Film Opening Titles

A Kieran Panchal film
Casting By Frankie Knee
Music By Keir Jenkins
Costume Designer Danielle Fletcher
Edited by Luke Sams
Production Designer George Ring
Co-Producer Ellie Burrell-Bicker
Producer Isaac Randall
Executive Producer Paul Jarvis
Written by Josh Manley
Director Kieran Panchal

'Catch Me if You Can' Title Sequence Evaluation

Dreamworks Pictures Presents
A Kemp Company and Splendid Pictures Production
A Parkes/Macdonald production
A Steven Spielberg film
Leonardo Di Caprio
Tom Hanks
Catch Me if You Can
Christopher Walker
Martin Sheen
Nathalie Baye
Amy Adams
James Brolin
Brian Have
Frank John Hughes
Steve Easton
Chris Ellis
John Finn
Casting By Debra Zane
Casting Associate Terri Taylor
Co Producer Devorah Moss-Hankin
Based upon the book by Frank W. Abagnale
With Stan Redding
Titles by Kuntzel Deygas
Music by John Williams
Costume Designer Marj Zophnes
Editor Michael Kahn, ACE
Production Designer Jeannine Oppewall
Director of Photography Janisz Icaninski
Co-Executive Producer Daniel Lupi
Executive Producer Barry Kemp Laurie Macdonald
Michael Shane Ray Ronald
Produced by Steven Spielberg
Walter F Parkes
Screenplay by Jeff Nathanson
Directed by Steven Spielberg
The final film title sequence that I have chosen to evaluate is ‘Catch Me if you Can’ famously directed by Steven Spielberg. This opening sequence is very different from the conventional or typical introductory sequence because it is purely animation, contrasting to the remainder of the film, which is in a real life setting. The sequence is in the style of famous graphic designer Saul Bass (cutout silhouette style) who was famous for creating titles, movie posters in the sixties/seventies. Throughout the sequence the titles are integrated into the animation so the names appear seamless on screen. For example the ‘L’ Nathalie Baye is extended to create the shape of a straw with two people having a conversation. This is consistent throughout and works very effectively to create a flowing effect. The typeface is a bold sans serif font which is a very neutral font. The font itself (Helvetica Bold) expresses no real emotion and is used in the real world for everyday signs as it is very neutral. This makes it clear and easy for the viewer to read, which is essential when there is so much else going on in the frame. Finally, The transitions between the titles are built into the animation. Rather than popping up randomly next to an image (like most title sequences). This way of introducing peoples names is built into the objects of the animation. Such as the thin parts of the letters extend to create road markings, ladders, straws and ropes and lights. By building the names into the animation gives the feeling of who is behind the scenes of the film.

'Se7en' Film Title Sequence Evaluation

New Line Cinema Presents
an Arnold Kopelson production
A film by David Fincher
Brad Pitt
Morgan Freeman
SE7EN
Gwyneth Paltrow
Richard Roundtree
R. Lee Ermey
John C. McGinley
Julie Arashog Mark Boone Junior
John Cassius
Reginald E. Cathey
Peter Crombie
Hawthorne James
Michael Marsee
Leland Orser
Richard Portrow
Richard Schiff
Pamala Tyson
Casting by Billy Hopkins Suzanne Smith Kerry Borden
Music by Howard Shore
Costumes Designed by Michael Kaplan
Edited by Richard Francis-Bruce
Production Designed By Arthur Max
Director of Photography Darius Khandji
Co-Producers Stephen Brown Nana Greenwald Sanford Panitch
Executive Producer Lynn Harris Richard Saperstein
Gianni Nunnari Dan Kolsrud Anne Kopelsun
Written by Andrew Kevin Walker
Produced by Arnold Kopelson Phyllis Carlyle
Directed by David Fincher
The next sequence that i have chosen to evaluate is the opening title sequence from the film 'Se7en.'Firstly, the typeface that has been used to write the titles is very rough-looking, and looks as if it has been handwritten by somebody or even scratched onto a surface. The way in which none of the letters join together and the inconsistent sizing of the misaligned letters in each word give us this impression. Also, the text often flashes in the style of a lightbulb when it is not working correctly. In traditional horror film style, this already appears slightly unnerving and makes us slightly anxious from the off. Next, the text is consistently white, stood against a dark (usually black) background. The way that this contrast has been juxtaposed together makes the text stand out more and exaggerates the electricity-style flashing. Also intensifying this, the text often glitches slightly. This jittery aesthetic could give the viewer the subconscious impression that they are shaking slightly. This is also reinforced by the quick cutting between shots which make the viewing experience more tense for the audience. Next, in the backgrounds of the text we see many small snippets of close up shots, for example hands cutting photographs as well as more gruesome images such as someone with a nail in the back of their head. I feel that this is a clever way of the director hinting at things that are going to unfold in the movie, giving the viewer a taste for it early on. Overall, i feel that this is a very effective opening title sequence, and that it sets the viewer up appropriately for the film ahead.

