Title Sequence Clips

    I enjoyed analyzing a small part of each film, examining the purposeful details.  Besides Lion King, I had not seen any of the movies we watched but gained knowledge on each one just by watching the first few minutes. The combination of the first sound and first visual are extremely important to a film.  It is a precursor to what is to follow and sets the tone and mood, much like the first sentence or paragraph in a literary piece. 

     For example, 2001: A Space Odyssey begins with a black screen and a single dissonant note that grows and fades.  The blank screen represents the unknown, the great expanse.  When the viewer finally sees the sun emerging, followed by planets and animals, it gives them a sense of discovery and birth, the beginning.  The theme of science and evolution is already established. In Apocalypse Now (1979), the first sounds and accompanying graphic is of a whirring chopper, the blades decisively whirring and cutting through the sky.  The music is at first calming, but then fires begin burning across the jungle.  When this happens, Jim Morrison of The Doors starts to sing reflectively about “the end”, which produces an overwhelming sadness and brings acceptance of the fate of misery and death in the world.  The whirring helicopter fades in and out with the music, but eventually turns into the turning blades of a bedroom ceiling.  The transition is executed expertly, accompanying the transition of fire and destruction to a man in his room.  A film whose opening song is iconic and captures the film is Saturday Night Fever  which uses the Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive”.  Like the song says and we immediately notice, the main character is a woman’s man.  It is funky and confident.  The movie also makes use of different shots or camera angles to add to effect. 

While the opening scene sets up the movie, the title, and credits- their font and appearance- is also key.  In Scream (1996) the font was a bold, blood red which captured the cheesy but creepy horror film.  In Lion King the title does not appear until after the opening scene.  It is simply shown at the end to sum up the scene: a variety of animals living harmoniously with a lion looking down on them imperiously from on high.  It shows the circle of life with animals from all stages, but particularly with the old baboon initiating the lion cub into the world.  The music matches it as well, then the simple title reinforces what was seen and heard. The black of the text contrasts nicely with the warm tones and bold orange.   In the opening of What About Bob? the lettering is overlapping.  It is silly and confusing, portraying the movie and its main character well.  In ‘Bob’ the ‘o’ is tilted.  This small detail was done purposefully to match the narrative and overall mood.