Titles in An Opening Sequence

Project Brief

What are the Conventions of an Opening Sequence?

Analysis of Wallander

Analysis of Wallander (Firewall, 7^th December 2008, BBC1)

In order for the opening sequence to be effective a range of elements have to be included. Specific sound, editing, mis en scene and cinematography techniques have to be used to make the audience feel intrigued to keep watching as well as ask questions about what they are watching. The scene begins as a black screen which creates quite a mysterious feel and makes the audience feel unsure about what they are watching. It makes them ask questions such as what are we looking at?, is it the sea?, what is happening here?, where is everyone? Etc. This is a very dark scene where nobody knows exactly where or what is happening. It creates a serious atmosphere where your eyes are glued to the screen because you want to discover more.

Whilst the scenes are appearing the sound is used to help reinforce the meaning. The music begins quite tense and dramatic which is rather unusual for the beginning of the scene because you believe it will be calmer and then slowly build up but this goes straight into being dramatic. This could have been done so that you are instantly drawn in and focused on what’s to come. However even though it is starting dramatic it is still building up and up into an even bigger climax. It sounds like a very cold and dark place with the wind blowing sending shivers done your spine therefore enhancing that mysterious, eerie feel to it. As the camera begins to track towards the land the sounds becomes more high pitched and the intensity is increased, this may be highlighting how we are getting closer and closer to the land and that we may be about to see something. After this big build up the music suddenly drops out and completely disappears, this is interesting in the way that it contrasts with the dramatic sound because everything suddenly goes silent. When we eventually see the people in the scene it remains silent with the addition of the hyperbolic sound of their footsteps. This creates the sense that nobody else is around so any move you make will be heard. As well as this no dialogue is used perhaps expressing how they are reflecting on what they have done and can’t come to terms with it meaning they can’t speak. It conveys how they are thinking in their minds but perhaps believe if they make contact with each other they will be found out. In addition to this when the car is seen on screen the radio is heard. This highlights how this was once a very jolly scene where the man was having a good time and was generally feeling happy about life. However it sounds slightly muffled and broken which highlights how something bad has happened and that the mood has been broken and demolished. Also it portrays that the place is so remote that it is even out of range for the radio.  Furthermore we hear the characters breathing which is extremely dramatic and reinforces that isolation as well as portraying that adrenaline rush they have got from what they have done.

After the first shot the camera begins to track towards the something which we then begin to realise is the countryside. However we still can’t see anything until the camera gets close enough for us to see a car and people walking away from it. We instantly realise something has happened but we can’t make out what exactly it is.  The camera must be in a helicopter because it is a high angle shot and is gradually tracking towards the countryside. We realise that whoever is coming up in the scene is in trouble. The scene starts off with low key lighting and the as it begins to track the shot starts to get lighter as more of the land is revealed.  Even though the grass is starting to be seen it doesn’t look particular pleasant which suggests that this place is someone where you don’t want to be and is a very isolated place. The setting is clearly somewhere difficult to get to and is therefore somewhere that not many people go to.

 

 
The camera continues to track towards the car and the people walking away and when you believe you are finally going to see what’s happened the camera cuts away so you still don’t discover what is there.  This is then followed by a mid-shot of the people walking away. We can only see the backs of their heads and part of their bodies. The reason this has been done is to give us a slight clue about who is involved but their faces are not revealed because they want to hides the emotions so that you don’t discover all the answers to the questions straight away. We can clearly see they are walking away from the car but we ask ourselves why are they there?, were they in the car?, what have they done? Etc. It creates quite a dangerous atmosphere where a threat is clearly portrayed. Even though we can’t see their face it allows us to see what they are wearing so we start to make a slight judgement on them. We can see there are two girls one with red sections in her hair and one with brown hair. They also are both dressed in black and have messy hair, from looking at this we instantly start to believe that the one wearing the leather jacket is the more dominant character because for one the leather jacket is normally associated with someone who is quite “rebellious”. As well as this she is taller and the way she is presented makes her seem slightly more confident perhaps she could be slightly older. However the other girls seem more innocent, she could have even been manipulated by the other girl and dragged into whatever the situation is. They seem to be walking at a slow pace acting as if nothing has happened so it leaves the audience clueless. This is a long take where the image of them walking stays on screen for a long time. This may have been used to highlight how they seem quite calm and relaxed and are not running away from the scene.

