twice, too. Tarantino’s use of graphic gore and violence has proved controversial and he has been criticised for using it in ‘an entrancing yet simultaneously impulsive way’. The director says that a  hallmark office films is getting the audience to laugh at things that are not funny, with a difference sense of humour in each of his films. 3 of his top rated films are: ‘ Pulp Fiction’, ‘Kill Bill: Volume 2’ and ‘Reservoir Dogs’.