Case Study 3

Title Analysis III – Lord Of War (2005 – Andrew Nicol)

The title sequence to Lord Of War is a unique look at the journey of ammunition production presented from a non-human POV.

Lord of War’s title sequence immediately thrusts us into a production line

The beginning of Lord Of War’s title sequence begins in a clearly industrial environment. It’s obvious from the Mis En Scene such as the pressure gauges, the general ‘metallic’ colour, the large machinery and the workers that the setting of the first shot is a factory. The shot then swoops down into one of the machines – we follow a sheet of metal being pressed into the shapes of bullets. As this is occurring, the non-diagetic soundtrack is playing quietly in the background, and just as the bullet directly in front of us becomes pressed into a shell, it syncs directly with the beginning of the chorus and the film’s title appears in front of it.

The animation, title and music all sync perfectly at this moment

The camera soon becomes attached to the bullet in front of it, and stays that way for the rest of the sequence. This POV has been chosen to create a sense of audience engagement and immersion. The audience becomes the bullet; we see the journey of this expendable ammunition from the most intimate perspective.

The POV immerses the audience

The soundtrack and the sequence are edited together well – although there is no distinct cuts to the beat, rhythmically, the music fits appropriately to the procedural and clinical process of arms manufacture – the music isn’t particularly exciting or fast paced, and neither is the edit. There is something almost relaxing about the sequence until we reach the end and witness the bullet’s inevitable fate – the quiet, slow paced nature makes us forget that eventually the bullet will have to be fired.

changes in Mis En Scene and Lighting occur often

This sequence shows the journey of a bullet, and thus there are a frequent number of changes in setting that are indicated by changes in lighting and Mis En Scene. The shot above demonstrates the bullet being transported in an outdoor environment, which is conveyed to the audience by the high key lighting and the trees and outdoor space in the background. The changes in environment happen often in the sequence, which when placed in an overall structure gives a real sense of progression and time.

the ending of the sequence ends the life of the bullet

Towards the end of the sequence, the obvious happens and the bullet (the audience) is pushed into the magazine of a gun. Though it shouldn’t really come as a shock, the rest of the sequence is so relaxed and slow paced that there is something decidedly shocking about the inevitable here.

the titles in this sequence are regular

The titles in this sequence happen frequently, but not according to any specific pattern or timing. The font and style might have some reflections on the genre and narrative, as it is almost uniform, white and tall and rigid; militaristic.
These titles are also used to fill moments of on-screen blankness – when the bullet is within the crate there are several moments when the lid gets shut and fades to darkness. The titles are used to fill in darkness at these points, and give the audience something to concentrate on. The titles can be read by the audience throughout the sequence anyway, due to the relative slow pace – the only moment of action doesn’t feature any titles.

the title sequence is very thematic

From the very beginning of the title sequence to Lord Of War, we are being given lots of clues towards the narrative and genre of the film. Lord Of War makes the theme of war itself very obvious – simply the concept of following the production of a bullet makes this clear. Other things, such as the military costume of the man in the shot above (who only appears for a few a few seconds to peer into the crate), and the presence of armed militia towards the end and of course the bullet being fired also heavily indicate the themes of conflict and war.

How can I use this as inspiration for my title sequence?

The two key elements that help the effectiveness of Lord Of War’s title sequence are theme and conveyance. There are no particularly major set pieces in the title sequence, nor is it fast-paced or exhilarating. The title sequence is slow and immersive, and still manages to convey a lot about the nature of the film. The production and life of a bullet is only tangentially connected to the actual content of Lord Of War, yet as the audience is watching it, it is never questioned; the sequence remains entertaining on its own, and even the least-perceptive viewer will be able to pick up on the incredibly obvious clues on genre and narrative. Lord Of War proves that not every title sequence has to be directly linked to the film in terms of actual plot relevance, something I should consider when producing my own title sequence.

Case Study 2

Title Sequence Analysis II – Reservoir Dogs (1992 – Quentin Tarantino)

The title sequence to Quentin Tarantino’s first feature film Reservoir Dogs is incredibly simple but also uses a number of techniques to appear subversive as a title sequence itself.
The title sequence begins fading in from black with the non-diagetic soundtrack easing in. On the first punctuation of the drums in George Baker’s ‘Little Green Bag’ we are greeted with our first title; directed by Quentin Tarantino.

