Conventions of a Title

Introduction

In most films the titles follow a specific order, and the same type of titles are used. This shows the audience the main roles in the production of the film and who it is going to star. This allows the audience to judge the film before it has even begun, due to them being able to recognise a director, actor or production company and remember previous work that they may have done. 

Distribution Company Logo

The distribution company is the company that will advertise and sell the film to the audience.

In these two examples, of "Walt Disney Pictures", and "Universal Studios" they are found at the very beginning at a lot of very popular films. By showing the distribution company at the very beginning makes it very  memorable for the audience and will make  them remember it . Also the two companies  are very well known and have distributed a lot  of popular films. This makes the audience  think that the film is going to be good as they  will immediately compare it to another film  that may have been distributed by the same  company.

Production Company Logo

The production company is the company that is actually in charge of making the film. The production company is conventionally shown as the second title straight after the Distribution company logo. It is shown at the beginning of the film as it is extremely important, and like the distribution company it makes it more memorable for the audience and allows them to compare it to other films that they have made. The two examples that I have shown you are "Dream Works" and "Pixar". These two companies often make animated films and hence will allow the audience to expect a certain quality in the film after seeing there production logo.

"Distribution Company" Presents                                                                              

 

This title simply re shows the audience the distribution company in the form, "Distribution Company Presents". By repeating the companies name it makes it stick into the audiences head more so they are more likely to remember it.

A "Production Company" Production

Similarly to the previous title, the reiteration of the production company makes it stick into the audiences head and shows them who was responsible for the creation of the film.












Lead Role ( Main Actor/Actress)

The name of the lead actor or actress who plays the main character in the film is conventionally shown after the production and distribution company titles. This is the first actor/actress' name that we see due to them being the most important. In most Hollywood films this character is often well known and such is shown before any of the other cast members as the audience will instantly recognise them and their acting abilities. This will then allow the audience to see what other films that they have been in and judge the film off of the main cast member's skill. Actors such as "Bruce Willis" from The Sixth Sense, and "Tom Cruise" from Top Gun, are prime examples of this as they are well known and established actors.







Title of the Film




The name of the film is arguably the most important title in the opening sequence. 
The title of the film is shown at the very beginning of the film, as seen in the two examples of "Star Wars" and "Back to the Future". The title of the film is the part which the audience is most likely to remember as it is what defines the film, so is shown close to the beginning as to make it more memorable. Some main titles also use creative and unique typefaces and logos such as the two examples to make them stand out more.











Cast Member's Names ( Important Actor's/ Actress' Names)

The cast member's names are shown so the audience knows who is starring the film and may recognise some of the actors. Although some of the cast is shown in the title sequence not every single actor or actress that stars in the film gets a title. The titles only show the names of people who are well known are have a considerable part to play in the film. The more important actors or characters are shown first, and the less important are shown afters. The less important cast members even have to share a title screen, whereas the more important such as the lead role get their own personal title. This shows the audience their importance in the film.

Crew Members

From this part of the opening sequence conventionally the crew members are shown. Unlike the previous section where it started at the most important titles being showed at the start such the Production Company and Title of the film, and then leading on to the least important members of the cast, the crew starts at the least important and increases in importance towards the director and writer of the film. For the following examples I will be using the film, "The Sixth Sense". This is done in the following order:

Casting Crew

Costume Design

Music

Editor

Production Designer

Director of Photography

Executive Producer

Producer

Writer/Director - Normally the director and the writer would be on separate titles, where the writer would come first and then finally the director, but in the case of this film the same person both wrote and directed it.

Brief

                   

Conventions of an Opening Sequence

There are many things that an opening sequence must do for it it be effective, such as set the genre, draw the audience in and show the audience what the show is going to be about, while withholding information as to not spoil what will happen, although these are just a few of the things an opening sequence does. In every opening sequence there must be a production and a distribution company along with titles. This blog will be talking about what conventions are used in an opening sequence and how and why they are used. I will only be talking about a few conventions although there are many that can be used.

