Presentation
View more presentations from shanique05.
Thursday, 23 December 2010
The functions of an opening sequence
The functions
The function of an opening title sequence to a film is to establish the visual style of the film and to introduce the viewer to all or some of the following:
Characters
Location
Narrative/Plot
Genre
Themes
The Elements
Typically, an opening sequence will contain:
Details of cast and crew.
The film's title.
An introduction to character or character type.
Indication of place.
Indication of historical period.
Information regarding mood and tone.
Introduction to signature theme tune.
Information about genre.
Questions that the viewer finds intriguing.
Patterns and types of editing that will be echoed in the remainder of the film.
Mise en scene and cinematography that will be echoed or elaborated upon later in the film
The function of an opening title sequence to a film is to establish the visual style of the film and to introduce the viewer to all or some of the following:
Characters
Location
Narrative/Plot
Genre
Themes
The Elements
Typically, an opening sequence will contain:
Details of cast and crew.
The film's title.
An introduction to character or character type.
Indication of place.
Indication of historical period.
Information regarding mood and tone.
Introduction to signature theme tune.
Information about genre.
Questions that the viewer finds intriguing.
Patterns and types of editing that will be echoed in the remainder of the film.
Mise en scene and cinematography that will be echoed or elaborated upon later in the film
Saul Bass Analysis of film opening sequence
Saul bass
Saul bass is best known for his design on animated title sequences. They are normally easily recognisable as they tend to feature rough strips of torn up paper, or paper cut arms of what has been described as heroin addicts arms. Saul Bass saw the title opening sequence as a chance to condition the audience so that when the film actually started they already have some sort of emotional connection to it.
The man with the golden arm
The music used is rather fast paced and uplifting but there seems to be no continuity of the notes in this piece of music which suggests come concept of misguidance or false leading paths. As part of an audience member I wouldn’t know what to expect next. Because the tempo of the music speeds up quite quickly I noticed I found myself constantly waiting for some sort of loud, sharp, or dangerous noise to arrive, but it never did. This is good as it keeps the audience engaged/on the edge of their seats. The background music is somewhat similar to a spy movie such as the well known James Bond.
The colours used throughout the opening title sequence do not reflect what the music tells us. Throughout the whole sequence there is a black wash. The images on top of the black canvas change, however they are all white. There is a consistent slide of white straight lines tilted at different angles to create different still images. There seems to be no specific placement of these lines as they seem to have been placed their without much thought. The only other image we see is at the end where there is a hand displayed. The hand appears to be made from the tearing out of a white piece of paper.
Black and white are contrasting colours but can become boring when that is all the audience is presented with. Unlike the music it creates a dull laid back mood.
There is no live action just still images. Sometimes the images adjust their position on the screen with a ‘crawl’ type transition. The credits tend to feed themselves between these images.
The tone and the mood of the sequence seems to me like the film would consist of a mixture of different emotions. The inconsistency of the music mixed with the images could represent an emotional roller coaster ‘never knowing what to expect after each bend’. As an audience member I would believe that there will be some light hearted elements such as humorous jokes or reflections of life’s positive aspects but also some not so nice moments such as death of a loved one or heartbreak.
Themes that can be withdrawn from the title sequence would be clues, murder, betrayal, and secrets.
It appears odd that in this opening title sequence we are not introduced to any of the main characters. Previous research has told me that a good functioning opening title sequence should do this, but this ommitance could have been a deliberate decision. However this could also have been due to the lack of technology available many years ago compared to the fortunate amount we have now.
Saul bass is best known for his design on animated title sequences. They are normally easily recognisable as they tend to feature rough strips of torn up paper, or paper cut arms of what has been described as heroin addicts arms. Saul Bass saw the title opening sequence as a chance to condition the audience so that when the film actually started they already have some sort of emotional connection to it.
The man with the golden arm
The music used is rather fast paced and uplifting but there seems to be no continuity of the notes in this piece of music which suggests come concept of misguidance or false leading paths. As part of an audience member I wouldn’t know what to expect next. Because the tempo of the music speeds up quite quickly I noticed I found myself constantly waiting for some sort of loud, sharp, or dangerous noise to arrive, but it never did. This is good as it keeps the audience engaged/on the edge of their seats. The background music is somewhat similar to a spy movie such as the well known James Bond.
The colours used throughout the opening title sequence do not reflect what the music tells us. Throughout the whole sequence there is a black wash. The images on top of the black canvas change, however they are all white. There is a consistent slide of white straight lines tilted at different angles to create different still images. There seems to be no specific placement of these lines as they seem to have been placed their without much thought. The only other image we see is at the end where there is a hand displayed. The hand appears to be made from the tearing out of a white piece of paper.
Black and white are contrasting colours but can become boring when that is all the audience is presented with. Unlike the music it creates a dull laid back mood.
There is no live action just still images. Sometimes the images adjust their position on the screen with a ‘crawl’ type transition. The credits tend to feed themselves between these images.
The tone and the mood of the sequence seems to me like the film would consist of a mixture of different emotions. The inconsistency of the music mixed with the images could represent an emotional roller coaster ‘never knowing what to expect after each bend’. As an audience member I would believe that there will be some light hearted elements such as humorous jokes or reflections of life’s positive aspects but also some not so nice moments such as death of a loved one or heartbreak.
Themes that can be withdrawn from the title sequence would be clues, murder, betrayal, and secrets.
It appears odd that in this opening title sequence we are not introduced to any of the main characters. Previous research has told me that a good functioning opening title sequence should do this, but this ommitance could have been a deliberate decision. However this could also have been due to the lack of technology available many years ago compared to the fortunate amount we have now.