 

 

Next a pull focus is used on the ID Card. The ID card is in focus and the girls can be seen in the background but are out of focus meaning it is still hiding their identity. In this shot we suddenly get an insight into what has being happened. We understand that a violent attack has happened with the clues of the blood splattered on the window however we still don’t know who the man is or who the girls are and why and what has happened.  A representation that the man has done something wrong is seen with the ID and people believe he must have done something to hurt the girls. It is still unclear if he is dead but our natural instinct believes he is and we create the assumption that the girls have done this and are walking away.  The darkness of the objects in this shot directly draws you towards the pure red blood which makes you understand that something dangerous has happened and someone has clearly been hurt. Low key lighting is also used to convey the danger of the situation and perhaps the death. However we are able to work out that this couldn’t have been a car accident because there is nothing to crash into because it is in such an isolated setting where no one is around although the thought that perhaps self-defence has been used crosses your mind but generally it looks more of an attack in the way that the car engine is still going so it must have been quite recent.

 

Cross cutting is used where it is constantly cutting between shots of the girls and the car/man to convey what they have done. Finally we get to see a close up of the girl’s facial expressions and they seem to be quite cold and emotionless. The camera continues to keep the girl with red hair in focus to demonstrate how she is the leader and the other girl is just the follower doing what she is told. As well as this we can clearly see the blood on both of them so we finally know the answer that they have been involved in what has happened.  They seem to not care about what they have done but seem focused to get somewhere else.  The lighting is high key however just by the atmosphere of the scene it seems darker and a depressing feeling comes across. The shots of the girls seem to have a longer duration than anything else maybe to convey how they don’t seem particularly concerned about what they have done.

 

To follow an extreme close up of the man is revealed and we discover how badly hurt he is. You can see the pain and the hurt that he has encountered. The angle of this image directly draws us to his eye and it conveys how violent the attack must have been. The colour seems quite dull and dark which reinforces the dramatic, suspicious atmosphere. In addition to this we see his eye slightly flicker perhaps to indicate the last part of life and that he is about to die.

  

We then see a mid-shot of the girls walking with the car in the background and we understand they were participants because of the amount of blood on their bodies. Furthermore they have very heavy, deep breathing and are starting to walk faster indicating that they may be starting to feel guilty and have come to the realisation that there is no-where to run to or no one to go to.

 
A close up of a key ring is then shown. This suddenly makes you feel angry at the girls because you understand that he was a family man and believe that he couldn’t have done anything wrong.  We sympathise with the man and are no longer on the girl’s side.  This is effective because it changes our perception on the scene and makes us start to ask more questions about what has happened.

 

After there is a shot of the girls again and the camera is tracking towards the “main” girl with the red hair to highlight her as the most responsible and to make us feel angry at her and make us dislike her. Then suddenly we see the close up of her hand covered in blood and her dropping the blade which conveys how she has played a major part in this attack and has been extremely cruel.  This is a short take because it is trying to build up the pace making the audience more interesting and creating more of an intense atmosphere. The titles that appears after this shot links to it because it conveys an image of the blade. This therefore make us want to keep watching to discover why this has happened.

 

 

This is the opening sequence from Wallander.



 

Analysis of Brick

Analysis of Brick (Johnson, 2005, US)

When watching Brick the opening sequence creates a range of different meanings and follows what an opening sequence should do. It starts the story off and helps establish the genre of the film. Also it begins to introduce particular characters and the narrative without revealing everything. Brick is particularly good at making the audience intrigued and want to continue to watch. Furthermore it constantly makes the audience ask questions about everything they see. It is a very difficult but clever thing to be able to do and this is done by using the four elements which are sound, mis-en-scene, cinematography and editing.

