Past student work title sequences

https://prezi.com/6ozccdkhnpsw/past-student-work-title-sequences/#

Title sequence construction

We have started to construct our title sequence. We have used items such as type writes and pen & ink. We have taken inspiration from Se7en's title sequence, this gives it an old effect. We used dramatic music pair with it to create tension and put the audience on edge, This is also typical of thrillers.

Title Sequence: Hannibal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW9ymK2yhG8

This title sequence revolves around a red liquid forming a face. This could be interpreted as being blood. Therefore it suggests that blood and murder are a huge part of that person and make up the plot of that film.

These images have been placed on a white background to allow the image to stand out. The white also juxtaposes connotations of blood, as white is associated with innocence. Therefore the white could be a metaphor for Hannibal's innocent victims.

The title is then displayed, and is quite small in comparison to the screen, and is red. This allows it to be the main focus.

Finally the music is very high pitched and discordant. This will create tension as the audience will feel on edge and uncomfortable.

Sleepy Hollow title sequence

Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow is an American supernatural drama thriller TV series that premiered on Fox on September 16 in 2013.

This whole title sequence really has the supernatural feel coming through because of the characters that are shown but also the lighting and old fashioned look also shows the supernatural theme.

We arent introduced to any characters in the first part however we are shown a horse with a red eye. The use of red is a connotation of danger,blood but lust. We see that this horse is a supernatural animal and possibly could be controlled. However we see that this horse is white, this contrast of the red and white is very interesting. Using white shows us that the horse is pure and innocent. However using both of these colours could show us that the horse is manipulated, controlled or that the horse is manipulating others and hiding the truth. 

We then come to what looks like two lovers coming together. However we only see them in the darkness and never get a close up of their faces which could mean they are possibly already dead. As the connotation of black is death and emptiness. From the scene being in darkness could mean they are hiding from others because their love could be forbidden. As the audience we feel tense because we don't understand whats happening.

Thirdly we come to a book that seems to blur out most of the writing. The only words we can see are "earth", "followed" and "name". These words could be showing us that they are important and they could be foreshadowing whats going to occur later on. However these words are hiding "kill". Crime such as murder is a key convention to thrillers.

She is the only one apart from the man, that we actually see. These characters are shown to us twice each which means they both are important and equal characters. We see her holding a gun which shows us she is breaking the stereotypical type of a female. She is challenging and showing us she is in power. We also see that these two characters possible are the protagonist characters because they seem to be protecting and searching for the supernatural.

 During the end scene we see a town which possibly is the town that everything is happening within and could be could Sleepy Hollow. However we see clouds rushing to cover up the town which could mean that they are in danger and someone or something isn't wanting to keep the town away from everyone else by covering the town up.

Title Sequence: Dexter

The whole of this title sequence has a very murderous feel to it. Dexter is undertaking his usual morning routine but in a very disturbing manner. Blood is dripped, and food is cut in a violent and graphic manner.

Firstly the title of this sequence is red with a blood stain feel. This is due to the smudges and splatters. This therefore suggests that murder or death may play a role within the plot (Dexter is a murderer). This connotation is the juxtaposed with the white back ground which implies innocence. However the white is a slightly 'off white' and could suggest that innocence is manipulated and clouded.

Secondly shaving his throat has a very dangerous feel to it and has connotations of throat slitting and therefore murder. The sound of shaving which is paired with this has been sonically exaggerated. It has a very discordant feel to it and will put the audience on edge. From there we see the blood drip, it is suggested to be from shaving although we do not actually see it. This makes the scene very eerie as suspicious.

                                                                                   

While he was making his breakfast there was a close up of him cutting meat. This could be interpreted as being flesh as it is carried out quite violently. This adds to the murderous feel as the action is very brutal and conveys a feeling of Dexter having no mercy.

Dexter then cuts open and juices a grapefruit. A close up of the pink flesh inside has a look o human flesh. It is a rather graphic shot and is rather disturbing. This will put the audience on edge as they may not trust the actor due to his sheer brutality.