The Number 23 Film Title Sequence Evaluation

NEW LINE CINEMA presents
CONTRAFILM/FIRM FILMS production
a JOEL SCHUMACHER film
JIM CARREY
THE NUMBER 23
VIRGINIA MADSEN
LOGAN LERMAN
DANNY HUSTON
RHONA MITRA
LYNNE COLLINS
MARK PELLEGRINO
PATRICIA BELCHER
ED LAUTER
casting by MALIPINN, CSA
music by HARRY GREGSON WILLIAMS
associate producer LINDA FIELDS HILL
costume designer DANIEL ORLANDI
editor MARK STEVENS
production designer ANDREW LAWS
director of photography MATTHEW LIBATIQUE, ASC
co-producer FERNLEY PHILLIPS
executive producer MIKE DRAKE
excutive producers TOBY EMMERICH RICHARD BRENER KEITH GOLDBERG BROOKLYN WEAVER ELI RICHBOURG
produced by BEAU FLYNN/TRIPP VINSON
written by FERNLEY PHILLIPS
directed by JOEL SCHUMACHER
23
The first film that i have chosen to look at is 'The Number 23' directed by Joel Schumacher. I feel that the way in which the titles are presented in the opening credits are very effective and that they compliment the context of the film extremely well. First of all, the typeface that is used to present the credits is very simple and has the appearance of the type of font that a typewriter would use (black). This is relevant to the film as later on, a typewriter plays an important part in the plot of the film. Often as the names appear on the screen, the letters of the words will be jumbled and will change around. As well as this there are often other random numbers (especially the number 23) and words appearing in the same frame whilst the titles are up (all which are relevant to the plot). Both of these things bring an element of chaos to the sequence and begin to give the viewer an idea of the upcoming themes of the film. Not only this, but the misalignment of the text, as well as all of the scribbling and jumbled letters/numbers represents the protagonist's OCD and mental health issues that are displayed in the film. Next, blood splatters and the colour of red appear frequently throughout the sequence. I feel that this presents an element of horror, as well as indirectly telling the viewer that the film isn't for the faint hearted. Next, the cuts between each of the title frames tend to be very sharp and quick. In my opinion, this increases the tension as a viewer as it does not give you the opportunity to anticipate when the next title is going to appear.

G321 Preliminary Task

Evaluation:

WWW:

I feel that there are many strengths of my preliminary video task. Firstly, i feel that as an overall sequence the video flows well. I have achieved this by using the Clip Trimming tool with precision in order to make it exactly chronological. After this, i have used a variety a shot types including the close-up (feet on the stairs/handshake etc), medium (head and shoulder shots of speakers)and long shot (when George walks across the room to the chair). Furthermore to begin the speaking sequence i used an establishing shot. This gives the viewer an introduction to the characters, as well as establishing the relationship between them. By using this shot variety, i have made for a more interesting watch for the viewer as it gives the sequence a more mixed overall feel.

The next strength of this sequence is that i have used appropriate choice of background music, suiting the feel of the video. To further enhance this, i have used the ducking tool in order to fade the music away as the speaking begins to take take place. This gives the video a more professional feel as the music doesn't stop immediately and abruptly. Instead it continues quietly in the background, quietly enough for it to not interfere with the conversation taking place.