Se7en Kyle Cooper analysis
Kyle Cooper
Kyle cooper is a modern designer of motion picture title sequences. He is responsible for creating the 1995 title sequence for se7en. Kyle Cooper wanted to create an open title sequences that would raise the bar creatively. His work is described as being very similar to that of Saul Bass, and this would suggest that he probably views him as an inspiration or somewhat of a role model.
The pace of images in the opening title sequence 'se7en' starts slow and progressively gets faster, this creates an element of fear, and adventure. It acts as a build up to a climax point. It engages the audience and prepares them to expect some sort of danger or action piece of material. I like the use of the pace it explains a story in itself.
The music acts in a rather similar way to the pace of images. At the beginning of the sequence it has a regular rhythm and pace, somewhat similar to a heartbeat. It remains at this pace but other elements of sound are introduced, It sounds as if there is some sort of heavy machinery in the background as well as a screeching chainsaw, This works effectively as it creates tension, makes the audience start to become edgy and more anxious about what will await them. At around half way through the sequence the regular pace that was introduced to us at the beginning of the sequence is now slightly hidden behind the other treacherous machinery noise, However the pulse has increased. I think this was done on purpose so an audience can relate to how adrenaline gets the heart pumping faster. I think the music used for this opening title sequence works wonders and prepares any audience member for the gruesome scenes ahead.
The colours used are dull, dark and gloomy. They make the audience feel quite low, depressed, scared, intimidated and alert to their surroundings. Throughout the title sequence we see a number of black washes with small flickers of white light on. It reminds me of a light bulb cutting out. This works effectively because it makes someone who is watching it begin to wonder what the cause of this is or what will happen next. As the action becomes more constant more colours are introduced, There are browns which suggest that the antagonist in this movie has a rather dirty appearance and doesn't care at all about hygiene. We then see washes of red, this can be interpreted in a number of ways. the red screen wash could represent love, danger, lust and anger. These emotions are highly contrasting yet as a human we have the ability to feel all of these in very little time or even a few all at one time. The audience will automatically relate their own feelings to the way the red wash makes them feel.
The tone and mood portrayed is dark and threatening. I personally wouldn't particularly want to watch this film alone. It makes the audience member anxious, nervous and scared yet intrigued about the reasons and thoughts behind why someone would go out of their way to adopt such a dark character and target innocent people. The puzzle element keeps the viewer engaged, wanting more just so they can get to the underlying message and subsequant answers.
Murder, Secrets, Puzzles, Clues, Creativity, Insanity, Love and emotional damage are the themes i picked up in this title sequence. Considering the fact that the title sequence is only two minutes long that is a lot to include in the short space of time. It is clear that Kyle Cooper concentrated on the main themes of the movie and made sure the audience were informed of these from the very beginning.
Kyle cooper is a modern designer of motion picture title sequences. He is responsible for creating the 1995 title sequence for se7en. Kyle Cooper wanted to create an open title sequences that would raise the bar creatively. His work is described as being very similar to that of Saul Bass, and this would suggest that he probably views him as an inspiration or somewhat of a role model.
The pace of images in the opening title sequence 'se7en' starts slow and progressively gets faster, this creates an element of fear, and adventure. It acts as a build up to a climax point. It engages the audience and prepares them to expect some sort of danger or action piece of material. I like the use of the pace it explains a story in itself.
The music acts in a rather similar way to the pace of images. At the beginning of the sequence it has a regular rhythm and pace, somewhat similar to a heartbeat. It remains at this pace but other elements of sound are introduced, It sounds as if there is some sort of heavy machinery in the background as well as a screeching chainsaw, This works effectively as it creates tension, makes the audience start to become edgy and more anxious about what will await them. At around half way through the sequence the regular pace that was introduced to us at the beginning of the sequence is now slightly hidden behind the other treacherous machinery noise, However the pulse has increased. I think this was done on purpose so an audience can relate to how adrenaline gets the heart pumping faster. I think the music used for this opening title sequence works wonders and prepares any audience member for the gruesome scenes ahead.
The colours used are dull, dark and gloomy. They make the audience feel quite low, depressed, scared, intimidated and alert to their surroundings. Throughout the title sequence we see a number of black washes with small flickers of white light on. It reminds me of a light bulb cutting out. This works effectively because it makes someone who is watching it begin to wonder what the cause of this is or what will happen next. As the action becomes more constant more colours are introduced, There are browns which suggest that the antagonist in this movie has a rather dirty appearance and doesn't care at all about hygiene. We then see washes of red, this can be interpreted in a number of ways. the red screen wash could represent love, danger, lust and anger. These emotions are highly contrasting yet as a human we have the ability to feel all of these in very little time or even a few all at one time. The audience will automatically relate their own feelings to the way the red wash makes them feel.
The tone and mood portrayed is dark and threatening. I personally wouldn't particularly want to watch this film alone. It makes the audience member anxious, nervous and scared yet intrigued about the reasons and thoughts behind why someone would go out of their way to adopt such a dark character and target innocent people. The puzzle element keeps the viewer engaged, wanting more just so they can get to the underlying message and subsequant answers.
Murder, Secrets, Puzzles, Clues, Creativity, Insanity, Love and emotional damage are the themes i picked up in this title sequence. Considering the fact that the title sequence is only two minutes long that is a lot to include in the short space of time. It is clear that Kyle Cooper concentrated on the main themes of the movie and made sure the audience were informed of these from the very beginning.
Wednesday, 22 December 2010
Other thrillers
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
Other thrillers
View more presentations from shanique05.
The audience
Check out this SlideShare Presentation:
The audience
View more presentations from shanique05.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)