7: Analysing Two Title Sequences

Analysis of the following title sequences

Title Sequences

- The first title sequence i will be analysing the is the Black Swan

In this title sequence initially see the production companys name appear first (Fox Searchlight), this is common to see as most title sequence will present the production company before anything else. Afterwards Natalie Portman's name appears, this is because Natalie Portman is a household name therefore by naming this film a 'Natalie Portman film' it will instantly give the film more notification and exposure by the public when released which is a successful way to market a film.

The title sequence shows a ballet dancer dancing behind a white piece of fabric, i noticed that afterwards the next shot was the same ballet dancer reaching her hands out and making hand clasping movements, this is effective at creating a thrilling effect due to the immense contrast between shots. There is also a variety of different shot types such as a long shot of the dancer dancing and a cut in of her hands stroking the fabric in front of her.

There is also a type of dark liquid involved in the title sequence, however it is not certain to what the liquid is which can give a sense of mystery to as of what the liquid is and if it has any links to the film and also what the film may also be about, however the liquid also does give a resemblance to blood due to the fact is is visually obvious that it is thicker than water, also the dancer leaves a print of this 'blood' onto the fabric which can give the impression that she may of killed someone resulting in blooding hands or that murder may be involved in the plot - it is down to interpretation.

I also notice that the background music gets more and more intense as the title sequence goes on. The background music in the title sequence for the Black Swan is the violin playing, it begins being fairly soft and graceful and as the title sequence goes on the violin starts becoming more abrasive, this can create a dramatic effect and seem as if something unnerving is about to happen, this music ties the sequence together to appear thrilling although violin is not associated with thrilling but really relaxing.

The Stepfather

In this title sequence the production company is shows before the title sequence has began, similarly to the Black Swan, however this time in The Stepfather the next thing to come up is a wide shot of the setting rather than a credit of one of the main characters, this is because the actors in this film are not a house hold name so to the viewer the name of these actors wouldn't mean much.

I have also noticed that during the entire film sequence there is no script of what to say, this makes the title sequence appear more dramatic and tense as there is no words to go off and guess what the film is about creating a sense of mystery. At 0:43 there is a cut in of the shaving equipment owned by one of the characters, possibly the stepfather in question, the equipment is meticulously ordered, this can leave questions opened to the viewer to why is this so? Does the character have OCD? Is this character someone who is organised with everything he does? Also i have noticed that he is using equipment that is not commonly used within the home to shave, so by having a cut in of these sharp scissors and strange apparatus it can create fear or give the idea that something unfortunate may happen that may involve these sharp and dangerous apparatus. Also the case for this shaving equipment is brown/red which has negative connotations with danger, blood and death.

At this point of the title sequence the background music is tense however later on the music starts developing into the popular Christmas carol - silent night. This song is played whilst the camera is showing images of the family together, it cuts back and forth to him making breakfast, the camera then almost slowly 'falls' at a distorted angle to show the son, along with the use of a Christmas carol as background music and the images of dead family members, this drives up the effect of horror and drama more than if dramatic music was used, this is called contrapuntal sound and it works within the directors favour.