Title Sequence Clips

     Title sequence clips are a very important aspect of film making. They can set the tone for the movie before it even begins, by giving the audience hints about the type of film it is going to be. Film typography has a great influence on the audience prior to them even watching the film. Miles Merril, in his article, "First frames: titles in the digital realm" talks about how valuable typography is to film. He discusses how Kyle Cooper, who worked on Se7en, works to capture the essence of the film by focusing on smaller details and how to re illustrate themes in the opening scenes. For example, Cooper took a needle and scratched the film for the opening scenes, to help establish the eerie feel of the opening and matched it with a soundtrack.  This shows how vital title production is and how it allows the audience to prepare subconsciously, for what is to come.

 Another quote from Merril tells us that many different programs are used to create title sequences. In his interview with Peter Giles, the head of the Australian Film Television and Radio School, Giles says, "'titles seem to be the one place where computer graphics can be experimented with and showcased, regardless of the genre'". Giles' quote shows that title scenes are unique to the film, allowing them to give the audience a teaser into what lies ahead for them. For example, in Pulp Fiction,  the movie starts slow, focusing on a couple eating breakfast. It then escalates into a robbery, with bold letters showing the movie's title, then in the opening credits scene the bold letters remain, with loud, high-energy music in the background. This leaves the audience to infer this movie will be full of action and be mixed genres, as the opening scene showed potential romance, comedy, and action through the behavior of the two characters. All these elements are shown through the font choice and music, very wisely chosen by Tarantino. 

    I never really considered how the opening title sequence clips had on the audience until I really sat down and analyzed scenes. When I watched Scream for the first time, I did not realize how the opening scene and the opening credits portray so many different elements that are demonstrated in the film. The movie begins with intense music, screams in the background, as the movie title flashes on the screen. The white text then turns red, to potentially indicate bloodshed to come. An interesting element I realized upon viewing it the second time was that there is also a telephone sound in the opening with the title, then it seamlessly transitions into a woman picking up the phone. This alludes to the audience that there is danger on the other line, foreshadowing her peril.

    Another aspect to consider in opening scenes is background music and sounds. Along with fonts, these tell the audience what might happen and give them certain feelings about the movie going into in. As seen in Apocalypse Now, the opening shot is of palm trees on a beach. Then, the palm tress suddenly explode, as different images pan through, depicting war. Helicopters suddenly turn into a ceiling fan, alluding to the main character of this film being a Vietnam war veteran. The sound effects and visual effects bring the audience into the scene, and leave you intrigued for what is to come.

    Considering titles and their opening music, one cannot forget about Jaws. The iconic music has been used in several other films when characters reference danger. The opening titles show bold font when the name "Jaws" is displayed, reveling to the audience that it will be the movie's villain; all while ominous, suspenseful music is playing in the background. Another example of music as an opening element is shown in Saturday Night Fever. The opening shot is of New York City, which then narrows down to a confident young man strutting the streets. The music is upbeat, and the lyrics match the how the character is to be perceived by the audience; a easy going womanizer who will take on New York.

    Looking at opening scenes in depth helped me realize how many aspects of film making there are. Every one is important, from the titles to the background music, in setting the tone of the film and keeping the audience enthralled. This clips and articles have made me want to explore the option of a film for my portfolio project, because of how much I can tell as the film maker. I think it would be interesting to try and make a short film, even if it is not the direction my portfolio goes.