Catch Me If You Can : Title Sequence Analysis.
‘Catch Me If You Can’ portrays a mysterious style title sequence, which both gives the viewer a small insight to the basic plot of the film, but also keeps them in suspense and maybe keeps them guessing before it has even started. This animated title sequence establishes the main character, narrative and a brief understanding of the setting. As soon as the title sequence starts, the viewer hears the soundtrack (diegetic sound) which sounds mysterious, which reflects the genre of the film and This mystery is kept up throughout the sequence as the animated man, who appears to be representing the main character, spends the whole duration of the title sequence trying to hide or disguise himself, and looks as if he is trying to stay away from another character.

The ‘main character’ moves very smoothly throughout the whole thing, which makes him look as if he can keep his ‘cool’ in the sense he seems to keep calm, even when it seems like he is in danger. When he is put into a new situation, he seems to stand around for a short amount of time and looks like he is watching the people around him, and then changes his outfit and therefore blends in with the surroundings. This puts across the idea of disguises, which could then lead to the idea of him trying to fool people, which could suggest the film is based around a con artist of some sort.

There are lots of indications of transport, which suggests he moves around a lot, perhaps linking in with the title and trying to keep away from someone who is chasing him. When it seems like he is going to be caught, a new character comes on screen and the soundtrack becomes quite dramatic. This causes suspense and tension among the viewers, and makes them expect something. However, when he isn’t caught it calms down, again suggesting ideas to do with the title “Catch Me If You Can” suggesting he is going to make it difficult. This difficulty is definitely portrayed in the title sequence. It holds quite a lot of tension as well, which perhaps sets up the audience to expect a lot of tension and drama in the film. The actual titles are in-cooperated in the animation, and are smooth transitions. They run nicely with the story and the events occurring in the sequence; this is an effective title sequence as it sets up the film for the viewer and gives them a small idea of what the film is about. It is a quirky and an interesting piece to watch, so the audience straight away can determine if this is a film genre they’d be interested in. Spielberg portrays a dramatic and tense title sequence, reflecting the story of the main character successfully.

Forrest Gump : Title Sequence Analysis.
Forrest Gump title sequence conveys deep relaxing and peaceful feelings:  during the opening title sequence, the viewers follow the journey of the feather throughout the sky and the city, wondering where will it land, because the route of the feather gains a meaning of fate and destiny. In fact, it is where the feather will land that the story will begin. It’s exactly when it lands on Forrest Gump’s foot that the audience is taken off from this feeling of endless peace, because the feather is no longer wondering freely with only the chance of wind direction to guide its path, like a destiny. The feather went wherever the wind took it and by chance it landed at forests feet. This suggests that metaphorically Forrest is the feather and he never tried to control his destiny just like the feather and he went wherever life took him.

The feather appears to be the most significant thing in this film already and it’s only a few seconds in. There’s celestial imagery with the feather as it is a white feather suggesting its untainted and pure, almost as if it’s been plucked from the wing of an angel and since the feather itself has come from above floating downwards towards Forrest Gump the idea that perhaps Forrest Gump is being watch by a higher power or a Guardian Angel. I believe this could be the case because as I’ve seen the film, I know that Forrest becomes extremely well off, avoids major tragedies and survives the Vietnam war as well as other life threatening events.

Generically, the font used throughout the title sequence is very slim and elegant; mostly used in dramas to be subtle with the fonts so the audience ca focus on the film itself. The colour of the font is white, again to avoid much attention being taken from the main narrative but to also have some relevance to the feather being presented on the screen.

Watchmen Title Sequence Analysis.
The first thing that strikes you when you see the Watchmen title sequence is the choice of soundtrack. The last thing you expect to hear when watching a thriller is the non-diegetic tune of Bob Dylan’s “Times they are a changing”. The use of folk music in a title sequence of a thriller challenges the normal conventions of using dark and gritty sounds and music to set the tone. The use of this song is almost as if its contrapuntal sound as it doesn’t match the scenes that are happening but being mixed with the 1960’s nostalgia going on in the rest of the sequence really sets the tone of the film and explains it’s setting well.

We see that a large majority of the characters are in rather extravagant costumes. This gives a key insight into what role they may play in the movie. The costumes are similar to ones you may find in a comic book or graphic novel suggesting they may be “Super heroes” or “Super villains”. However, we also see them grappling and fighting with men that appear to be armed, suggesting that they might actually be the good guys, making the idea of “Super Villains” less likely. The use of lighting in these sequences are also quite interesting and appears to challenge thriller convention. The fact that each character starts of in shadow is normal for a thriller however each character is then light up brightly giving the impression of a camera flash. This places the character in what appears to be a position of respect and authority because they are lit up more than the surrounding people and environment. The camera flash also ties in well with the song, with the photos recording the characters into history, recording how the times “are a changing”.

