Title sequence analysis

Why do films have Title Sequences?

Films and TV programme's have title sequences because it allows them to show the title of their production, who it was directed by and written by, any main actors within the film/TV programme.

Why are they useful?

They are useful because they allow features of the film to be shown like the genre and sometimes, the characters and settings within the films. They also allow the main actors to be shown before the end credits so the audience know who is in the film before watching the end credits.

"The Shining"

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/the-shining/

After watching the title sequence, timeline that was created;

The Shining is a film directed by Stanley Kubrick that was released in the 1980's. Throughout the title sequence we see a range of different shots like long shots of the setting and weather and tracking shots of the car travelling along the road. This title sequence is effective because we get long shots which show the audience the setting of a desolate are surrounded by mountains, rivers and one long winding road so the area where the movie takes place is clear because of how much it is shown within the titles. The use of the repetitive deep-toned trumpet from the start to finish is effective because it shows the audience that this is a dark film because the tone is low down and slow instead of upbeat and cheerful.

"Signs"

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/signs/

After watching the title sequence, timeline that was created;

Signs was a film directed by M. Night Shyamalan which was released in 2002. The title sequence within this film doesn't really show a lot about the film itself and there is no clue as to setting and characters within this because it is all blue and black backgrounds. However this title sequence is also good. At the beginning of the sequence, music starts to play but starts to get louder and faster. This is effective because its the same type of music that is used when someone is following someone else getting closer and closer to them to cause harm to them. The effects used in the title sequence to switch between titles is also useful because the titles suddenly appear on your screen and then fade out which suggests that there will be some sudden shock scenes or scenes that will make the audience jump in this movie and also suggests that the genre of this movie may be a bit dark  instead of happy and cheerful.

"The Conjuring"

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/the-conjuring/

After watching the title sequence, timeline that was created;

The Conjuring is a horror film that was directed by a man named James Wan and released in 2013. The title sequence for this film is very good and really does clearly show the genre of the film. The music used in this title sequence is low pitched, slow paced and quiet which really creates a spooky and uneasy atmosphere and this helps portray the genre of the film as well. The images used within the background are all old photos of different family's and old newspapers, locations and events. This is useful because it helps show the setting of the film which is useful because it gives the audience the information about the film before it actually starts.

Summary:

Overall all three of these title sequences all have differences and similarities, they all have different backgrounds, different fonts and different edits. However, they all show the main actors, Director and other important people at the start, they also give off hints to the genre in one way or another either with the music they use, the colours, or the editing. Overall the one i enjoyed the most was The Conjuring title sequence because it all flowed together nicely, it really showed the genre well as well as covering the setting, time and main actors involved and the music worked really well. When it comes to my title sequence, i would aim to create the same type of creepy and uneasy atmosphere as they did because it really provoked the horror genre just by watching the title sequence because of the sounds, editing and shots photo effects they used.

Analysis of The Woman In black clip

Woman in black clip

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POBDh1o-gE8

What I saw: 

• Waist coat
• Candle
• An axe
• Old toys
• Dull colored wallpaper
• Hand print on the wall
• "You could have saved him" written in blood on the wall
• Musical monkey starts to play loudly (Sudden break in the silence)

Within this clip, I noticed that a lot of micro elements were very different to how they would be in a comedy film or a action film. The bits I really picked up on was the costume and the props. The costume was very old fashioned like a waist coat and white puffy shirt, This stood out because in modern times we don't see that type of clothing very often and in the olden days, that was the common clothing of a man in day to day average life. This type of clothing is also very common in the "Gothic horror" genre.

The props also stood out to me because they really created a spine chilling atmosphere, not only did the look creepy, but there was also one particular scene where the man was walking with the candle in his hand and the camera was on a close up of the toy monkey, and in the eyes of the toy, you could see the reflection of the light from the candle as he walked and it looked like the toys were following him with their eyes.

Sound was also used effectively within this clip. There was also another scene at the end where out of no where the toy monkey started playing and it was quite shocking because it was unexpected and it broke the silence. This was also another typical convention of the "Gothic horror" genre because props are very useful and used a lot to create an uncomfortable atmosphere for the audience and can make an even better jump scare scene. The setting of a old, abandoned child's bedroom also is effective because of the writing and hand print in blood on the wall. This is effective because of the supernatural feel the writing provokes and how there's blood on the wall in a child's room would make the audience feel uneasy.

Within this clip there isn't really a lot of camera variation however, it is still really effective because of the long shot of the room in a static position. They are effective because they show the room  but its empty however you still feel as if something's watching you. Then when the camera changes to a extreme close up of the ghost, it makes you jump and makes you feel uncomfortable because it catches you as the viewer, off guard.