Analyzing Title Sequences

We analyzed a variety of title sequences so we could get a insight on many genres, also this helped us to decide what genre we was going portray within our opening sequence. So we chose the followling main genres such as; Action, Thiller, Comedy, Romance and Dance to research.

Opening sequences- Dance genre

Step up:
· Title Sequence
Music: Petey Pablo- Show me the money
Fades from ballet dace to street dance- white titles
In each scene the camera works its way up- feet to head
Starts off with ballet dancers walking and stretching in a studio- wide shot
Then fades to street dancers walking around slapping hands – wide shot
Music starts…
Ballet dancers in strict dress code- in studio- Lots of lighting
Street dancers in baggy tracksuits- in street- low lighting
· Opening sequence
Introducing the street dancers
Music: Get It (T.I)
Shot reverse shot of man on seat and young boy standing asking where “Tyler is”, man on seat replies “where you think”?
Natural lighting, quite amber
A lot of people in the background
Flash to dance floor where boy “Tyler” is dancing with a girl. Camera continuously on Tyler
Low lighting
Dressed in baggy tracksuit tops and baggy jeans, some in hats
Lots of people dancing in the background but camera sticks on Tyler.

This opening sequence includes microelements that set up the movie basis, the characters and genre. There is a distinctive difference between the hip-hop and ballet dancers. This is all shown through mise en scene; the lighting lets the audience imagine that the ballet dancers have purity about them as there is high lighting coming through big sash windows within a studio and the hip hop dancers are shown to be dancing in the street with low lighting making it very dark- also showing contrast between the two groups. The music includes a classical instrumental but playing over the top is very funky hip-hop music, suiting both groups of people. This could also imply that these two groups of people can match and can join together; suit each other’s needs. The main use of the title sequence is to show the credits.

Horror - Sweeney Todd The demon barber of Fleet Street

-DreamWorks - Dark theme
-Eery Music
-Organ minor/major keys
-Warner Bros Pictures

-Old English writing Credits - White
-Anitmation - Lightening, rain, thunder, chimnies
-SFX of thunder and pattering or rain
-Panning sideways of top view of houses
-Zooming onto old, tattered, non see threw window on roof toop
-SFX of lightening to then appear a chair in a empty room - POV
-Splatter of blood appearing on window with SFX
-Wind, string instruments sounding delicate but haunting
-Camera tilting/panning following blood trail down the walls zooming onto various images on the wall
-Mechanical noises - bolts and screws - blood turning on the machinery
-Music becoming louder until blood hits door for then to open
-Then appears 'Sweeney Todd' in blood like, bold, red letter - ''The demon barber of Fleet street'' - white smaller writing below main title
-Music at highest peak with mixture of minors to cause unsteadiness
-Following down to cellar - squelching noise - substance pushed out of machinery turning into a liquid solution (blood)
-Titlting down into blood - zooming
-Fast pase music - camera panning/titlting fast - swirling, aerial
-Fire appears - jumpy - major high wind instrument
-Pies - sizzling - mid shot zooming out to view blood trail
-Titlting down to water flow zooming backwards

The opening sequence for Sweeney Todd is very effective since throughout the whole 3.24 mins of the sequence the camera is in a point of view shot which makes us as the audience feel like we are within the scenery and included within the film also this makes the audience want to view more. Whereas the dullnes, darkness and erriness of the opening does give some chills down our spines with the music being mostly minor keys including wind, string and the organ which is famously known for quite alot of horror films also the use of the special effects/animation is very effective with the thunder, lightening, blood and roof tops this sets of the mood of the genre of the film. Overall, i think this is a successful opening sequence in the way its shown from different angles following the trail of blood to form the machanical machinery to move.