The font in the title sequence does not break thriller convention really, however it is unconventional. The font used is large, bold and yellow. Not something you would expect to find in a serious thriller film. This font would be better suited to a comic book, showing us that this may not be an altogether realistic film. This does not necessarily show that this film is not serious however it shows that the concepts may not be realistic, e.g. Superheroes.

Zombieland Title Sequence Analysis.
It opens up with a sideways camera angle which makes the audience immediately think “What’s going on?” and also disorientating the audience making them immediately more intrigued as this is new and unconventional because usually, films are captured at an upright angle. We get a close-up shot of an American flag so we know that the film will be set somewhere in America. A narrative voice is also introduced who says: “Oh, America! I wish I could tell you that this was still America. But I’ve come to realize you can’t have a country without people.” The tone of the speaker suggests that he is the central character and because he’s speaking to the audience directly, he makes us more involved with what’s happening on-screen – this is emphasized more so by the way the film is being shot as if by a handheld video camera. It’s effective because it’s more amateurish and creates the idea that the audience is participating rather than observing.

We get a sense of chaos and destruction in these first few seconds as there is a constant flicker of static which is a great effect to make it seem like the film of the camera has been damaged. We are shown The Capital Hill building with smoke emanating from it, cars alight and abandoned as there is the constant sound of car alarms sounding as well as guns on the ground. From this, the audience already knows that something is wrong because it’s set in a city where life is usually more civilised and constructed, whereas now it’s being presented as chaos and anarchy.

The person holding the camera is still filming but running backwards. It’s very well done in that it captures the aggression and persistence of the “zombie”. Without the input of the speaker, this would be quite sinister to the audience. However, the speaker says: “No, my friends. This is now the United States of Zombieland.” The casual introduction of the “zombie” is quite comical and ironic, and comes across as really casual suggesting that either the narration is from a later point of view where the narrator is used to this chaos or that the narrator doesn’t care. Having seen the film, I know that he’s speaking as if he’s used to it as he is but anyone who hadn’t seen the film would think of those two possibilities. There is a final close-up shot (a parallel to the close-up shot at the beginning) of the “zombie” picking at its teeth as if it were using a toothpick at the dinner table. This suggests to the audience there will be violence and gore in the film but it will be humorous. To further this element of humour in the title sequence, a list of random rules being said by the narrator appear on screen which engages the audience as they feel they’re being prepared for this world of anarchy and the fact the narrator has rules makes the audience wonder how long the world has been like this for someone to make a list of rules on how to survive.

Lord of War : Title Sequence Analysis.
where it pans at a diagonal angle. The view of the birth of the bullet at is very effective because it introduces the title “Lord of War” – it foreshadows what the film is about. In this, the audience is given a suggestion that the bullet is being compared to an important character in the film who deals with weapons and ammunition.

Each title that introduces the actors such as Nicolas Cage, Jared Leto and Bridget Moynahan is timed so that for each stage of the bullet’s creation, an actor is presented. Although there are sound effects like the clinking of the bullets, a soundtrack is also being played in the background. The lyrics are: “Stop, hey, what’s that sound? Everybody look what’s going down?”  – I think this is to draw the audience in to how the bullet is being made so they get an idea of what might be the plot of the film but it’s also a very catchy soundtrack and this gets the audience involved because it’s a memorable sound to sing along to. We also get a sense of a time period because the bullet we are first introduced wit goes from what looks like the world war to present day arms smuggling in Africa suggesting where the film is set. This is shown again where the bullet is stored is suddenly opened by a group of people carrying heavy amounts of weaponry. Every time the bullet is put into another box and the screen goes black or dark, a member of the film crew is introduced. It’s timed between 5 to 7 seconds.

The title sequence ends when the bullet is put into a gun and the audience gets a view down the barrel of the weapon. This first-person view of the bullet makes the audience imagine that they are the bullet and puts them in the position of being something that seems so capable of taking a life and the silencing of the soundtrack would usually tell the audience the tile sequence is over but  the bullet is shot at somebody and this starts the film off brilliantly giving the audience an unexpected surprise and leaves them even more intrigued as to what will happen next. The use of colour is metallic as well as bright and lighting is ambient so that it looks realistic and believable, with resemblance to the barrel in the 007 films being a prime example of intertextuality. The silencing of the soundtrack through the bullet being shot at somebody starts the film off brilliantly. The editor of the title sequence even went as far as to show a burst of blood to depict what might be evident in the film – war and gore.