DEXTER title sequence re-edit evaluation

1. Summarise the conventions of title sequences that were most important to this task.

Creating a successful title sequence involves several important aspects such as timing, font and sizing. The font must be suited to the genre of the film/TV show which follows. If the genre is horror, this should be conveyed using a creepy font. Colour is also important as it allows the titles to stand out. If you have a black background then a lighter colour should be used otherwise they will be hard to see. Timing is important to create a sequence which is enjoyable for the audience to view. If the timings overlap then the audience could get confused and the sequence won't flow. Titles should not detract attention from what is going on in the title sequence so they should not be too big or placed in front of the action.

2. How did your group plan to edit the title sequence?

First we decided how many titles we wanted and where we were going to put them and then we got into the actual editing of the titles. We began by making a rough plan of which shots we wanted to put titles on. We then decided on a font style and colour to fit in with the crime/thriller genre. When we were happy with the design of our titles, we ensured that they were neither too big nor too small and that they were placed where they would be easily visible without detracting attention from what is going on in the sequence.

3. Explain the creative decisions made by your group.

We chose for our titles to be red as it fits in well with the genre as the colour red is often associated with blood and murder. To make our titles stand out, we used capital letters and a font which was easily legible. As I previously mentioned, we put our titles in places where we thought would not take away from the action however where they could be clearly seen. We played around with different effects and we particularly liked a 'twitching' effect however we faced some problems when using this effect and so decided to settle for a fade which ended up working very well.

4. How does your re-edit compare to the original?

Our re-edit shares quite a few similarities with the original. For example, both our titles and the original titles are red. As well as this, both titles are in capital letters. I think that the effects used on the original title sequence are more effective than the simple fade which we used, however, if we had been given more time to complete this task I feel that we could have put some more interesting effects on our titles to make a better sequence. Another issue with our re-edit is that we only included 8 titles whereas the original sequence has a lot more than that.

Art of the Title Evaluation

1. Summarise your film idea.
'Clarence' is a film about serial killer who operates in schools and targets teenage girls and treats them as babies. We came up with the back-story that the serial killer (Clarence) previously had a daughter who was killed at a young age. This drove him to insanity and he now possesses a hatred for young girls which is why he carries out his brutal attacks.

2. What kind of information has been included in your film opening?
The film opening reveals quite a lot about what the film entails. Shot 1 begins the sequence by showing a close-up of two school girls' photos followed by another close-up of a man picking up one of the photos shown in the previous shot; showing she is the next victim. Shots 1 and 2 make it clear to the audience that these attacks are not spontaneous as the man possesses such personal pictures of his victims. The camera then cuts to a shot of a girl doing her make-up in a public toilet to show how she is just an average, innocent teenage girl. At this point the audience should realise that the girl in the bathroom is the same girl as in shot 2. Shot 5 is a high angle, low lit shot showing Clarence dragging the unconscious girl to his dungeon, revealing that it is most likely situated inside the school. Shot 6 is a shot of children's teddy bears which are supposed to belong to his late daughter which further adds to this obsessive persona which 'Clarence' possesses. Shot 7 shows two girls (the girls in the school photos) sitting in the dark with a disturbing expression to show that Clarence has done something to them however it is not revealed what exactly. What is revealed, however, is that the girls are still alive as we used an ECU in shot 8 of one of the girl's eyes.

3. How do the titles link to the main film idea?
The titles are in a stand-out red colour which is typical of the horror genre. The font which we chose also fits in very well with the genre as it looks quite messy and gives off a creepy vibe.

4. Summarise the expected audience reaction.
Our primary aim is for the audience to know that 'Clarence' is going to be a very scaring film after watching the opening sequence. Although we give quite a lot of the plot away in the film opening, we don't actually show what Clarence does to his victims or what the actual plot of the film is. This creates suspense and leaves the audience wanting to know what will happen next.

5. Identify three things you included in your grid that are important in the construction of an opening sequence and explain their role in understanding the film.

• Lots of different types of shots such as ECUs, high angle shots and over the shoulder shots to keep the audience interested.
• We used a range of lighting to set the scene. For example, in the shots taken in the murderer's 'dungeon', it is very dark whereas in the shots before the girl has been attacked, it is very bright.
• The genre is made very clear through use of titles, lighting and character.

6. How effective is your project as a film opening?
I think that our film opening is effective as it gives a clear idea what the audience should expect to see in the film at the same time as leaving the audience wondering what will happen next. I think that we used a good range of shots to keep the audience interested such as shot 4 where Clarence is standing just outside the door however the soon-to-be victim is unaware of this.
I think we could improve our opening sequence by giving a little less information away. For example, rather than showing the two girls in the dungeon, our last shot could just be the killer dragging the girl along the floor to his dungeon to create more suspense and interest.

Opening Scene Analysis

Breakfast at Tiffany's Opening Scene Analysis

• The opening sequence begins with a relaxing, romantic soundtrack. This indicates to the audience that the film's genre is romance. 
• From the woman's appearance we can infer that this film is probably set in the 50s or 60s.
• The first shot used is a wide angle establishing shot which allows the audience to discover that the scene is set in New York. The audience knows this because we see a yellow taxi approaching from the background into the foreground and New York is famous for their yellow taxis. Other than the taxi, there are no cars or people on the street which suggests that the scene is set at a time when few people are out. Due to the scene being naturally lit, we can infer that the scene is set in the early hours of the morning.
• We are introduced to the protagonist, a young woman dressed in a black ball gown, within the first 30 seconds of the opening sequence. From this point onwards, each shot is linked chronologically by the movement of this character in each shot from when she steps out of the taxi to when she reaches what appears to be her house.
• An over the shoulder, low angle shot is used to show the protagonist peering up to a sign which reads "Tiffany's". This gives the audience an insight into her lifestyle as Tiffany's is an expensive jewellers which implies that she is most likely wealthy. 
• It appears as though the main character is coming back from a formal event as she is wearing a black ball gown, a prominent pearl necklace, long black gloves, sunglasses and her hair is in a formal 'up do'. We know that she is coming back from, rather than going to, a formal event as the scene is set in the morning which suggests that she has been out all night.
• The audience are given little information about what the film entails. It is made clear that the film is set in New York and that the protagonist is a young, most likely wealthy woman who likes Tiffany's jewellery and attending evening functions.
• We are only introduced to two characters in the opening sequence; the protagonist and a man waiting in a car in front of her house. The protagonist seems to be hiding from this man however the audience are not told who the man is and why she is hiding from him. At the beginning of the movie we expect to discover the identity of this man and what his relation to the protagonist is.