Convention - Setting the Tone and Atmosphere

This is used in opening sequence as it allows the audience to prepare themselves  for what is to come next, such as if the film is a thriller it may show blood or use low key lighting at the start so the audience understand that the film is going to be very dark and sad, or if the film is a romantic comedy it may use very upbeat music to set an upbeat mood for the audience.

Example 1 - Forest Gump

The sound in this opening sequence is very effective at setting the mood for the audience. This is done through the use of the low volume and rhythm creating a sense of sadness for the audience, but the piano has a very high pitch which gives off a more positive tone, which therefore shows the viewers that the film is going to be very uplifting but will also have very sad moments in it, which is very true in the film.

Example 2 - Brick

In this image, which is from Brick's opening sequence the audience can see a master shot of a boy crouched down and a girl laying face first in the gutter. This sets the tone for the audience as it the audience will look at the girl and notice that she is dead due to where she is laying and how she is so still. This sets a very negative atmosphere and shows the audience that a key theme in the film will be death and sadness. The shot is also very effective at setting the mood due to the colours used. The shot is very blue which holds connotations of sadness and being mellow which shows the audience that throughout the film it is going to be very upsetting and allows them to prepare for it. The shot also creates a sense of mystery for the audience which again is another key aspect of the film due tot he audience not being able to see any of the characters faces and the audience not knowing what has happened to the girl.

Convention - Making the Audience Ask Questions

Many opening sequences will withhold information from the audience to force them to ask questions, therefore making them watch on to find out the answers. This is very effective as it lures the audience in to the film or show. However the opening sequence can't withhold too much information or else it may become too confusing for the audience and put them off watching it. In many shows the opening sequence tackles this problem by dropping subtle hints as to what is going to happen next without fully explaining it  or directly telling the audience. This allows the audience to know what is happening and think about what is going to happen next without ruining the film.

Example 1 - Wallander

An effective opening sequence for making the audience ask questions is the show, Wallander. This makes the audience ask questions by withholding a great amount of information, by showing the audience two girls walking in the middle of nowhere and not showing there faces for a large part of the sequence. This makes the audience wonder who they are and what they are doing out there. The shot of the two girls is then followed up by a shot of a man in a car filled with blood. This allows the audience to connect the two shots together and know that they were responsible for the man's condition but the audience still doesn't know who they are due to the lack of focus and they don't know why they did it. This will make the audience want to watch on to find out the girl's motives for doing such a violent act and find out who the girl's are.

Example 2 - Memento

                 

Memento's opening sequence is very effective for making the audience ask questions. This is due to it starting right after a murder has taken place. This causes the audience to wonder as to why the man killed the other, and who are the two characters. This is done through the use of a rewind. This makes the audience see the murderer standing above the other man's body, not knowing there relationship and how or why the man died, but as they watch on they see the man come back to life and see the other man shoot him. This makes the audience ask how he died and what is the other man doing there taking a photo but as time goes on they see he has a gun and that he was responsible for his death, creating new questions as what were his motives? This causes the audience to watch the rest of the film to find out who these two characters are and the murderers reasoning for doing such a thing.

Convention - Show the Genre

Setting the genre of a film during an opening sequence is one of the most important things it must do. This is because it allows the audience to know what the film is going to be about and what they can expect to see in the film. If the genre is set to be a comedy they can expect to laugh and the film to be happy, or if it is set as a horror they can expect to see death and bloody violence. Setting the genre allows the audience to know what is coming up and what kind of film they are watching.

Example 1 - Saw

In the horror film saw the titles are very effective for showing the genre, before any of the film has even been shown. One way this is done is through the use of colour. The first title you see uses a very dark green and a black background. These colours together look  very negative and create a very scary tone for the audience, showing them that the film is going to be horrifying. The black background throughout all of the titles hold negative connotations of death and darkness. This shows the audience that it is going to be a horror film as there is going to be a lot of death.

