Group 6: Task 13- Macro/Micro - Analysing Title Sequences (Genre)

Analysing Title Sequences (Genre)

I will be analysing three different title sequences along with the micro and macro analysis based on my three preferences on genre; horror, comedy and action.

The title sequence is the title behind moving images category. The first title sequence I am going to look at is the film "The Stepfather" which is of horror genre. In the opening scene of the film, we are introduced to an everyday suburbian, friendly looking neighbourhood through the panning of the streets and the low establishment of the houses. We now know that this can be set anywhere in the world in a suburb. As the neighbourhood is shown, there is bright, natural lighting in the scene.

However, a close-up shot of neatly arranged, sharp tools is then shown followed by eerie music that fades in. This creates a sense of mystery to the audience as the first scene is quite calm with the ambient sounds which then moves onto spine-chilling music. Shortly after, a close-up shot of an average-looking, calm man that seems to be the main character as he is

shown first in the movie, is seen shaving and showering, again part of everyday life. Nevertheless, as he is shown, the lighting gets darker which creates a sinister sense of atmosphere to the audience. It also hints at the genre of the film, which seems like it is going to be a thriller/horror movie.

Shortly after, the camera starts to pan across a collection of family photos which could suggest that this man is a family guy whose maybe off to work. We later see him all dressed in black with large black suitcases. The colour black createS a quite mysterious, dark figure which is again hinting at the genre of the film,a thriller or horror movie. As the medium shot of the camera angle follows the man downstairs to the kitchen, we hear a dog barking just outside the kitchen. This foley sound effect of the dog barking is a sign of danger which adds to the tone of the film, increasing the chances of a horror film.

Then, as the mysterious man drinks his tea, the mug is then neatly put away and is positioned in the same way as all the other cups are. This tells us that the charater is obsessed with perfection, everything needs to be tidy and presentable. However, this flawless image is broken as the close-up shot of the camera pans to the knives,scissors and other sharp tools covered with blood which indicates that he is not a very stable “family” guy. This is also later comfirmed as the medium shot of the camera angle tilts to a dead, pale face lying on the table. As a result, this shocks the audience because this was not expected throughout the normal, average day of a “family” guy’s life in the opening scene.

After the first dead body appears, the whole family is later shown shot, stabbed and dead, all lying on the floor next a christmas tree followed by the sound of minor keys and bass drone, indicating horror and murder. This adds to the sense of suspense in the atmosphere as the audience are clearly shocked to see this unexpected turn of event. As the last young girl is shown dead sarrounded by a pool of blood, a christmas carol, “Silent night” is heard playing. This is an effect of juxtaposition as the music does not match the event occuring due to the fact that “Silent Night” is quite harmonious and peaceful.

As the strange man is seen leaving the house and getting into his car, we see a very close-up angle shot of his eyes looking at us from the reflecting mirror. This makes it seem as if he is watching us, as if the audience are his next victims which adds a dramatic, horrific tone to the film. Shortly after, the car is slowly leaving and the garage door closes before us which creates a feeling of being trapped inside that house as the light darkens to a black colour.

The order of the title sequence is as follows:

The production company.

The distribution company.

The title.

First actor's name.

Other actors' names

Casting.

Costume Designer

Music Supervisor

Music by.

Editor.

Production Designer

Director Of Photography

And lastly, the executive producers. The director is not shown.

My second title sequence I will be analysing is from the film, "Inception" and its genre is action.

At the start of the opening scene, there is dramatic music playing which creates tension and suspense as the character is being introduced. The music gets louder and louder until we see beach waves in which the music fades out and the hyperbolic sound of the waves crashing agains rocks gets louder. The audience now know that the location could be in an island. As the characte wakes up from being washed ashore, there is a close-up angle of his eyes followed by the foley sound of children playing. The editing here is made to look fuzzy and blurry, which tells the audience that he is imaginating.

We then see a police officer holding a gun, this piece of mise-en-scene hints at the action genre. As we are introduced to the traditional, Chinese-looking interior house, the ambient sounds such as the plates and forks are made to sound louder to make it seem realistic. The camera angle used here is wide angle shot to give us an insight of the setting.

However, close-up shots are mainly used on the character's faces as well as the props such as the little spinner. This is so that the audience can be intreged in the film as they do not know what is happening or why there is a spinner. As the old man is talking, minor bass drones are heard in the background which create tension in the atmosphere.

The scene suddenly jumps back in time where the audience is shown a wide angle shot of the same characters in the same setting. This informs the audience that time plays a big part in the movie, there could be time-travelling. As the characters are finished talking, a wide angle shot of the Chinese man is seen going out the door and into the crowd. This tells us that the conversation they were having about dreams is very significant as they were alone from all the crowd in a small space. This could suggest a dark atmosphere in the film as there is also low lighting in this scene.

Shortly after, there is the ambient sounds of the table shaking and the clock ticking gets louder which suggests that they are not in reality, they may be time-travelling as there is a close-up shot of a watch show. The opening scene ends with the loud sound of an explosion and a gloomy looking apartment. The characters are seen sleeping, this indicates that this place is reality and the other location was a dream.

The title sequence for "Inception" is of the catergory of titles behind moving images and titles behind a blank screen.

The prdouction company

Title

Director

Producers

First actor's name

Other actors' names

Music By.

Cinematography

Production Company and Film Studio.

My third and final prefered genre is Comedy and the title sequence I will be analysing is ""Mean Girls"

At the start of the opening title, already there is name of the film studio used "Paramount Pictures" followed by an orchestral score which appears to be the studio's theme. After the title "Mean Girls" is introduced, there is a low angle of two parents holding a lunch box and informing the girl what to do. The lunch box indicates that it is for school, which hints at the the genre of this film which could be a High school movie.

This is also evident by the birght lighting used around the low establishment of houses followed by happy, upbeat music.

Shortly after, the character has a flashback of when she was in a spelling competition in a school setting which again suggests the genre will be of High School.

After the flashback, the character is seen crossing the road in which she nearly gets hit by a typical, yellow school bus followed by a wide angle shot of the school building. The ambient sounds also get louder which suit the tone of the film. The audience is now clear what type of film this is going to be.