A close up is used while he ties his shoelaces. The first shot of this shows extreme tension and could be interpreted as a strangling image. This is showing Dexter's strength and power, therefore it shows it will play a key role within the plot. It also give the audience something to fear about him.

However all of these violent and brutal shots are then contrasted by him walking out in white, light clothing. These colours are usually associated with innocence and peace, which are clearly not characteristics of Dexter. This has been done to create confusion as the audience will not know how to feel about him.

The music has a creepy circus feel to it. Clowns are stereotypically a large fear for many people, this therefore indicates that Dexter is something to be scared of. The creepiness of the music will put the audience on edge by creating tension alongside with the graphic images.

The editing throughout this is quite slow paced, this is to allow the audience to clearly see what is going on to be able to focus on the graphic images. Cuts are used throughout this to keep it crisp and clear. Cuts also portray a very sharp sense and therefore also have connotations of his violent murderous ways.

Supernatural title sequence

Hannibal title sequence

Title Sequence

This title sequence isn't as complicated and as long as the others that I've looked at. However its full of mystery because we don't get to see the end product until the very last second. We see red liquid that could be blood or looks like red wine. When the liquid splashes its pushed aside by something in the way.

We don't see a character or a story just something growing and forming. However the text of the actors ands actresses names are in simple font however they are effective because they have the feel of thriller.

As we get closer to the end we get a closer look of what's forming. It looks like flesh and blood forming a human face. The use of this look could be showing us that things take time to develop and people don't change quickly it happens over a period of time.

We come to the finished product of a human face. We can tell if its a protagonist or the antagonist because its not giving anything away and only creating mystery. It also is telling us that this person has possibly they have lost the way in life and their identity.

Title Sequence: American Psycho

https://prezi.com/pq0ert36xi9d/american-psycho/

Student Past work: Revenge title sequence

This Past student work is very clear with the title sequence. The use of the file cabinet is really effective because it makes us feel as they are stealing and searching through the files to reach the right one. We also see a effect over the top which is almost like fog. This looks like they want a blur effect, so people think its in the past. It gets the audience  questioning the whole thing however this is a key convention for thrillers, having people question the story.

I also think at the end when the antagonist rips the piece of paper from the cabinet makes the audience feel tense because its like they can't find what they want. 

They also don't use any bright colours. Apart from the yellow on the wall and the lighting on the note pad. Its very dull and dark which is a key convention for thrillers.

However i feel that the title sequence could be improved as its clear but needs something added to it to make it more exciting.

Title Sequence: Vertigo

A close-up of lips is used. This is usually associated with love and seductiveness. This therefore portrays the woman as desirable even though the audience have not yet met her.

Secondly the shot pans up to her eyes which are looking around. This creates mystery as it suggests she is looking for something, and therefore could be in danger. This shot then turns to a red colour. Red has a connotation of blood and death, this illustrates to the audience that the woman may die or become injured during the film. This will keep them engaged as they wish to know what to her happens and how.

The eye then fades to a swirl through action match. This implies that the next scene could be inside of her mind/ from her point of view as it is going inside her brain. However it also suggests she is not sane as the next section consists only of swirls.The swirls used throughout resemble finger prints but also DNA strands. This suggests there a biological aspect to the film. This would then lead to the audience feeling as though a crime scene is being investigated as DNA is being searched for. Crime is a common thriller convention and therefore is effective during this opening

The titles throughout this are all white. This makes them stand out on the dark black background. White has connotations of innocence where as black implies death and evil. These two contrasting colours will confuse the audience which is common of thriller films.

The music throughout is a mixture of string instruments. It is slightly discordant as there are many very high and loud notes. This will put the audience on edge and therefore create tension ready for when the film begins. It is also very dramatic music which will also create suspense as it suggests there is an event being led up to.

Dexter Title sequence

Teen wolf : Title sequence

Teen wolf season 4

This title sequence is very dark lighting which adds the dramatic feel. Its tense to watch because of it being so dark, also we feel that because of the darkness it could tell us something about the characters. Using the contrast of light and dark makes us tell that its a thriller.