EBI:

There are many things that i feel that i could improve with this sequence if i were to film it again. First of all i would use some form of stabilisation instrument such as a tripod to ensure that the shots remain steady eliminating camera shake, which appears frequently in the above sequence. Next, similarly to this, when watching the video back i noticed a small accidental zoom as George walked down the stairs. This was totally unintentional and looks very unprofessional when watching the video.

Next, also when watching the footage back i noticed that i had filled the frame almost too much on some occasions, slightly cropping the top end of the frame out on occasions. If i were to redo the task, i would make sure i allowed myself enough room to step back slightly in order to eliminate this.

Finally, the last thing that i would change would be the final shot. The only things wrong with this are that it is too similar to the previous shot. This means that when the shot cuts from one to the other, the second shot almost looks unnecessary as it covers a similar frame to the previous.

This Is England (2006) — Art of the Title

This Is England (2006) — Art of the Title

This is England Film Opening Evaluation



The final film opening that I have chosen to evaluate is ‘This is England’ - a British film produced in 2006. I have chosen this because it is my favourite opening of any film and although unconventional compared to many, I feel that the first three minutes set the scene better than most.

The first thing that I noticed when watching the sequence is the font in which the titles are written in. The typeface is extremely gritty and bold, hugely similar to the types of fonts that would be written on the dog tags of soldiers fighting in the war (the Falkland’s War is is strongly referenced throughout the film.) Furthermore, when the actors’ names are displayed over the top of shots, there are always long serial numbers beneath or around them, also reffering to the soldiers’ dog tag.

The next thing that is apparent is that the entirety of the opening sequence appears to be archived footage from the mid 80’s. It is obvious none of the film is filmed in the 00’s. All of the archive footage has a lot of grain and is noticeable that it is old and not shot with modern technology (which is relevant to the films setting). Here we get short glimpses of hugely iconic things from the decade, such as the skinhead culture, back to the future and the royal wedding. Although none of this is at all relevant to the plot of the film, I feel that it is massively important to the overall feel of the film and it definitely gets the viewer into the correct mind-set to watch the upcoming two hours. Not only this but the archive footage helps the audience understand the culture of the time the film was set, this includes the music scene, the fashion scene, current affairs and political movements. If this opening sequence wasn’t featured the viewer may be left confused as to why characters are wearing certain clothes and have certain political views for example.

As well as positive issues, some clips touch on sensitive issues, such as racism. Somewhere in the middle of a sequence, we see an Asian family appearing to be fixing a window that has been smashed - assumably vandalised. Other examples of sensitive issues are clips of people being carried out of the warzone with blown off legs. These sorts of themes give the audience the sense of how explicit the film is going to be and lets them know from early on that this isn’t a film or the faint hearted.

Ironically and somewhat satirically however, behind all of this footage we hear a very optimistic, cheerful song, which also adds to the cultural reference as it is once again from the 1980’s. Nevertheless, I feel that the music works very well, and in points (when the soldier is blown up/ when the flare is thrown) the shots are edited in time with the stand-alone beats in the song for added effect.

Another thing that I have noticed is that this opening sequence strongly references patriotism, as we see British flags appear frequently. For example when the three men have the union jack wrapped around them. Once again this is a hugely strong theme in the film itself, so doing this is a way of introducing it to us early, so we know roughly what to expect. More obviously though, it shows us that it is a British film set in the UK.

Finally I noticed that politics is featured in the sequence frequently. Margaret Thatcher appears multiple times in the opening sequence, but not in a positive manner. She looks as if she is incapable of her job in the clips (such as looking out of control when driving the truck) this is a reference to who the director feels is to blame for the destruction at the time.

In conclusion, although this is not a conventional film opening – as we get no character introductions or plot information etc. I feel that it is hugely effective in setting the scene for the viewer.

