Chilldren of men analysis of title sequence

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCTgUq6hzUk
Could not embed so you will have to follow the link

In the beggining of the title sequence of chilldren of men the screen is blank and we can hear a type of news report going on, i know this as the people talking are talking in a very formal way and just stating what is going on in the world and not commenting on it like you woud in a conversation. We also realise that this world they are reporting about is a ery dystopian world as the UK's borders have been closed and there is a siege happening on a city, the news report is a diegetic sound as it is a blank screen in the beggining which does not tell us if the characters can hear or notice it so it is a diegetic sound, also the news readers have british acsent's which shows this is a british film.

As the film starts we see a cafe which is packed with people, a sound bridge happened to bring us into this scene, we learn as we are watching that Diego Richado the youngest person on the planet had died his name shows he is south american, we learn that he is 18 years old when he died which shocks the audience as how can he be the youngest person on the planet he is an enigma,we also hear how he died that a fan stabbed him and that the fan was beaten to death which shows how much he meant to the people. on the news report the way they show Diego is like a baby to show how young everyone see's him as like a baby really. In the cafe the people are shot in a long shot so we can see all their facial expressions towards this news report and see how they are shocked, we also see how they are dressed it is quite normal as if most of them were going to work when this happened, also we see most of them have coffee which show's it is quite early in the morning and everyone is going to work, also the people are fairly old there is no really young people that we can see, it is also very bright outside indicating it is the morning.

When Clive Owen walks in it is as if he does not care about the report he pushes through the crowd which annoys them as we can see it on their faces and gets his coffee he barely looks at the screen to watch the report. Their is a subjective point of view shot so we can see the T.V through Clive Owens eyes, it is as if their is funeral music going on when the report is being shown to show how sad it is.

As Clive Owen walks out it is like we are following him as the camera follows him with a subjective point of view, when we see the outside we hear the cars to indicate there is traffic and we see red busses to show we are in britain and bikes almost moped driving around, we also see it is 2027 so it is quite a while into the future, we also see moving signs to show it is the future. As Clive Owen puts his coffee down he pours alcohol into his cup which shows he may be addicted to it or it is what helps him get through the day. As we are watching him pour something in his coffee an explosion goes of which makes Clive Owen jump back and pin himself against a wall to show he is scared, we also see many people in the explosion drop to the floor and possibly die, the explosion does not have multiple angles it is shot from just one which kind of makes us feel we are there watching, the sound of the exploion is very loud and it is a diegetic sound however it may have been made a bit louder. The camera is very jumpy to show we are running and at the end we see a woman holding her arm to show the damage that has been done we also hear screams to represent the danger of what has happened.

A good title sequence needs to follow a few simple codes and conventions.

• It needs to establish the time period.
• It needs to establish where it is set.
• It needs to introduce the characters.
• It needs to establish the overarching themes.
• It needs to introduce the genre.
• and who stars in it.

Analysis of Se7en

Proximity

Morgan freeman appears to have a leader role when he asks the questions at the crime scene.Brad pit follows Morgan Freeman so it shows he has authority.The other police man is below morgan freeman you can tell this by the way he follows his question's and answer's them.The killer gets rid of the word intercourse to show he is an isolated person and a bit of a loner.Morgan freeman walks slow and keeps the same pace to show he is calm and in control however Brad Pit changes speeds and is always trying to take the lead this shows how he wants to be at the top at all times and a leader.The two character's are always trying to pass each other as if fighting for authority.

Props

Morgan Freeman has all his objects in order as well as items which shows he is professional and smart however Brad Pit is very scruffy looking and his badge is on his side making him look UN-professional.The blood on the blind obviously is a gun shot.Kid's picture on fridge helps us understand there may be a kid involved.Morgan Freeman keeps his light's on to show he is scared of the dark and he has seen some horrific things.Morgan Freeman has a metronome this shows us he has something to get away from this horrible place.

Colours

Black and white for killer so he may live in black and white to show his views your a victim or not.It was brown in morgan freeman's flat they are functional colours show his personality and his items serve their function.Lighting and location. The lighting in the beginning is dull and dark.The location in the ally shows secrecy.The lights on in morganFreeman's room shows paranoid and identity.At the murder scene it is dark and gloomy and Looks sinister.The rain created has a sense of foreboding and claustrophobic it shows the real under-belly of new york.

Lighting and location

The lighting in the beginning is dull and dark.
The location in the ally shows secrecy.
The lights on in morganFreeman's room shows paranoid and identity.
At the murder scene it is dark and gloomy and looks sinister.
The rain created has a sense of foreboding and claustrophobic it shows the real under-belly of new york.