Firstly there is sound. Sound is quite consistent throughout the opening sequence with the regular occurrence of bells ringing. Perhaps this is used to indicate a new beginning or the memory of the past. These are long drawn out bells which seem dramatic and create more of an intense atmosphere. As well as this it creates a suspicious setting where you are unsure of what’s about to happen. These bells could have also been used to give that meaning of this is the start of something to come and you need to watch on to discover exactly what it is. Whilst the titles are displayed you can hear some ambient sound. This means you can hear sound from the background of the setting which are everyday sounds that people can relate to. This is effective because it makes you feel part of the scene and creates more of a realistic setting. It proves that anyone from the surrounding area can see what has happened and nothing is hidden from the public eye. After the graphic match which I will explain later on in the analysis there is a shot in a school where the school bells are ringing. This may indicate a connection between the bells at the beginning of the sequence and the school bell because it is linking the idea together that this is the time when something is going to happen.

This opening sequence begins displaying a setting of a tunnel/ drain system perhaps the place the sewage runs through. However it is surrounded by deep high walls and this is generally indicating that nobody ever goes down there and it is really the most pleasant place people would want to be. It appears to be early in the day perhaps dawn where people are just starting to wake up and face the challenges of the day. They starting to realise what’s ahead of them and are perhaps feeling down hearted about what’s to come. The sequence displays a boy/man who’s is wearing glasses which may be demonstrating his vulnerability and weakness and then we see the girl who is wearing blue bands around her wrists, heeled shoes and is blonde but we never capture a full shot of her face, maybe it is trying to hide her identity and keep you guessing.  Additionally the title of the film appears after the first section of the sequence. This highlights a pause in the scene where it is telling you something is about to happen.

After listening to the sound and watching the sequence through once you suddenly have lots of questions that you want answers to. You want to know what is the relationship between the man and woman?, why is she dead?, where are they?, why has he found her there?, what did the note mean?, what is he feeling?, as well as many more. The film then progressively starts to give us clues to the answers but never fully reveals them. We understand that she is dead by the position of her body  on the floor and the fact that her face is in the water as well as the fact her hair is covering her face and she has little colour in her skin expressing how weak she is and that there are no signs of life. Additionally the man displays such worry linked in with guilt and that if she was alive you would realistically expect that he would help her but he isn’t; he is just observing the situation. However because he is still there it could suggest that he didn’t kill her and that she could have even fallen from the bridge. Although this then gives the assumption that she could have been pushed. This concludes that there are so many answers that we want to know but you can never know what is exactly correct.

There is a mixture of different shots used in this opening sequence one of which is a close up of the ledge the man is standing however at first you cannot tell that this is what it is. It is an ambiguous opening where we don’t know where or what it is leaving the mystery unsolved. This is a very dark shot with very low key lighting and links in with the fact that this could be a very dark film full of bad events. It is very effective in the way it is keeping the audience on edge to find out what is to come and what are they actually seeing. At first glances you notice it doesn’t look like a pleasant place and looks rather old therefore somewhere you wouldn’t want to be alone.

The next shot we see is a close up of a pair of shoes. This sounds simple but it does in fact create a lot of meaning because we then realise there is  a man involved in the scene but most importantly it makes us want to know who exactly the man is. For example what is his name, where has he come from and what is he doing there. This shot is particular clever because a similar shot is used later on in the sequence when it was in fact “three days previous”. This displays another close up of the shoes to highlight how it is the same person but it is still withholding information because we never see exactly who it is. The man also has jeans rolled up over his shoes perhaps to make sure he doesn’t get anything on them that could link him to the crime.  However there is a slight difference in these shots which are that one is low key lighting and one is high key. The reason for this could be that the first shot is low key because it expresses how something bad has happened and the darkness of the mood at that point whereas the other shot is high key because the incident hasn’t happened yet so there is no reason for the darkness to be portrayed.

Next the editing technique cross dissolve is used to change the shot from the shoes to the face. This means we finally get to see an extreme close up of his face however it is still out of focus so he is still not being revealed fully we are only getting clues on what he looks like. His hand is covering his face so we can only see small sections of it which annoys the audience because they just want to see what he looks like although they are enjoying the excitement of guessing what he looks like. Then finally there is a focus pull to reveal his whole face. The way he looks suggests that he wouldn’t have done anything wrong and looks vulnerable and perhaps “nerdy”.  On the other hand where his hand is covering his face it makes him appear quite guilty and cowardly.