One title that stands out a lot is "Twisted Pictures" title. This title shows a nail slamming down and covering the title in barbed wire and tightening it. This shows the audience that there is going to be very brutal deaths in the film as the idea of barbed wire wrapping around something is very painful and disgusting and may foreshadow that something like that will happen in the film. This immediately shows the audience that it is a horror film as there is going to be a lot of deaths and torture in the film.

Wallander (Firewall, 7/12/08, BBC1) Opening Sequence Analysis

Sound

In the opening sequence of the show, Wallander, sound has been used to great effect. An example of this is the use of wind sounds at the very begining of the scene. The wind has a very low pitch, pace and quite a low volume which gradually builds up over time. This creates a very cold atmosphere for the audience and helps to make them feel uneasy. The wind also sounds very unnatural which shows something very bad has happened. This is also accompanied by a very high pitched whistling noise. This noise can show a sense of danger for the audience as the high pitch greatly contrasts and stands out compared to the noise of the wind. The gradual build up of the diegetic sound climaxes at a score as it shows a mid shot of the two girls walking with their back to the camera. The sting sounds as if the wind is being sucked up and sounds very strange. This not only draws the audiences attention to these two girls but also creates an unsettling tone about them, as this wind was getting greater and greater up until it showed them and suddenly it turned to silence.

Another effective use of sound in the opening sequence is through the use diegetic radio playing from within the car with the dying man in it. The radio sounds out of tune and broken, and shows the audience that they are very far away from any form of civilisation as the radio cannot get a signal, and also shows the audience that there has been some sort of violent encounter between the person in the car and the girls. The fact that the radio is out of range helps to build unease for the audience as it creates a very ominous tone, and the static breaking through the up-beat music can represent how these girls may have seemed relatively nice to the taxi driver but had evil motives behind them, which is shown when they attempted to kill him.

You can very quietly hear music playing in the background which is from the radio.

Cinematography

There is a very effective use of cinematography in the opening sequence of Wallander. An example of this is how it helps to build a sense of mystery and obscures information from the audience at the start through the use of focus and shot types. This is seen through the use of the establishing shot at the start. This allows the audience to have a look at the setting but they don't know what has happened and who is involved. This is then followed up by a mid of two girls but it is shot from behind so the audience is unable to see their faces, and they still don't know what they have done. This creates a sense of mystery for the audience as the establishing shot shows that they are completely isolated in the middle of nowhere and leads the audience to ask, "What are they doing out there?".

The use of a shallow focus from within the car allows the audience to piece some of the mystery together. This is due to the inside of the car showing blood on the window and an over the shoulder shot through the window of two people walking who are out of focus. The audience is able to recognise them as the girls as before, but they still don't know who they are and what they were doing all they way out there. Focus is also used to effect as the two girls are walking away. As the audience finally see their faces the two aren't fully in focus and the girl in black is more focused than other one. This means that the audience can see what they look like but still can't get a proper view at their faces, and can also show the audience than the girl in black is much more important than the other one, and also shows that maybe she was the one mainly responsible for the mans assault.

Editing

The slow paced editing at the the start of the opening sequence is very effective. This is due to it building up a lot of tension for the audience and also helping to create a very somber mood as the man slowly dies in his car. This helps to emphasise the sadness of the opening sequence as it shows very drawn out clips of the man in agony and the girls getting away. The pace of the editing starts to build up towards the end of the opening sequence when it cuts between the man and the girls getting away. The build up in the pace may represent the build up of guilt in the girls mind which is shown when she throws the knife to the ground. This shows the audience that she is regretting her actions.

The use of cross cutting allows the audience to then see close ups of the dying man and shots of the girls briskly walking away from the car with the man in it. This allows the audience to finally see what they have done as it shows that they have attempted to kill the man and are now trying to get away from him. The close ups in this section of the opening sequence allow the audience to see the girl's faces and then show what has happened to the man. This shows the audience how they seem relatively unfased by what has happened to him and shows how brutally hurt he is. This causes the audience to feel sorry for the man and feel extremely negatively towards the two girls as they left him to die.