Resident Evil Opening Evaluation

Resident Evil – After life Opening Scene Evaluation The scene begins by setting the scene to the viewer very well. The title sequence is shown over aerial/birds eye view shots of a large city. Immediately, this gives us a good idea of the type of location that the majority of the upcoming film is likely to be set in. The shots appear to get closer and closer to ground level as time continues, until there are shots taken from the ground, showing the stereotypical Japanese urban scene, with lots of traffic congestion. Over the top of this we have an upbeat yet ambient track playing in the background adding mysteriousness and curiosity, yet excitement to the overall atmosphere. Unconventionally, before we see the first person introduced in the scene, we are shown a shot of an umbrella. The camera operator has used depth of field well in this shot, as the umbrella is in focus and the background isn’t – making it the main focal point of the frame, giving us the first suggestion that it is of importance and relevant from the start. After this we are shown street signs, with vertical Japanese text written on them, this confirms our initial speculation that the setting is in Japan. Next to the signs, there is a traffic light, moving from amber to red. Although there is no clear reason or consequence for this happening, it feels like a warning sign to the viewer, as we normally associate red or ‘stopping’ with danger and alarm. Following this are aerial shots of people walking down the street with umbrellas up, as it is raining. The way that the umbrellas are introduced before any characters gives us the impression once again that they are of some significance. We do not get even the briefest first introduction of what appears to be a main character until 1:13, where there is a close up of a pair of red shoes on a woman. Because the camera is so low down on the body of the person, we get the idea that the person is largely significant, as she appears to be above the camera. After displaying her red shoes, the camera pans uncomfortably slowly up her leg until it reaches her lower torso, making the viewer feel anxious to see her face after the big, slow and dramatic build up. Instead of following all the way up to her face, the sequence cuts to another aerial shot from above her. Here, because the duration of the clip is fairly long, we seem to focus on the fact that she is the only person on the street that appears to not have an umbrella. Not only this, but she is stood still in the rain, whereas the other people are walking with intention. This gives us the idea that she is different from the norm. Eventually, after another vertical pan of her upper torso, we feel that her face is going to be unveiled, however, once again it cuts to a scene of the already well established street, but we can finally see the front full body of the character. All of these shots are in slow motion, making them feel a whole lot more dramatic, but whilst increasing the tension and suspense felt by the viewer. When we eventually see just the face of the character, depth of field is used once again to ensure that we focus on her completely. As this happens, the music changes slightly, and all of the percussion and heavy beats that was previously backing the shots, turns into a single sustained ringing notes with strange horror-type effects, which feels very eerie. This makes us feel as if something is going to happen. After this a form of dolly is used in order to track slowly around the character, until she is looking directly at us, making us feel slightly tense and vulnerable, simulating how the people in the street with her may feel. Following this is a shot of a passer by looking directly into the camera, feeling like we are seeing through the eyes of the character. Once again this is in slow motion, and the music starts to build up and become tenser, making us feel again as if something is going to happen. After the climax in music has been reached, the character pounces onto this passer by, biting his neck and taking him to the floor. By now we hear the very first piece of sound coming from a person, which are screams from the passers by. This coupled with a quickly zoomed out aerial shot (making the subject smaller and smaller) makes us once again feel vulnerable and insignificant, as it zooms all the way out high above the city to outer space, to the level where people cannot be seen as they are so small, putting our relative size into perspective. When this shot finishes, we hear a voice over from what we assume to be the character shown to us previously. She talks over an eventually still shot of the earth from outer space, with no other backing music. Making us focus on what she has to say. Here she also confirms the significance of the umbrellas from the opening shots.