The first title appears punctuated to the beat

After the director credit, there is another punctuation of the drums which begins the first actual shot of the sequence. Immediately, Tarantino provides us with a number of clues towards genre and narrative without revealing too many specific details.

The framing of this shot indicates motion towards an objective

The first shot we are given is framed and filmed in a way that immediately engages the audience. We see our cast walk left in slow motion as the camera pans left ever so slightly, putting emphasis on the distance being walked – seeing our cast walk forwards as a group makes it obvious there is a singular goal they are moving towards collectively. The viewer wants to know exactly what it is the group is moving towards, which makes the rest of the sequence inherently irritating when it becomes clear that no solid answers are going to be given in the titles.

costume, setting and close ups hint towards genre

We quickly cut away from the shot of the group walking to close ups of the individual characters, with the actor credits conveniently placed underneath the face of the character they are portraying. The characters are dressed in black suits with with black ties, costume which could be considered a staple of organized crime in media – this furthers the intrigue that began in the first shot. The audience are now wondering where the group are going and what is going to take place there.

Tarantino destroys audience expectation by revealing nothing

After there has been close ups of the entire cast, most of them dressed in formal attire with sunglasses, there has now been a significant build up of anticipation – the audience may now be hoping for a reveal of the destination the group are walking to; but such anticipations are immediately wilted when the next shot begins as a wide from behind the group, showing them in front of a road in a distinctly urban environment.
This shot distance represents how far apart the viewer now feels from the group – they still know nothing about them and thus feel further apart than ever before.

The entirety of this sequence is governed by the non-diagetic soundtrack and how the sequence has been edited to it to be more effective. Most of the close up shots immediately cut to the next after the punctuation the drums and all of the shots have slight slow motion effect to match with the rhythm of the music. The timing of the edit to the music and the choice of the actual music itself simply makes the sequence more interesting – if this sequence was in normal time without the music, it wouldn’t be as effective because the audience would simply lose interest. The title sequence feels ‘cool’, simply from these small additions.

The titles to Reservoir Dogs soon become deliberately generic

Tarantino then irritates a large majority of the audience by taking us out of the action. We are forced to concentrate on the movement of very plain looking, orange titles. The plain, black background with slowly paced titles bores the audience for a short while, until right at the very end our attention is captured again by the fading in of audio. This title sequence provides a brief glimpse of anticipation, fails to deliver on that anticipation, then reverts to something very basic, subverting audience expectations greatly.

The titles themselves are plain and lack any real features that might suggest genre or narrative, which is likely a deliberate decision based on the general vagueness of the sequence. The positioning of the titles for the close ups of the cast are positioned beneath each actors face for easy identification. The titles towards the end of the sequence feel almost like end credits based on the way they move and fade in.

How can I use this as inspiration for my title sequence?

The title sequence for Reservoir Dogs provides something that is effective for neglecting any real narrative elements in favor of style and a clever trickery in expectations. The title sequence for Reservoir Dogs basks in its own simplicity – there are no ambitious shots here, nor is there any tricky masterworks of editing. One thing that I think I could learn from this sequence is the style of titles themselves, how they are positioned and the purpose of titles and how to draw attention to them.
1) The title font and style – many opening sequences have a font or title style that is genre specific. Could the absence of this as seen in this title sequence be used to deliberately ignore genre and narrative elements? Could I use a more plain style of titles to subvert audience expectations?
2) Title positioning – the cast titles all appear beneath the face of their respective actors – the positioning of titles within the frame is very important. What meaning are you trying to achieve when positioning the titles? In this title sequence, the credits act as labels for each of the characters; a more visually identifiable way of presenting the credits.

Case Study 1

Title Sequence Analysis I – Zombieland (2009 – Ruben Fleischer)

The title sequence to Ruben Fleischer’s 2009 zombie apocalyptic comedy Zombieland not only amuses but also effectively sets the tone for the rest of the film.

