Dawn of the Dead is a horror film based on a zombie invasion. With this in mind the creators of the opening titles have incorporated graphic clips, fearful narrations and a mix of special audio effects including screams, flat heart rate monitors and meaningful lyrics to a country western song. They use a red font on all there titles as studies show the human brain can see red as a colour that represents danger if the right atmosphere is set. To help set the atmosphere they use effects on there text, after a couple of second of there red text being shown, the text is almost dragged of the screen in a similar fashion to a big gust of wind coming across the text as if the text was blood. This makes the viewer sure that this red is to represent danger, not love or affection. Another method the opening title producer use is positioning, they position each title in different positions of the screen, this keeps the viewers focussed hard on the screen and trying to see where the text will appear next, in order to keep the focus solid they use short, sharp and powerful clips of footage and narration so that the viewer doesn't have time to settle and relax.
Order Shown -
Basic Introduction Titles (0:00 - 00:15)
Universal Pictures
Production Company
Film Title
Stars (00:16 - 00:32)
Main Star #1
Main Star #2
Main Star #3
Main Star #4
Main Star #5
20 Second Pause (Music Starts)
Actors Continued (00:58 - 01:15)
Featured Actor #1 & #2
Featured Actor #3 & #4 & #5
Casting - (01:30 - 02:30) (In Order Shown)
Music By, Music Supervisor, Special Make Up Effects, Costume Designer, Co-Producer, Editor, Production Designer, Director of Photography, Executive Producer #1 & #2 & #3, Producer, Based On, Screenplay By, Screenplay By #2, Director.
Alien
Alien is a science fiction film set in outer space, the creators of the opening titles have included a panning shot across space, then across a dark planet until the whole screen it completely pitch black, this makes the viewer unsure as to what is next in the film, they don't know what to expect which makes them on edge and more focussed and enticed in the film. Whilst this panning shot is happening there are very simple lines being added across the top of the titles simultaneously to each name that appears in the titles. It then pans again, coming out on the other side of this dark planet and showing the other side of outer space. It then uses a montage shot and zooms out of a space shuttle, the film then begins. This films opening titles may seem very dull and lacking in creativity to some people but the inner meaning leaks creativity "Everything pointing to the centre because the centre is where the parasitic pupae of the Alien comes from; the middle of you. Steady, dark tension" - with the addition of the Sci-Fi like music is helps set the scene tremendously and create a sense of expanse amongst the clip which makes the audience feel as if they are in space when watching this is a dark large cinema room.
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| (Above) Shows section by section the adding of the lines in order for it to create the end product of the word 'ALIEN' - This method of adding to the title keeps the viewer watching and guessing as to what is being spelt or created with each line added, the viewer is eager to know what each line represents. Order Shown - Basic Introduction Titles (0:00 - 00:16) a Brandywine - Ronald Shusett Production a Ridley Scott Film Stars (00:21 - 00:59) Main Star #1 Main Star #2 Main Star #3 Main Star #4 Main Star #5 Main Star #6 Main Star #7 Casting (01:02 - 01:35) (In Order Shown) Music by (Conducted by), Executive Producer, Screenplay by, Story By, Producer, Director, Film Title (01:35 - 01:45) To view a clip of the opening titles of Aliens click HERE Zombieland Zombieland is another film based on a zombie apocalypse, it features movie star Jesse Eisenberg (previously of The Social Network). The opening titles, or should I say scene is hugely different to the ones above as Zombieland have gone against one of the main conventions in film, one that has been used since the dawn of film and have decided NOT to have normal opening titles. When you look at every successful film and see they have opening titles it is astonishing to think Zombieland could be such a major success with the lack of a major attribute of all successful films. Instead of opening titles normally they have narration. The main character Jesse Eisenberg narrates over the opening scene and helps gives the audience of the background and plot of the film, it helps the viewer get an idea of the situation the character finds them self in. They then go from an almost opening scene type footage to opening titles, they show slow motion footage of what the film is about and have edited it all to make it look like the people in these opening titles are interacting with the opening titles them self. They use a selection of action slow motion shots to set the scene, including lots of guts and gore to help set the scene and give the viewer a better idea of the genre. Order Shown - Basic Introduction Titles (02:46 - 03:01) Columbia Pictures (Presents) Relativity Media (In Association With) Pariah Production Stars (03:04 - 03:23) Main Star #1 Main Star #2 Main Star #3 Main Star #4 Film Title (03:28 - 03:33) Casting (03:38 - 04:33) (In Order Shown) Costume Designer, Music By, Edited By, Production Designer, Director of Photography, Executive Producer Produced By, Written By, Directed By To view a clip of the opening titles of Zombieland click HERE John Carpenter's The Ward John Carpenter's The Ward is an American horror film directed by John Carpenter. It has been a big hit on screens during 2011 and features several stars including Amber Heard and Laura-Leigh. The opening titles include some very complicated special effects and a variety of different camera shots. It begins with a zooming out shot down a long corridor of some sort of medical ward, it is a dark setting and you can hear the thunder and rain and see the lightning through the far window, this helps set the scene and spook the viewer so that they are on the edge of the seat and nervous as to what may happen next. As it fully zooms out, the movie title appears with a large beam of thunder sounding through to give the effect of the movie being electric, the title changes in colour as the lightning sounds to give the effect of lightning once more. It then moves on to extreme close up of disturbing images of death and torture and which each change of shot a large sound of thunder reckons through the audio. They then begin to bring in the white text of the opening titles, the positioning of these titles are sprayed across the screen each time, they are set in over the breaking of glass pictures, these pictures are again disturbing, spooky and creepy images, this helps set the spooky atmosphere and assign the movie a genre. The use of slow motion smashing of the pictures and large powerful audio that stays with the viewer helps keep the viewer on edge for a long time after the initial credits. The movie then appears through a shard of glass and the glass moves towards the camera and the camera zooms into this shard until the movie is fully montaged into screen as if the viewer has almost jumped into the movie. Order Shown - Basic Introductioin Titles Film Title (00:08 - 00:14) Stars (00:25 - 01:01) Main Star #1 Main Star #2 Main Star #3 Main Star #4 Main Star #5 Main Star #6 Main Star #7 Casting (01:05 - 02:17) Music By, Costume Designer, Make Up Effects By, Editor, Production Designer, Director of Photography, Co-Producer, Executive Producers, Produced By, Produced By #2, Written By, Directed By To view a clip of the opening titles of John Carpenter's The Ward click HERE |
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