LLM: Analysis of Title Sequence

Order of Titles

• First showing on screen is text, lasts 2 seconds
• Next text is 2 seconds later, same layout, lasting also 2 seconds
• Text on screen explaining ‘true events’ and is narrated 3 seconds on
• 1 second later another reading comes on to the screen, still narrated. Continues again twice with different readings and then screening starts; there is a pattern present between these 3 screenings because the narrator is reading as the texts unfolds, and there is a link between each text, involving crime
• The title ‘The Strangers’ is shown at the end of the sequence in block capitals and bold letters
• The content an order of the titles as they appear are very clear; the narration of part of the readings help to outline a clear understanding of what is displayed

Typography

The first title on the screen shows two present company’s, being ‘Rogue Pictures’ and Intrepid Pictures’; this is done using block capitals and orange coloured writing to show the importance of the two. The words ‘and’ and ‘present’ are in lower case letters, but are still visible to the audience, but clearly not as important as the Company’s names. The same format is used in the next title showing with ‘Vertigo Entertainment’ and ‘Mandate Pictures’ being in block capitals as the production companies.

The next three parts of text which is illustrated on screen is narrated to the audience; this is telling the audience that the film is based on ‘true events’ but events are not ‘entirely known’. In these three screenings text is all in orange, placed on black background, but is not in block capitals because its importance is less than the film titles.

The final screening shows the film’s title ‘The Strangers’; this is revealed in block capitals, again in orange font on black background.

The reason that all titles have been in a colour such as orange, displayed on black background is because the contrast in colours is very conventional of the genre horror, giving a scary and spooky look to the film. Also the difference in two colours show the titles clearly so the audience can identify certain importance’s.

Relationship between texts and visuals

In this opening sequence, the relationship between text and visuals is outlined by the dark orange text placed on a black background. Both these colours convey the narrative of the film. The black background connotes an uneasy atmosphere and the horror genre because darkness is very conventional of the horror movies. Further, even though the text is not in the usual red colour which emphasises a gory slasher movie; the orange shows that the movie has a thrill factor and there is going to be some taunting of characters involved, alike to the film ‘Halloween’.

Own production title

• For my production, I am looking at the slasher sub-genre of horror and have an idea that the film title could be ‘Who’s Next’ .
• For this I have created a few fonts in ‘Photoshop’, ‘Premier’ and have gathered ideas of the internet.
• I have an idea that the title will be in bright red conveying blood and a gory scene, placed onto a black background exploiting a spooky atmosphere.
• Another Idea I have come up with is, at the end of my scene, the antagonist has blood on his hands from the killing, and so writes the words ‘Who’s Next’ on the mirror, to create a scare factor to the audience. 

Here are some of my trials: