Title Sequence Clips

 The opening to movie scenes are so vital to the final product because they have to entice the audience enough to watch the entire movie. It also sets the mood and tone for the duration of the film. The opening minutes determine so many different aspects of a movie, so it has to incorporate many different tactics. One of these aspects, for example, is character development. In the few opening minutes, a main character's attributes could be almost entirely displayed. This ensures that the opening is such a crucial part of any film.

    One of the most iconic opening scenes can be found in the 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey. The camera pans over an orange horizon as loud, symphonic music plays. As the new instruments are added into the mix, new scenes are shown on the screen. Then, it shows a monkey slamming bones down on top of each other. The symphony of music becomes louder as the monkey slams bones down harder, which symbolizes the first use of tools. Since this film was in 1968, we had already flown multiple spaceships into the sky. By starting at the dawn of man, the opening scene is meant to demonstrate how far we as a human race have come since the very beginning. This sets a mood of accomplishment that is seen throughout this movie.

    More of the importance of opening scenes are seen in Scream, a horror slasher from 1996. This movie incorporates scary music, a scary setting, and scary acting to provide a sinister tone. The beginning opens with a stranger talking to a woman inside her house. He says that he wants to "see who he is looking at." A simple, but direct sentence puts this movie from a regular film to a much more creepy, fearful one. The title frame also incorporates screaming and HD graphics, something that was relatively new in the time period. According to First Frames: Titles in the Digital Realm, opening title sequences were used to "tap into the heart of each film" and set the mood for the rest of it.

    Even films such as The Lion King, show how vital a title sequence is to the backstory of a film. In this particular film, the song, The Circle of Life is playing over the birth of a new cub and the other animals living in the area. This new cub is then revered by the other animals of the Plains, showing the backstory of the scenes to come, as well as the Title.

    Other films such as Pulp Fiction and Trainspotting show that grabbing a viewer's attention is a key part of the opening title sequence. In Pulp Fiction, the two main characters are talking about robbing the diner they are currently eating at. In Trainspotting, the main character is running away from two police officers in a slow-mo chase through the city. These types of dramatic openings are made primarily to attract people and keep them intrigued. Alongside a dramatic opening, flashy and catchy titles are good at catching peoples' eyes. From First Frames: Titles in the Digital Realm, it states that "film titles are important because they set up the expectation of an audience." When a clever title is brightly displayed across the screen, people tend to be more interested.

    With all of this in mind, I will most likely be selecting film as my portfolio project purely due to the fact that it would be interesting to see what could be created and what challenges that might be faced.