 

After we see a master/long shot which is very important to allow us to discover the special relationships between the characters. It could also be seen as an establishing shot which introduces the characters and the way they work together. It highlights how seriously the man is staring at her but not moving to help her which therefore conveys how she is dead. It makes us question what is happening in the situation and want to discover more. This shot has been perfectly placed where it is in the opening sequence because it creates meaning. If this was the first shot you saw it won’t have that same feeling to it because you wouldn’t be so shocked by what you are seeing and wouldn’t feel the intensity which is projecting off of the screen. It is low key lighting which also adds to that suspicious atmosphere.

A low angle shot is used to display the man but a high angle of the girl’s body. This is to convey how he is higher up than her but also to highlight the fact that he is doing nothing and it makes the audience angry that he is just sitting there.  Most people wouldn’t just stare they would try to get help. It does however highlight how he is in shock and also worried about what is happening, maybe he could be scared for the aftermath of what’s happened.  The camera then tracks towards the male character to draw more attention to him and build intensity and the idea that he can’t take his eyes off her. This could suggest two opposite things. On one hand he could be so in love with her that he never wants to lose her and believes if he keeps staring he will be able to keep that connection. Although on the other hand he may not want to come to terms with what he has done and believes if he keeps watch of her nobody will ever find what has happened.  A shot reverse shot and eye line match is also used to reinforce these meanings.

 

A graphic match is also used to display the bands on the girl’s wrists. The first shot highlights her laying down with her arm on the floor with all the blue bands round her wrists and then we see another shot later on when we see a shot of arm at school putting the note in the locker and it has the exact same blue bands. This expresses that it is the same girl and demonstrates how there definitely must be some sort of relationships between the two characters.

Analysis of The Sixth Sense

Analysis of The Sixth Sense (Shyamalan, 1999, US)

There is a mixture of features visible in the opening sequence of the sixth sense which includes sound, cinematography, editing and mis-en-scene. 

To begin with there is the sound. Sound plays a very important part in creating the perfect atmosphere for the scene and grabbing the audience’s attention. The sequence begins with very long drawn out sounds which begins to create that scary feeling where you are un aware of what's about to come.  Furthermore the scene begins to feel quite intense and dramatic with the constant sound of loud beats which are building up and up to a climax. This is very effective because at the beginning of a scene you believe it will be quite relaxed and nothing dramatic will happen however this is exciting because it goes straight into a serious part and drops you into the action.  The music is dramatic at the start but when we suddenly see the title appear the music becomes even more intense and spooky. Without even looking at the screen you are hit by loud sharp beats which make you jump and scare you. Following this, the titles appear and the sounds begin to fade in and out creating that mysterious feel to it.  High pitched violin sounds are also used to contrast in with the loud beats and that feeling of the unknown hits the audience. This is all happening at the beginning of the sequence before the setting or characters are seen.  Once we see the first shot of the setting there are a lot of ambient sounds that we then hear. We hear a sequence of footsteps which expresses that she is running away. These sounds are quick and sharp and make the audience feel worried about what's to follow. The sharpness of the door slamming indicates she may be trapped and will never be able to escape. This increases the intensity and the atmosphere then becomes extremely eerie. Additionally sound effects are used such as gushes of wind to add to the mood. This is effective because realistically you wouldn't be able to hear the wind but the fact that you can makes you feel as if it could be haunted and that someone is close to her especially when the scuff on the floor is heard when she picks up the bottle. All these sounds add to the way we feel about the scene.

The first shot we see pictures a plain black screen with titles. The blackness of the screen could perhaps highlight the darkness of the film. As well as this it allows us to create our own meaning. When thinking of darkness we think of scary situations where we have been in pitch black and unsure of what's surrounding us.  It could suggest there is someone there beneath the darkness of the screen watching her and that she could hurt herself. At first when you look at the scene you believe it is just black with blue titles but when thinking more deeply you realise everything has its own individual meaning. The titles are small and in the font serif. This is more formal as well as more serious.  Also the blue titles could suggest calmness which therefore contrasts with the darkness of the scene however it could also be associated with the paranormal. 

The next shot we see is the first shot of a setting or object. This is an extreme close up of a light bulb however it slowly appears on the scene.  It is a long duration shot where the light is gradually building up to display what it is. This is interesting because it makes the audience question what it is. Additionally as it is slowly turning on the music disappears which is trying to perhaps reassure us that everything is okay perhaps it is even trying to trick us. This is very low key lighting with just the glimmer of light from the light bulb visible.

