3 Different Titles - Jack

3 Different Titles

1 - The Untouchables
Link: http://www.artofthetitle.com/media/film/80s/untouchables_480p.html?keepThis=true&TB_iframe=true&height=437&width=858
The Untouchables is a crime thriller set in 1930’s Chicago. It stars Kevin Costner as a detective trying to investigate and find evidence leading towards the activities of Mafia leader, Al Capone.

MUSIC
First of all, the music is very important in setting the scene for the rest of the film. The music starts with a very fierce, quick and unpredictable violin solo. This is then accompanied by more violins as gradually the music builds up into a crescendo. The use of violins is very important because violins have connotations of disruption, of anger, of sharpness - this sets the scene for the film because it is the Mafia who are angry and using forceful action as a way of disrupting every day life. The way that the music is laid out is very discordant, which evokes a sense of unpredictability and edginess. The way the music builds up into a climax creates real tension and anger, because we are afraid that something worrying is going to happen. The music is accompanied by a rhythmic clicking sound which may be used to mirror the sound of a bomb ticking and counting down - one of the main features of the film.

- Violins, because of their quick, sharp sound, evoke a sense of anger and disruption
- Violins set the scene for the nature of the Mafia
- Discordant structure of the music evokes edginess and sets the scene for the activities of Mafia
- Climax builds tension and anger
- Rhythmic clicking mirrors a clicking bomb, main feature of film

TITLES

The titles use a serif font which sets the scene of the time - the 1930’s, where serif fonts were the norm. The words are capitals and condensed with harsh serifs at the end of the strokes. These connote a sense of power, a sense of formality and harshness. The camera shows black blurred lines, which only after a period of time do they reveal themselves to be each of the letters in the word ‘Untouchables’. This evokes a sense of mystery because of its secrecy and slow revealing. The words themselves are translucent, with the shadows of “Untouchables” often covering the words. This makes it harder to see the words, adding to this sense of mystery and secrecy.

- Serif Font used in the context of the film

- Font connotes harshness and power

- Reveal of the word ‘Untouchables’ evokes mystery

- Translucency of first few credits allows shadows to cover text, aids mystery

GRAPHICS
The main colours used in this sequence are black and a very dark brown. These are very dark colours which connote undertones of secrecy and mystery. The camera moves very slowly through the text, and the word “Untouchables” takes about 30 seconds to completely disappear. I think this is used to contrast both with the quick and building pace of the music, and with the quick speed of the opening shot. This marked contrast makes the audience feel bewildered and fearful, creating a sense of suspense and unknowing. Titles appear in the dead centre of the camera. This is used so that they can stand out against the dark background. They almost look isolated amongst the deathly black behind it, connoting a mood of isolation to the audience.

- Dark colours create undertones of secrecy and mystery
- Pace of shot contrasts with music
- Titles appear in dead centre to stand out from background
- Titles seem isolated from deathly background, creating mood of isolation

The main title "The Untouchables" slowly fades into the distance, setting the pace of the scene

The title "Untouchables" is revealed, huge, overbearing shadowing very noticable, mirroring
shadows of people, or of Mafia?

The shadows of the word "Untouchables" fade over wording, evoking mystery and secrecy

2 - Fight Club
Link: http://www.artofthetitle.com/2008/03/28/fight-club/
Fight Club is an action thriller following the journey of a man suffering from insomnia who leaves his high-profile job to join an underground fight club.

 MUSIC
The music of the opening sequence is very loud and very hectic. The music has little structure, it is discordant and brash with lots of instruments being played, This makes the mood very edgy and unpredictable, setting the scene for the rest of the film. I actually think it uses elements from the music from ‘Psycho’ to exacerbate a feeling of intense fear. We often hear screams and wails dubbed in, again emphasising worry and tension. The music is used to mirror the fast pace of the camera as it slowly zooms out of the character’s brain.

- Loud, hectic, sets the scene very quickly, worry
- Discordant and brash, unpredictable
- “Psycho” elements emphasise the thriller genre
- Mirrors fast pace of camera
- Screams and wails for dramatic effect

TITLES

The titles utilise a modern serif font. This helps set the time period for the film - we know that it is either in the present day or in the future. The titles actually appear through the use of jump cuts, which add to a sense of pace and rythym established by the music and camera. The text appears for a relatively short amount of time. It is also quite a difficult font to read, and the combination of these effects make the audience feel confused, yet again adds to the pace of the sequence. They then fade, almost swirling away, almost as if they are dissolving back into the synapses of the brain. This is a clever technique because it makes the titles part of the mise-en-scene, aiding interest and helping with the pace of the shot (a simple cut would never have quite the same dramatic entry or exit).