Each part of the opening introduces us to a different character, to tell the audience a few seconds of their life. During this opening we firstly meet a red eye which then expands out to the character Scott who is played by Tyler. From him being first we can see that he is a important character and possibly the protagonist. However during the beginning we have the feeling of a super natural theme. The colour red is a connotation of danger and blood however this character has a wolf in front of his face before therefore we feel that he could be a wolf and changes into them. 

We also see the main character introduced to us because we have a look at his whole body. We see him jumping raising up from dust or ashes from a fire. However this move is very effective and dramatic and makes us feel that he is important as he looks down the camera lens. His name is almost like stone and is falling apart as we change to the next character because we see dust/ashes coming off the name.

We then come to Dylan who id playing Stiles who obviously plays a smart well educated guy who is human. We see this because he is surrounded by a map that has thread leading to something that we don't know. However we see photos that look like humans, wolfs and murders. Murders are a key convention to a thriller. Jackson is shown to us after Scott which could mean that Jackson plays the sidekick to Scott (the best friend).

We then come to another wolf which is more obvious to us because we see the fangs. We also see that he looks like he's in pain from something as he almost looks like he's screaming while the ash fly's off his body. It looks

like he's remind of something from the past. We see that he is  still in the darkness which could mean  because he's a wolf he has to hid who he really is.

We then come to Lydia who isn't shown to us much. The lighting also only lights up her face. This could be because they want to highlight the struggle and worry in her facial expression. We also have slow motion of her being dragged away by something which makes the audience intrigued.

We then see 2 different tattoos placed on the back between he shoulders then one located on the arm. These tattoos somehow grow. The camera being focused on these tattoos for so long could mean they are important, but makes us question why. They are in black ink which could mean darkness, dark magic and the supernatural.

Lastly we come back to our main character Scott. We finish on his face until "Teen Wolf" the title comes on the screen. We see both red in his eyes and a harsh facial expression. We see his face seeming to fade into the darkness which could mean he has to hid in the darkness. Overall this opening really helps us relate to the characters and also learn about them. The colours of black and natural skin colours also show us the supernatural theme. However we still get the un- answered questions and sense of confusion because we don't fully understand why they are who they are.

Title sequence plan

We are planning on filming someone either writing a diary or using a typewriter (if we can source one). We will be focusing on certain words such as 'imagine', 'death' and 'darkness'. This will foreshadow the rest of the film. We have taken inspiration from Se7en's opening sequence. This is because we think it creates mystery paired with the blurry effect which makes it seem imaginary.

We may also focus on the necklace which is in our opening. This is because it is a red herring within our opening and will therefore engage the audience as they wish to know the importance of it. 

Se7en title sequence

Se7en

The director of Se7en is David Fincher who produced it in 1995. Se7en is about two detectives, a rookie and a veteran, hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his modus operandi. Empire gave Se7en a 5 out of 5 star rating and called in "superb".

During this sequence we witness a lot of use of the colour red which is a connotation of blood and danger. This could be foreshadowing to the audience whats going to happen later on. We also see black used a lot which creates darkness and a sense of the unknown.

We come across lots of photos of medical and surgery objects but photos with people laying on the bed with blind folds on. This shows us that psychological themes are occurring throughout this sequence. Seeing these makes the audience very uncomfortable and tense.

Also on the writing scenes we see a blurred effect which makes things hard for the reader to see and unsure but also adds a sense of mystery. We feel like there hiding objects and wanting to keep them away from the audience.

Title Sequence: Se7en

Se7en is about two homicide detectives who are trying to track down a serial killer who chooses their victims according to the seven deadly sins. Se7en was produced in 1995 and directed by David Fincher. IMDB have given it a rating of 8.7/10 and a user stated it was one of the 'greatest films of the 90s'.

Se7en's title sequence is one of the most famous thriller titles and it is a 'landmark of visual culture' and is why I chose to analyse it.