Mise en Scene

Mise en Scene is used to great effect in the opening sequence. One example of this is through the use of costume. Both of the girls appear to have very messy hair and dark clothing. One of the girls also has black hair with red highlights and a black leather jacket.

The blackness in their clothing and hair carries many negative connotations about their character as it represents death and foreshadows to the audience that maybe someone has died. The girl's hair being messy also shows the audience that they may have been in some sort of rush or that they have been running away from, or fighting someone. This causes the audience to think something is off immediately as girls are stereotypically viewed as caring a lot about their appearance and hair, but these two girls have extremely unkempt hair which shows that they have been doing a lot of physical activities and something isn't right.

The setting of the opening sequence is in the middle of nowhere, as shown by the establishing shot at the start. The area seems very dark and dull and the grass doesn't look lush, as it looks like it is dying. This creates a very sinister undertone for the audience nothing good could come from these two girls being miles away from any from of town or city and the setting carries connotations of death and darkness, and also foreshadows that the show is going to be extremely serious and sad.

Brick (Johnson, 2005, US) Opening Sequence Analysis

Sound

In the opening sequence of the film, Brick, music with a very slow rhythm was used, along with a high pitch and low volume. This slow score helps to build a sense of sadness for the audience and allows the audience to emphasise with the character who is looking at the dead boy, obviously shocked and saddened by the experience. The slow pace of the score also gives the audience the impression that something isn't quite right in the scene, as the loud bells helps to put the audience on edge. This tension helps to show that something has gone wrong in the film and that the character has to try and resolve this issue.

The ambient sound in the opening sequence is also very effective. The trickling sound of the water at the gutter has a very low volume whereas the score is much louder in comparison, and overlaps it. The use of this ambient sound could show that the character has separated himself from the real world for a moment due to the shock of seeing this girl in such a state. This shows that there is some form of bond between the two characters as the male character is deeply effected by seeing her dead body, to the point where he is blocking out the real world.

Cinematography

Throughout the opening sequence the character's aren't fully revealed to the audience. A few examples of this are when the camera uses a soft focus on the boy's face. This soft focus stops the audience from seeing any of his features clearly, or getting a good look at his face. The camera then uses a focus pull towards the boy's face to get a better look at him but an extreme close up is used and he has his hand over his face. This means that the audience still can't see what he looks like and creates a sense of mystery, as it causes the audience to ask, who is he?

The opening also obscures the girls face from the audience helping to add to the sense of mystery and unknown, making the audience watch on to find out who these two people are. The audience are only shown the back of the girls head, or her hair is hiding her face, and an establishing shot of her body. This causes the audience to think for a second whether or not she is dead, and then makes them think who did kill her.

In the opening a master shot is used along with an establishing shot. This allows the audience to see the characters spacial relationship to one another. In the case of Brick's opening sequence there is a great distance between the two characters. The boy is on the far left of the screen staring at the body of the girl who is on the far right. The placement of these characters helps to show that there is some sort of divide between the two, and makes the audience suspicious of the boy who is staring at her is it makes it look like he was the one responsible for her death.

Editing

The titles in the opening sequence of the film use a white serif font on a black background which fade out to black.  The use of these titles creates a very serious tone for this film, and shows the audience that this film is going to be grim. The fading of the text from white to a black background also represents the coming and going of characters in the film and sets a somber mood for the audience.

Very slow paced editing is also used. This creates a very serious tone for the audience and also helps to reflect the boy's emotions at the time. The slow editing helps to emphasise the impact of the girl's death and shows the gravity of the situation and also creates sadness for the audience. An example of this is the establishing shot at the beginning which lasts for a very long time. This allows the audience to see the body on the floor and the boy crouched over staring at her and see that it is a depressing scene.