A good title sequence needs to follow a few simple codes and conventions:

• It needs to establish the time period
• It needs to get across where its set
• it needs to introduce the characters
• Introduce the genre
• Overarching themes

Title sequence storyboard

why opening title sequences are so important

Title sequences are a big part of the film industry a title sequence can be the difference between someone watching the film and not watching it, a good title sequence will sell a film it will catch the audiences attention and grip them it should fill them with enigmas about what is going to happen why that has happened, a bad title sequence however will bore the audience and therefore not grip them and probably turning over the channel or leaving the cinima. Another reason why title sequence's are so importent is becouse they can give a little information about the characters and the film itself through the cinimatography and the mis-en-scene and other micro features for instance in the film seven we learn a lot about Morgan Freeman in the title sequence that develop our ideas about the film and the characters like morgan freeman may have ocd he is very precise and tidy as a person this is shown through the mis-en-scene. Title sequences also give us an idea about the genre of the film once again this is shown through micro features but wihout it in the title sequence in the first five minutes people may be confused with what to expect like in the beggining of pulp fiction we are not sure what genre it is as the title sequence brings in so many genres nd micro features from these genres.

The codes and conventions of a horror film

There are many codes and conventions of a horror these are things the audience expect or know will probably be in the film as it has been in most films.

Firstly people expect a location usually somewhere scary in classic horrors it would be a castle or haunted mansion in the middle of nowhere and a killer in the city would be weird but now a location can be anything from a shopping mall in a town or a city itself so that is one codes and convention.

A killer or a villain/villains this could be anything from zombies and ghosts to a killer such as freddy and jason we expect in a horror ome sort of villain and even in films such as final destination there is a villain it could be argued that the villain is fate.

Another thing we expect is a main character or the hero this has been changed over the years as we used to be able to spot the main character as they would be very heroic so we could spot them easily however film like decent have challenged this as the survivor is not realised till half way through the film.

The victim an obvious one but in all horrors there are victims the people who will die sometimes they can be spotted easily (Drew Barrymore Scream) and some times not so easily (First women to die in nightmare on elm street).

A weapon there is usually a weapon in a horror from Freddys claws to a zombies mouth you always expect the villain to use one.

Then there are things that never change such as blood we always expect there to be blood and death these are two things that follow the horror genre that we always expect to see so in every horror there will be things in common such as tense and scary music without music to make a scene tense it may not be scary it could ruin the atmosphere.

Spider man title sequence analysis

At the beginning of the title sequence it has the classic marvel signature of a comic being flicked through. Then the music start it is very orchestral but heroic it sounds like a song fit for a hero this has good connotations as spider man is a super hero and a crime fighter so this music suits him very well, all the title sequence have been made by a computer but some of the webbing looks hand drawn, it is various spider Webb's again the connotations of a spider which suits spider man, the Title seemed to get entangles in the web like a fly in a spiders web as if the titles are the spiders prey and the spider is hunting, again though connotations of a spider which suits the film as it is about spider man. AS the title sequence plays we see it changing various colours like red and blue and at times green this connotates spidermans suit however his suit is not green so it also gives us an enigmas. Also for about two scceconds we see an animated spiderman ans green goblin which firstly shows us who the film is about but again for people who dont know who the green goblin is it sets up enigmas also the title sequence is animated just like the comic showing that it is spiderman. At the end there is a voice over which sets up enigmas as the main character talks about not being an ordinary person so this has the connotations of a superhero. also at the end one of the animatins lead into a scene starting the film which is a nice touch.

A good title sequence needs to follow a few simple codes and conventions.
It needs to establish the time period.
It needs to establish where it is set.
It needs to introduce the characters.
It needs to establish the overarching themes.
It needs to introduce the genre.
and who stars in it.

Goodfellas analysis

Stop watching at 2:40 as that is when th film starts.

The first thing we see in the opening credits is a few titles they move across the screen like a car giving us the connotations that they are in a way cars also the sound that is made as the titles go past the scene is like a car on a motorway or going past you as it makes the sound as if a car is speeding past you and beeping its horn which is a nice touch as the connotation straight away is we are near or in a car.

The next shot we see is a a blank screen giving us what time it is and where it is, then suddenly we get a close up shot of Ray Liotta and other people who are in a car the camera looks as if it is on the dashboard allowing the audience to feel as if they are spying or looking into these people's life's the establishing image we get is that it is three grown men driving to or from wherever they are trying to get to. By the performance of Ray Liotta and the two other men they look tired as if they have had a busy day then suddenly we hear a bang or a pop a constant tapping the connotations of this is that a tire has popped or they have hit something, the three men act as if they have no idea what is going on again giving the connotations of a seemingly harmless blown tire or roadkill.

Suddenly the men pull over the shot then goes into a mid shot again as if we are peering into their lives, and we see the three men head towards the boot of their car to the source of this noise again the connotations as if they have found the source of the banging.The camera starts zooming in on the boot as if taunting the audience setting us up with enigmas about what could possibly be in the boot, the camera goes back to a mid shot of the men and one of them has a shovel straight away this gives connotations that this is something much more sinister than a blown out tire, one of the men nods towards the other as if signalling something as he reaches for his keys the other unsheathes a knife and we can tell that something bad is going to happen the audience get a sense of foreboding, the next shot is Ray Liotta opening the boot as he does our fears are bought to life as a half dead man lays lifelessly in the boot, it then cuts to the smaller man calling the guy a "fucking pieace of shit" showing either a deep hate or no rspect as he stabs away we realise he may be the slightly more wild and untamed of the three men, we then see one of the mens face and we see no remorse showing they mean buissness we can hear the sharp stabby sounds of the man being killed in the background tht sound horrifically real, the man who seems to be the boss then unsheaths a pistol and kills the man, Ray Liotta then slowly moves forward and closes the boot showing that these men are killers and gangsters we also know this as a voice over say "as far back as i can remember i wanted to be a gangster".