The titles waste no time in beginning; when the non-diagetic soundtrack starts, the audience is immediately greeted with our first action packed, slow-motion shot. The soundtrack is Metallica’s ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’ and it provides a distinctly jagged sound that fits with the atmosphere. The lyrics which relate to inevitable fate of death also add an extra layer to the sadistic black comedy that Zombieland’s title sequence runs on.

The first shot of Zombieland’s title sequence

This first wide shot we are given shows a man leaping from a building in an attempt to escape the zombie-esque creature behind him – as the man falls he knocks half of the title and it falls as well; this sort of title animation becomes a running theme for the rest of the sequence.
Everything about this shot conveys a sense of dramatization; The distancing and framing of this first shot makes us feel the distance that the man is falling, but we do not feel immersed in it. The lighting, the animation of the title and the slow motion effect all add to making it feel more artificial and synthetic, which breaks any real sense of immersion. The pacing of the slow motion with the rythym of the soundtrack makes the whole thing feel overly dramatic, which is utilized for comedic purposes.

All of the shots in this title sequence are paced to the soundtrack. The shots are slow motion, last for a few seconds then fade neatly into the next – this has been delicately edited to the music and increases the overall effectiveness of the ‘dramatized for comedy’ concept.

Zombieland is a comedy which takes place in an apocalyptic horror setting

This shot represents the multi-genre nature of Zombieland. In terms of Mis En Scene, we have some contrasting elements. The shot portrays a woman running away from an archetypal ‘zombie’- (complete with blood and undead makeup, easily identifiable as such) with a beverage comedically spilling in front of her. These two things represent the contrasting genre elements of horror and comedy in the same shot, the two genres which Zombieland uses conventions from. In terms of an overall narrative, this shot, and all of them together in sequence slowly begin to paint a picture – we see the zombies attack in a variety of locations, which gives a sense of overall scale. It becomes clear we are watching a dramatization of the final days of humanity that is played fully for comedic effect.

Circled: The title animation makes them a part of the scene rather than a distraction

All of the titles in Zombieland’s title sequence are animated to be interacting with the rest of the scene. A lot of action is taking place in every shot of this sequence, so this animation has been added to make the audience pay attention to the titles as well.

Zombieland does not attempt to create any genre-specific atmosphere with the lighting

The lighting of Zombieland’s title sequence is mostly high-key; most of the shots are fairly bright and considering the subject matter of the sequence this creates a polarizing effect. Despite having setting and genre conventions of zombie-apocalyptic horror, Zombieland is first and foremost a comedy and strays away from using an abundance of lighting and Mis En Scene techniques to detract from the comedy or mislead the audience in terms of genre.

The final shot provides a neat transition and adds a level of engagement

The final shot of the title sequence (with the director credit) arguably differs to the rest of the sequence, with good reason. While all of the previous shots felt very ‘observational’ and separated from the audience, this final shot draws the viewer into the world they have been watching by placing them within it. This last shot is almost a POV – the viewer is IN this car, watching in terror as the zombie crashes on top of them, spilling blood everywhere which then neatly fades to black. The audience is drawn in at the very last moment, right before the actual film begins. The title sequence has effectively;
1) Established tone and genre (A comedy set in the realm of a zombie apocalypse).
2) Shown titles and made the audience pay attention to them (through the use of title animation).
3) Drawn the viewer in right at the last minute via the use of an immersive shot distance.
4) Narratively, provided a prologue.

How can I use this title sequence as inspiration for my work?

Zombieland’s title sequence is effective and concise for a number of reasons, but two things in particular stand out that I could potentially use aspects of in my title sequence;
1) Editing Style – rhythmic editing
The title sequence of Zombieland works really well because of the way the slow motion shots have been edited to the soundtrack. This effect does not seem too difficult to replicate and if I found the correct soundtrack to accompany part or all of my title sequence the effect of music could be enhanced if the sequence was rhythmically edited.
2) Final shot – draw the audience in
There is something particularly effective about the final shot being more immersive than all of the previous shots. If I feel it to be appropriate, I may consider taking this approach to the shots of my title sequence.