We get a clear view of the setting to follow this shot. The setting is an old wine cellar which therefore could be full of dust webs and is definitely a place that isn’t visited very often maybe a place the not many people know about. It is not a welcoming place and is a place where you don’t want to be alone which therefore allows the audience to feel sympathy with the lady. It all seems very old fashioned even the light bulb which creates that feeling that nobody knows what or who is down there. This is a wide shot displaying the whole cellar but it has been captured in a unique way by the camera being placed behind the bars on the rack. By placing the camera here it creates that feeling that we shouldn’t be seeing what we are seeing. Furthermore it makes the audience feel worried for the lady and the fact that the camera is hidden may even make the audience feel guilty as if they are doing something wrong by watching. The wooden posts we see could even be associated with a prison and conveying the message that she is trapped and will never be able to leave. The lighting is again very low key creating that spookiness and mysterious atmosphere.

We also see a wide shot of the wine rack but a close up her face. This is tracking towards her when it suddenly stops and we notice a change in her. She becomes very tight and anxious and you can clearly see from her facial expression that she is slightly confused but also petrified. She is seen shivering and appears very worried. This is interesting because it makes us realise that she has suddenly felt something in the atmosphere and heard a sound. We clearly see in this shot all the old dusty wine bottles and notice how they haven’t been touched for years and years but we also see what she is wearing. She has a purple dress on which reveals her legs and part of her chest and is also wearing heels. This therefore makes her appear very vulnerable because she wouldn’t be able to run fast in heels so it conveys the disadvantages she has. The editing suddenly becomes very quick and the pace speeds up. This could be representative of a heart beat where at the beginning of the scene the editing is quite slow and relaxed where nothing is really happening apart from the titles being seen but directly some action begins to take place the heart beat is increases and is getting more anxious of what’s to come. Therefore it is relating to the scene as well as real life. It allows the audience to feel that connection with the lady and sympathise with her because most people have been in that situation where they are unsure what to do and feel as though their heart is beater faster and faster where they are so worried. The lighting begins to increase in this scene so that we can clearly grasp the facial expressions of the lady. A light is brightly lit in the background perhaps suggesting that someone is behind her and watching her.

There is a mixture of scenes to follow this but one that really stands out is when the shot uses the rule of thirds. This displays her, then her shadow and then the “thing” that she can see but what we can’t see this which makes us want to watch on to discover what it is. This is extremely effective because it also displays a stage process perhaps trying to highlight how one thing is about to lead to another. It also links back to that feeling of her being trapped where the shadows are columns which could be representing bars in a prison.  The lighting is low key but the lighting plays an essential part in this shot. It allows the shadow to be clearly seen and really captures the way she is looking into the distance at something. Her body language has suddenly become very tight and she is very hesitant to move.

 

Analysis of Memento

Analysis of Memento (Nolan, 2000, US)

When watching the Opening sequence of Memento there is a range of features that are noticeable. These come under the titles Sound, Cinematography, Mise-en-scene and Editing.

First of all there is sound. Sound is very important in this scene because it creates meanings and expresses emotions. The scene begins with very sad, slow music which makes you feel as though someone is hurt or lost or can’t find their way out. It is quite a depressing sound but it definitely catches your attention and makes you want to discover what is about to follow.  It suggests a funeral or death and makes the audience very anxious of what they are about to see. This is therefore creating a very tense atmosphere which is trying to communicate to the viewer that something bad has happened and someone is reflecting on what has happened. Furthermore this results in emotions of sadness and anxiety being expressed. This music has a long slow note which creates quite a mysterious feel where nobody knows what’s to come. It is the scene of the unknown. Without even glancing at the screen your ear drums instantly become aware that this film/scene is not going to be happy or perhaps unpleasant to the eye.  All of a sudden the music changes when we see the man so the music suddenly goes quiet. This expresses that there could be only one thing on the man minds so there is only one instrument playing. Furthermore this could suggest that the man is trying to process what has just happened and why it happened. Sound is an essential part in this opening sequence and without it the same feeling wouldn’t occur. There would be no sense of urgency and worry to find out what’s happened so the composer has been extremely clever to use the music to make the scene what it is.