Mise en Scene

The opening sequence is set in a sewage opening. The placement of this setting helps with the atmosphere as it is a very dirty and unsafe area to be in. It is also placed under a bridge which is a very out of the way location. This means that no one will be able to find the body and shows that the boy didn't just stumble upon it, he has a reason to be there and maybe has a part to play in the girl's death. With the setting being a gutter it represents how bad of a place the characters are in right now, as being stuck in a gutter usually means that someone's life is a mess, the use of having a sewage opening for the opening sequence foreshadows that by the end of the film the boy's life will be in ruins and that it's going to be a very tragic film.

The male character has a very closed body language. This shows how he has been effected by seeing the dead body in the water it has scared him and caused him to close up, as shown by him crouching down into a ball. This shows the audience that he is very vulnerable and that he is trying to shut himself away and hide from the situation. This also shows the audience how sad he is and hence shows some form of relationship between the two people.

The Sixth Sense (Shyamalan, 1999, US) Opening Sequence Analysis

Sound

In the opening sequence of the film, Sixth Sense the score used has a very slow rhythm, but a high pitch and volume. This makes the score very eerie and spooky for the audience as it builds up a lot of tension as it slowly builds up over the course of the opening. This slow and gradual build up also helps to put the audience on edge as it leads them to think that there will be a climax in the music, but in stead it just fades out. The use of a sting in the opening music also frightens the audience as it contrasts the slow and almost relaxing music. The sting is accompanied by the title of "The Sixth Sense". The use of this sting allows them to relate the scary sound of the sting to the title and such, puts fear into the title of the film. This allows the audience to prepare themselves for the rest of the film as they know that it will be scary.

In the film the diegetic sound of breathing and rustling somewhere from within the room scares the audience as they do not know where it is from and it shows that someone else is there apart from the lady. This makes the audience fear for the lady as they believe that she is in danger. 

The hyperbolic sound of the lady's footsteps treading on glass emphasises the emptiness of the room as the sound echos throughout. This makes the lady seem a lot more isolated than she actually is and thus makes the audience worried for her as they believe that she is all on her own with something else staring at her.

Cinematography

At the start of the opening sequence a black screen is used when the titles are being shown. This has negative connotations of death and evil, which makes the audience scared before the film has even started. The black screen also covers up what is going on, on the screen so makes the audience suspicious as they can't see anything. 

The close up of the women's face as she is looking through the wine rack shows her facial expression and that she is fine with being down there, but as she hears a noise a tracking shot is used and an extreme close up to show the change in her expression. Her facial expression changes to that of uncertainty and fear which makes the audience also fearful as they don't know what is down there making her so scared. 

The use of a crab shot is also very effective. The camera being placed behind the wine rack looking at the women as she is selecting a wine bottle resembles something in the room watching her from within hiding. This causes the audience to feel that she is unsafe and that there is a danger in the room.

Editing

The titles in the opening sequence use a serif and blue font. The serif font creates a very serious and unfriendly tone for the audience and the blue colour is very cold and distant. These coupled together show that the film is going to be very serious and eerie. The fading in and out of the titles to black is also very effective as it creates a very ominous tone as it connotates a death in a film. It also represents the fading in and out of ghosts which is a key part of the film.

At the start of the sequence very slow editing is used. This creates a very calm atmosphere as nothing is happening, but as she gets scared the pace of the editing picks up slightly. This increase in pace mirrors her increase in fear and anxiety.

Mise en Scene

The setting of the opening sequence is in a basement. Having the basement as the setting is extremely effective as many houses will have one, and is one of the scariest houses in the room. This allows the audience to relate to the characters emotions as she gets scared when stepping down there. The basement also appears to be very unkempt with dark and dirty walls will cobwebs and dust. This helps to give the impression that the basement has been untouched for many years and that she has disturbed it by going down there.

The low-key lighting in the room also helps to add to the scary tone created by the room as it creates a lot of dark areas in the basement and shadows. This means that the audience cannot see a lot of the of the room and don't know what could be hiding in the darkness, so fear for the character as they don't know what could be down there with her.