- Modern serif font helps set chronology of the film

- Titles appear quick, adds suspense and rhythm

- Titles only appear for a short length of time - adds pace

- Titles exit, swirl back into brain, quite interesting way, interacts with mise-en-scene

GRAPHICS
The graphics track the workings of a male brain, the synapses, the sweat ducts, the hair-follicles, which eventually zoom out into the opening shot of the film. This use of an incredibly extreme close up really evokes a sense of confusion and bewilderment, because it is only when the shot has fully zoomed out that we can clearly understand what was the subject of the shot. Its almost as if we’re inside his brain, witnessing his emotions from a clearly scientific point of view. The shot of his brain also mirrors some of the themes explored in the film, especially the psychological ailments of the main character, such as insomnia etc. The close up of the trickling of sweat adds to a sense of suspense and worry, while the very quick zooming out from the brain synapses to the face add to the pace of the opening sequence, setting the scene for the rest of the film.

- Fear of the ‘unknown’ evokes bewilderment
- As if audience is inside his brain
- Mirrors themes explored in rest of the film
- Trickling of sweat - evokes worry and fear
- Zoom adds to pace and excitement

Brain synapses in background, "unknown"

Text is a modern serif font, fades into distance, aids interest and excitement

Sweat ducts and hair follicles evoke emotion and fear   

3 - Alien
Link: http://www.artofthetitle.com/2008/05/14/feature-alien-quadrilogy-analysis/
The movie Alien is a science-fiction thriller about intelligent and aggressive Aliens who destroy a spaceship.

MUSIC
The sound of the opening sequence is fairly discordant. It is unstructured, with various stringed instruments playing at irregular times. This is coupled with various groaning and croaking noises, setting the scene for a film about creatures - aliens, perhaps? The mysterious dripping and screeching sounds are effective in making the audience feel tense and, used together with the shot of a planet, perhaps a bit unworldly and bewildered. There is a mild screeching sound throughout which has the effect of unnerving the audience, whilst a minor key is played from what seems to be a piano, again creating an unnerving, tense, dark atmosphere. The pace of the sound accelerates towards the end to build upon this feeling of worry and of anticipation for the rest of the film.

- Discordant structure adds bewilderment
- Groaning and croaking noises sets the scene
- Mysterious sounds make audience feel unworldly, bewildered
- Screeching is unnerving, builds continuously and worryingly, leaves the audience waiting for something to happen

TITLES

There is essentially only one title that appears on the screen worth mentioning. While the main credits appear in the centre for normal purposes, the name of the film, “Alien” appear in the top half of the screen. The word does not appear in chronological order, leaving the audience almost to guess what the word is going to be. The word only gradually appears in the shot, stroke by stroke, again emphasising a feeling of mystery and secrecy, almost commanding the audience to be patient and apprehensive. The font is sans-serif, which denotes that the time period of the film is either in the present or the future - however, because of the backdrop of a planet, we can assume that the film is probably set in the future. Because of the block lettering, the title appears binary-like, which mirrors one of the most integral parts of the film - the spaceship, the eve of technology etc.

- Non-linear appearance of ‘Alien’ - leaves audience guessing

- Word only gradually appears - mystery and secrecy

- Slowly fades - commands audience into being apprehensive

- Sans-serif - time period of film

- Binary like structure of the font denotes one of the main themes of the film

GRAPHICS
The main graphic is the slow reveal of a planet. This sets the scene for the rest of the film - the film is set in space, near planets, etc. The slow pan of the planet sets the pace, matching the slow appearance of the text however contrasting greatly with the edginess of the music. This contrast has the effect of making the audience bewildered, maybe uncomfortable and tense. The showing of the planet and the stars is almost subconscious in our minds because we are focusing more on the white titles, which stand out clearer in front of a mainly dark background. Already, from the opening shot, the film is getting into our minds, playing tricks, unsettling us, through the subliminal way it shows the film’s key setting without us really noticing it.

- Sets scene of film
- Pace contrasts music, makes us feel bewildered, uncomfortable
- Subconscious dark background gets into our minds, tricking us subliminally

Title mirrors binary code. Appears very slowly, commanding audience patience

Space background sets the scene