It then cuts away to the titles moving like they were in the beggingng and the title Goodfellas is shown showing us the film is starting there is a contripunttal sound as there is happy 40's music which contrasts the horrific murder we just witnessed.

A good title sequence needs to follow a few simple codes and conventions.

• It needs to establish a time period.
• It needs to establish a setting.
• It needs to introduce the characters.
• The overarching themes.
• Who stars in it.
• And to introduce the genre.
  

A little about Saul Bass

Saul Bass was born May 8, 1920 and died April 25th 1996 he was an american Graphics desighner and an accademy award winning film maker but he is best known for his design on animated motion picture title sequences. During his 40-year career he worked for some of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers, including Alfred hitchcock Otto Preminger, Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese.

These are just some of the Title sequences he has made for films.

Carmen Jones (1954)
The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
The Seven Year Itch (1955)
Around the World in Eighty Days (1956)
Bonjour Tristesse (1958)
Vertigo (1958)
Anatomy of a Murder (1958)
The Big Country (1958)
North by Northwest (1959)
Psycho (1960)
Spartacus (1960)
Exodus (1960)
Advise and Consent (1960)
Ocean's Eleven (1960)
West Side Story (1961)
Walk on the Wild Side (1962)
The Victors (1963)
Nine Hours to Rama (1963)
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
The Cardinal (1963)
In Harm's Way (1965)
Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965)
Grand Prix (1966)
Seconds (1966)
Broadcast News (1987)
Big (1988)
The War of the Roses (1989)
Goodfellas (1990)
Cape Fear (1991)
Doc Hollywood (1991)
The Age of Innocence (1993)
Casino (1995)

A little about Kyle Cooper

Cooper 41 specializes in crafting title sequences - the short introductions and closings to films, videogames, and television shows that list the names of the cast and crew involved in the production. In this boutique industry, Cooper is king. He has designed the lead-ins to 150 features - including Donnie Brasco, the 1996 remake of The Island of Dr. Moreau, Mission: Impossible, Spider-Man, Sphere, Spawn, Twister, and Flubber. The movies themselves may not be cinematic classics, but Cooper's credits - which operate as minifilms in their own right - consistently stun and entertain audiences. He has been called a modern day saul bass.

related genre films

Our film is a horror these our just a few films of the same genre. I have picked white noise as it has ghosts in it like our film i know that is a bit basic to say, but its true although they are two different films completly they share the same codes and conventions so that is why i picked it as a similiar genre film. The other film is dawn of the dead there is two reasons i have picked this as it has zombies which are ghouls like ghosts so again in a way similair and because it is a well known and loved horror. Both of these films are horrors like mine so they follow similair patterns like death murder blood jumpy scenes and tense music that is why the films our similair in genre.

Whats Next

Location: A flat in dartford, it has two bedrooms and is a modern flat, we have chosen this location as it suits the protagonists as he is a lonley doctor and is secluded, it sets the tone for a batchelor pad and is ideal for a doctor living on his own.

Costume/Props: The doctor's main costume is a suit as most doctors wear something smart however he will also be wearing a white jacket to symbolise he is a doctor. There will also be a doctors badge however we will be editing the name of the badge of final cut pro to show a persons name and position in the set. Another prop is the sleeping pill bottle which we will also edit in final cut pro to put someones name on and position. Another prop is a licence plate that we will have made to say the name of the film (TR4C3S.

Characters:In our title there are only two characters which are the Doctor who is played by Dan pye, and Ghost/Halucination will be played by Kirstie Houghton.

Music: Our music will hopefully be recorded by Ian Elmslie on the piano, it will be like a lula bye as it relates to the situation of the film.

Logline for our film

The reason my logline is late is becouse i was ill when the group did it and found out yesterday it had to be on our blogs.

Have you ever seen a ghost?Our film is called 'Traces' and is the story of a doctor who makes an unforgivable mistake. In his fatal mistake a women's life ends. Now she is dead, she comes back to haunt him and makes his life a misery. But is she dead in reality or really only in his mind?. Will it be a story that ends in tragedy? or does it end happily ever after?Our film is a thiller/supernatural, and shows the story of the cross between afterlife and reality.We see how one man's suffering tells an unbelievable story.

continuity piece

This is late as it took so long to upload and also we were constantly re-shooting

This is our continuity piece in it we had to use two shots and not break the 180 degree rule which is to not break an invisible line or else it will not go with the continuety. The two shots were a shot reverse shot which is where you film someone talking then cut to the other person, match on action which is where you film someone walking through a door and then you film tem walking through the other side so the shots interlinc and you would not notice the cut. Our first attempt of a continuity piece went wrong as the shot reverse shot we used was not right we did not shoot it right it was to much of an over the shoulder shot and did not work. The scecond continuity piece was a lot better and is the one we are using now it uses the shot reverse shot well the match on action is good and we have not broke the 180 degree rule.