The performance of the lady also helps to install fear into the audience, as when she initially walks down the stairs into the basement she is very open and comfortable about being down in the room, but later on in the scene her body shape changes to very closed and scared. This change in body shape shows her fear of the room and that she is very uncomfortable  and in turn also helps make the audience uncomfortable. 

Memento (Nolan, 2000, US) Opening Sequence Analysis

Sound

In the extract of the film Memento, very slow, high pitched and low volume. This creates a sense of sadness for the audience as the score is very somber  The use of strings in the music also emphasises the mellow atmosphere created, and makes the audience feel upset for the dead body on the floor, as the score suggests that his death is sad. The music can also mirror the characters emotions at this point in the film as he is shown to throw his gun away after killing the man, showing some form of remorse after the murder, and feeling sad for the man he has just killed.




As the picture is inserted back into the camera, incidental music is used, as the music changes from that of sadness to mystery, and is almost scary. This helps build up tension and shows that something isn't quite right. This is due to the music increasing in rhythm  and volume, but decreasing in pitch, which creates a very ominous tone. After the music changing it slowly builds up towards a climax when the man is shot. The use of the build up towards the sting shows a sense of foreshadowing that something isn't quite right and that something is going to happen as the music gets faster and louder as time goes on.


The diegetic sounds within the extract are also very effective. The man who was shot screams just before being killed. His voice has a very high volume and has a sense of anguish and despair in his voice. This makes the audience feel sorry for him as he is clearly very scared and worried in the situation. The loud noises at the climax of the gun and the scream, from the extract are also accompanied by the sting of the music. All of the sound building up to this point emphasise the volume of the man's scream and also highlights the key moment.

Cinematography

Cinematography in the extract is also very effective. For example at the start of the extract a close up of the picture is used. This draws a lot of attention towards the image and shows its importance. The image slowly fades away to a white picture. This can represent the man's fading memory in the film as he forgets what has happened, much like the photo which slowly disappears, so do his memories. Also the picture shows a dead body with a lot of blood, this makes the audience wonder as to why this man has such an image and helps to prepare them for the murder which is just about to happen.

Just before the man is shot, a low angle shot of the man in the overcoat is used. This shows his power over the dead body, and likewise, the high angle shot of the body shows that he has no power, due to him being dead. This makes the audience recognise the murderer as a more important figure, and can also make the audience view as him as dangerous figure and as a threat in the film, as he capable of killing other people.

Editing

At the start of the extract very slow paced editing is used, as for a large part of the first scene it is single shot. The slow pace of the cuts helps to emphasise the sadness created in the scene and  helps to build a very sad atmosphere for the audience. The pace of the editing gradually increases after the shot of the camera. After this point the cuts get faster and faster towards the climax of the scene where the man is murdered. The increasing speed of the editing helps to build up tension for the audience, and also helps to emphasise the action in the scene.

The rewinding throughout the shot may have been used to allow the audience to prepare themselves for what is going to happen next. It allows the audience to see blood and a dead body, so they know that it is going to show his murder before it happens. It also creates a sense of mystery as at the start of the scene they see a picture of a body and a lot of blood, and makes them watch on to find out where all of the blood comes from as it creates a sense of mystery.

Mise En Scene

Throughout the extract, from start to finish a large amount of blood can be seen. This shows that there is a lot of violence in the film and that the man who was killed was murdered in a very bloody and gruesome way. The gun and bullet also emphasise this point, as they are used to kill people. 

The glasses worn by the man who was murdered can also show that he is weak. This is due to glasses stereotypically showing a form of weakness in media. This shows that he was a very vulnerable character, and makes the murderer appear stronger and as more of a threat in comparison.

The setting is a very small and dirty, as shown by the broken windows and rotting walls. The room is also covered in blood, which shows that some form of killing has taken place in this room and that there is a lot of violence, which makes the audience feel that something isn't right. Having a dirty room in the middle of nowhere also creates a very dark tone for the audience as something bad has happened. The low key lighting in the room, makes the room very dark and scary, and also helps to create a very dark and ominous tone and dampens the mood even further.