Next there is Cinematography which is the shot types visible in the sequence. The first shot we see is just a plain black screen which features the titles on it. This lasts quite a long duration and then an image of a hand holding a photograph appears. This shot is a close up and the image in the photograph gradually disappears. Therefore this is effective because it is displaying how someone has been hurt but now it is being re winded to find out how and why. This is displayed in the screen grabs below where the image starts in colour and then fades away. I feel this is effective because it confuses the audience slightly about what is happening and makes them want to discover more. The colour in this shot is effective because in the first shot the red is extremely bold and represents blood and is visible against the white frame but as the colour fade is turns from yellow to white and eventually disappears which can sometimes indicate “death” and even a dream. The photograph plays an important part in the Mise-en-scene because it starts the scene off so is also similar to an establishing shot where we are able to notice the relationship between the men and realise it didn’t end in a good result. This was a very slow shot where even though it changes the image it was a long duration shot meaning a slow pace was used. This was used purposely so that directors can control what we are seeing and decide what happens next. Furthermore we don’t get to see the character when they are holding the photo because they want the audience to keep guessing.

This also displays a medium-close up of the man holding the camera. This is interesting because it highlights how the time is going backwards. You see him put the photo back in the camera and then take the image meaning it is all in reverse. In addition it makes you question as to why he is taking a photo, why is it in reverse, who is he and what has happened. I like this technique of putting it into reverse because its making the audience more intrigued as to what has happened but it also makes the audience try to work it out themselves too. This is very low key lighting where everything around him is in darkness and even the camera is black meaning we are drawn to his face. The camera is of a very old style so could indicate that this is happening in an old place or somewhere nobody would ever find. It creates that spooky and mysterious feel to it where everything has a shadow and suggest that you never know who's watching you.

The next shot is another close up of the man’s face. It is visible that a lot of close ups are being used to allow use to see the intensity of the situation and the emotions expressed. This shot below conveys how there has been a fight or shooting because of the blood dripping down his face. The intensity of his facial expression expresses how he could be distressed and angry but also overwhelmed by what he has just done. He is looking down as if trying to work out an answer for himself and you also get that hint of sadness coming from him and perhaps regret. Again this shot displays low key lighting with only a slight brightness on his face. His image creates that feeling that he has done something wrong and perhaps has been preparing for it. This is noticeable in the sharpness of the red lines of blood down him face, indicating that violence has taken place.

The following shot is an extreme close up of the blood dripping however it is moving upwards because everything is in reverse. I feel this shot is very effective because it breaks away from the shots of the people and makes it extremely clear that a violent act has happened and someone is extremely hurt. The powerfulness of red colour is so bold in the extreme close up that you instantly become worried of what’s to come. The bold redness contrasts with the dark black colour in the rest of the scene and directly draws you to it. The blood highlights the seriousness of the attack. The editing cuts between close ups of the blood, glasses and other items. The blood is obviously used to show the violence but the glasses could demonstrate that someone vulnerable has been targeted. Perhaps the man thought of him as a “nerd” which is stereotypical for someone wearing glasses. This is clever because it allows you to see the setting and how one thing has meant everything has partly “exploded” and now the setting is ruined. This is seen with the blood in the background of the shots which highlights the intensity of the situation. Obviously the gun is also a major part of this scene and the way it flies back up into the man hands could portray how quick the process was. As the camera cuts between these shots the pace of the editing is speed up. This happens along with the change in music which therefore makes us more worried and scared about the situation. The reason this happens is because it is building up to a climax so we see these entire close ups and eventually then see more action within the frame.

There is also a low angle shot of the man holding the gun which is done for a range of reasons. It highlights how superior he is to the other man and expresses his height and strength in the situation. Additionally it displays how he is in control and nobody can stop him doing what he wants. The way he is standing displays how he is looking down to the other man as if he means nothing to him and doesn’t care about anything. Additionally the fact that he is wearing a suit portrays him as a work man who is perhaps high up in society and better than everyone else. Also the way the lighting has suddenly picked up could indicate that he is the “main man” who people are perhaps scared of and don’t want to mess with. The editing is very fast here and is becoming more dramatic meaning something serious is going to happen.