Title Sequence Clips

    Before watching multiple examples of opening scenes from movies, I did not realize how important the opening scene was to the movie. I had always only focused on the meaty part of the movie. However, the opening is what introduces the characters, sets the mood, and hooks the audience. The opening music sets the mood of the film. In the Space Odyssey (1968) the iconic, powerful score makes the audience feel the massive message that the director is trying to convey. The scene of the sun rising over Earth is emphasized with the background score.

 It is also played again when the monkey discovers tools. This shows the importance of the discovery, which can be relayed throughout the rest of the movie. Another example of how important a film’s score is in the James Bond movies. It also has an iconic score that is repeated in all the films and has shaped the James Bond film franchise. The score of this film causes suspense and causes the audience to sit on the edge of their seats. From the beginning of the movie, the audience can tell that the rest of the movie will be packed with action. 

    How the opening scene is shot is also an important tool to hook the audience. In the opening scene of Apocalypse Now, a soldier is shown dreaming about the Vietnam War. The overlapping of the scenes of the character and the war shows how disconnected the character feels from reality. When the shots show the main character in his bedroom, some objects show clues of why he feels disconnected: bottles of alcohol. These shots of his messy bedroom also develop his character. Many films use camera shots in order to give an audience a clear view of a character’s personality without having to explicitly say it. 

    What About Bob uses camera shots in the opening scene to show the audience a few of the main character’s fears. The wide shot of him in his bed surrounded by many prescription drugs shows his fear of getting sick. Then when he finally has the courage to leave his apartment, the angle of the camera with him in the hallway makes space seem narrower. This narrow shot shows how claustrophobic he is.  

Instead of having to explain the character, the film, Saturday Night Fever, shows many traits of the main character just by simply following him around in a fast-paced intro. He wanders around New York City running many errands. His body posture and the close-up shot of his walk emphasize his self-centered qualities. There is barely any dialogue, but the audience is still able to tell what kind of character he is. 

Even the tools that seem like they wouldn't make any difference to a film, hook the audience, like the typography. The typography gives a visual image at the beginning that helps them identify the main idea of the movie. For example, in the opening scene of Raging Bull, the typography is really important. The juxtaposition of the Bold, Red lettering against the black and white background helps guide the audience's eyes towards it. The red symbolizes anger and blood, which foreshadows what is to come. Typography is a very important skill, but it can be very easy to mess up. In the article, "First frames: titles in the digital realm", the author explains the importance of typography. She states that it should not be "superfluous or incongruous", but, instead, it should assist in telling the story. 

After seeing the importance of an opening scene of a film, I am leaning towards creating a film for my portfolio project for this class.