The Woman in Black Intro Evaluation

 The first film that I have chosen to evaluate is ‘The Woman in Black’, a Supernatural Thriller, directed by James Watkins. The very first shot in the scene is a close up of a teapot being tilted as if it’s contents are going to be poured into a cup, however nothing comes out of the teapot, already giving the viewer the sense that something is wrong or abnormal. After this, the teapot is brought over to another cup beside it and the same thing happens. To make this shot more eerie still, a piece of ambient, spooky music is introduced at the start. Following this shot, we see a small child’s hand lift one of the empty cups to the faces of two dolls, as if to pour the non-existent drink into their mouths. By seeing the small child’s hand we feel some reassurance as a viewer, as we speculate that it is just a child playing – having a ‘tea party’. This is confirmed by the following shot, a long shot of three children sitting with a collection of dolls having a ‘tea party’. This acts as an establishing shot, proposing to us that these three children are going to be prominent characters in the remainder of the movie as they are introduced so early on. After this we see an array of close up shots of the children playing with their toys (brushing their hair etc.) By using close ups in this instance, we get a good look at the facial expressions of the dolls, which are very unnerving – dissimilar to the types of toys that you would generally associate with young girls (cute and cuddly.) However, we can tell by the way in which the characters are dressed that it may be set some time ago. The next essential thing that we observe as a viewer is at 0:45 of the clip, when there is a slight change in the composition of the background music. We hear a small fade followed by the introduction of a synth-like instrument, giving the music a further ambient effect. I feel that this slight change of music represents the change of mood/atmosphere in the room, as precisely as it takes place, the camera cuts to a long shot, looking down upon the girls sitting in the centre of the floor. By looking down on the girls, we make the assumption that they are vulnerable, as they appear smaller and more insignificant than they have previously in the scene. During this shot, the three girls simultaneously move their heads and look curiously straight at the camera, positioned high above them, as if they can see something that we cannot as a viewer, making us eager to know what it is. This feeling is intensified as the shot is sustained for an uncomfortable period of time. Shortly after this, the scene cuts to a shot of the girls once again moving their heads simultaneously to look at the opposite side of the room. After this we see a shot of a window to the left of the girls, showing us that this is what we are looking at. As this shot is presented there is a deep percussive sound, which once again adds to the suspense that we feel, as we do not know why the window is being focussed on. To further reinforce this, the camera slowly zooms into the window intensifying the feeling of curiosity. Next, we see the girls stand from their seated position, and head towards the window that was just focussed on. The way that they all move together in time with one another feels very unnatural and gives us the sense that they are all almost not in control of their selves, but that there is a larger entity in control of them all. This is further reinforced when we see the following series of shots. We observe close ups of one of the girl’s dropping her cup in slow motion. The use of this slow motion shot adds impact to the shot. Also after this we see close ups of the girls’ feet as they stand, and recklessly, they stand on whatever is in their paths – breaking the cups and standing on their dolls, also giving us the idea that they have been possessed. Following on from this, there is a shot of the girls walking slowly together towards the camera – arranged in a line. This makes us feel unsettled as a viewer, as this makes us feel like they are coming towards us personally. Also, the way in which the camera zooms out as they come closer makes us subconsciously feel that we are trying to get away from them, but the zoom eventually halts – giving us the impression that we have failed. Eventually, the girls make their way to the window, where we see a slow motion close up of one of their hands opening the window, followed by a long shot taken from behind them stepping up onto the window ledge and once again (making the scene feel very consistent) they move in time and jump out the window. As this happens there is a change in music, making the build up to this feel hugely dramatic and making the viewer feel apprehensive about what is about to unfold. After they jump, the camera zooms out slowly and we hear a big scream coming from out of the window. This makes us feel extremely sympathetic to those affected by the deaths of the girls and this gives us an idea of the emotion being felt by the person screaming. Strangely, the camera cuts to a close up shot of the dolls face after this, giving us the impression that it is responsible for what has happened. The sequence ends with a shot taken from high in the room that the girls were sitting in and holds for a moment, emphasising the emptiness of the room without the girls.

Walking Through a Door Video

Door Opening Video Evaluation WWW: Although this video is only 12 seconds in length I still feel that there are many good aspects as well as areas that need improving. Firstly, I feel that overall, as a sequence that the shots fit together nicely. I think that I have achieved this by cutting and trimming each of the individual clips mostly to the correct length when I edited them. For example, towards the end of the first shot Josh appears to be just about to reach for the handle, and when I cut to the next shot it shows the moment just after this, but from a different angle. This makes the sequence feel realistic, as it is precisely chronological. Next, another factor that gives the video a professional feel is that I have used a wide range of shots, including the long shot, mid shot, close up and extreme close up to make the sequence more stimulating for the viewer. Also, rather than cutting directly from a long shot to a close up and vice versa (as I did in the previous video), I have cut in a shot between the two so that it doesn’t go from one extreme to the other. Initially I didn’t do this, but when I uploaded the clips onto the PC I noticed that it looked irregular before I added these shots in. EBI: If I were to re-shoot this video there would be many improvements that I would make. The first mistake that is evident is the very first frame of the first shot. It appears that Josh is looking at the camera, making the video seem unprofessional. Upon reflection, I should have trimmed the video down an extra second or so to avoid this. Next, throughout the sequence, the camera shakes regularly, due to me holding the camera. To improve this next time, I could make sure to hold the camera more securely, or better still use a tripod. Following this, I feel that the music that I chose was slightly inappropriate, and didn’t suit the context of the video. I feel that the sequence would have been more suited to a slower tempo lounge-music-style piece rather than a more upbeat electronic piece. Finally, the last thing that I would change is the final shot, as I cropped the top of Josh’s head out of the frame slightly as I was too close to him when shooting. In the future I will take more care to ensure that my shot framing is adequate and that the whole body can be seen in a long shot.

Conversation Video

Conversation Video Evaluation WWW: Firstly, when filming the video I ensured that I used a range of shot types, beginning with a long shot. By using this shot, I feel that I established the scene appropriately, including both of the characters so that the viewer knows immediately who is involved in the sequence. I followed on from this by using a mid shot of the first speaker’s head and shoulders to give us a more detailed look at him (showing emotion) and then continued by doing the same shot with the next speaker for consistency. Furthermore, I used two close up shots in the sequence. The first was near the start, where I followed the walker’s feet briefly as he sat down on the bench, and secondly towards the end of the video where the pair shake hands. I chose to use these to mix up the shot types to make for a more interesting watch for the viewer. Another shot that I used was the Over the Shoulder shot. This gives the viewer the impression that they are spectating on the conversation for their selves, giving a more realistic overall feel. Next, when filming the sequence, I made sure to keep to the 180-degree rule. By doing this, I ensured that speaker on the left stayed on the left during the sequence and that the speaker on the right stayed on the right. By doing this I have ensured that the viewer does not get confused. Overall, I was satisfied with the general flow of the sequence and I feel that the shots fitted together well. EBI: There are many things that I feel could be improved with this sequence. Firstly, when listening to the audio in the video, it is apparent that it doesn’t flow completely, as the background noise changes slightly from shot to shot. In the industry, audio would be recorded separately and put over the top of the shot when in the editing process. The next thing that I would change is the timing of the cut of the feet near the opening of the sequence. Because it doesn’t fit completely, it appears that he is going backwards before sitting down, when it should flow in one smooth movement. Finally, when looking back on the piece, I noticed that I should have put an extra shot in between the long shot of the two people on the bench and the close up handshake. This is because it looks unnatural and it could confuse the viewer, as it isn’t obvious what is being zoomed in on.

First Media Lesson Video

Short Media Video Evaluation WWW: Firstly, as well as using each of the three main shot types (long shot, mid shot and close up), I used an extreme close up shot (Keir’s mouth chewing on the banana.) I feel that by using this variety of shot types, I have made for a more interesting watch for the viewer. Next, I used a range of camera angles to create different effects on the audience. For example, when shooting the banana on the bench, I used a high shot (looking down on it) to make it seem almost powerless and vulnerable. Following this, I used a low angle shot when Keir was looking down upon the banana. By placing the camera in a position close to where the banana was on the bench and looking up, it almost creates the impression that the view of Keir is from the perspective of the banana, thus creating a sense of dominance and power upon him. Another strength of my video is that I slowed down the clip of Keir biting down on the banana to make the clip more dramatic and intense. After this I feel that the transitions (fade to black) that I placed between some of the clips worked very effectively, and made the cuts between them very smooth whilst also adding tension and giving the video a slightly unnerving overall feel when combined with the background music. EBI: I believe that there are many things that could be improved in my video. Firstly, I feel that the animated opening text scene at the beginning of the video does not compliment the rest of the footage as the glittery and scripted/italicised font contrasts greatly to the spooky music and shot transitions. However, the style of the end credits are much more suitable. Next, throughout many of the shots, it is apparent that the camera is very unsteady and shaky. If I were to recreate the video, I would ensure that my hands remained as still as possible or alternatively I could use a tripod. Finally, to improve I feel that I should have planned the sequence more effectively as upon reflection it would have probably been more effective to have had a closer shot of Keir’s face after he had eaten the banana, showing his satisfaction and contentment.