Title Sequence Clip Review

     I have watched over 1000 movies and never thought how important the title was. Titles have a huge impact on a film's mood and tone. “Film titles are very important because they set up the expectation of an audience. They are usually the first thing you see.” My initial impression of the opening sequences of films was not present. I never really thought about what an opening sequence was or how it affected the movie. 

    Opening sequences and scenes set the tone and mood for the rest of the film. It is like the icing to the cake and lets you know what flavor cake you will be eating. For example, in Scream, the opening sequence was very classic. An innocent girl having fun home alone. She then gets a call from a weird guy and he is stalking her. She then finds her boyfriend dead on her back porch. This foreshadowed what the whole movie is about. We also found out who our main character is. It was the girl and the guy on the phone. The lettering of the words was very gory and bloody. This alluded to the fact that the movie was a horror movie.

(Scream)

    The music of an opening sequence can play a huge role in the film. In Jaws, the music in known very well among a lot of people. The “dunnun dunnun dunnun” sound effect gives the viewers a creepy and suspenseful mood. A girl unknowingly jumps in the water and a few seconds later gets eaten. The suspense build up was huge in Jaws. 

(Jaws)

    The opening sequence can explain a character's background and why they are in the situation they currently are in. In Train Spotting, the first couple of seconds shows the main character running away. A few seconds later we see a cop car. This tells us as the audience that this guy is a runaway and is guilty of something. Normal people don’t just run from the police. The character has a rough past and it is shown through a voice over of the character. This is unique because the opening sequence shows us the character's name. In James Bond, he is a British spy. Everything he does is classy and smooth. He is seen as sneaky and sometimes misogynist. The opening sequence starts off with a gun barrel pointed at a “beautiful” female dancing. The spy music also alludes to a James Bond movie whether it is or is not. 

(Train Spotting)

    The music has a huge impact on setting up the plot and explains why he is breaking into a building. Some opening sequences can help understand the character and the plot. This can be seen in Saturday Night Fever. The first thing we hear before seeing anything is a disco vibe kind of music. Then we saw the character wearing a shirt with the collar popped and unbuttoned. His hair was slicked back and he had on boots. He gave me the impression that he was a very proud man in his style and cool. The music was also matching his walking pace. We find out his name is tony when he arrives at work. He works at a paint shop and seemed to be grabbing paint for work. “It's a strange relationship, almost a legal obligation, but every film includes words flowing across the screen. In its simplest form we watch a list of cast, crew and title followed by audiovisual narrative, then more reading as credits roll.” 

(Saturday Night Fever)

    The amount of films people watch and don’t notice how important an opening sequence is huge. All films have an opening sequence whether we realize it or not. Film would be a great option for my portfolio project, but I want to see what other options I have. An opening sequence has a huge impact on how the movie will play out.