Comparison of Title Sequences

Opening Sequence Analysis – Overview

Throughout my research I looked at a range of different opening sequences directed by a variety of directors including David Fincher and Tim Burton. I was able to learn a variety of ideas relating to opening sequences, including what to include and how to set it out. I feel after researching and analysing into the genre of horror/thriller opening sequence, I now have a much clearer understanding of how to plan my final piece and what I am going to include. These are the opening sequences I looked at:

• The Walking Dead
• Se7en
• Sweeney Todd
• The Purge
• The Evil Dead
• The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

I found when researching into these title sequences that the institutions involved in presenting them are widely known large companies - Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros. Therefore when I create my own sequence it will be presented by a big studio like the ones that present the films I have analysed.

All of the sequences I analysed followed a similar structure in that they introduced key aspects of the film in order to entice an audience and create an effective opening to an exciting horror/thriller movie. Each sequence followed a small journey, either through character or iconography, which indicated the genre and informed the audience about the enthralling film they are about to watch. Two sequences that did this similarly are ‘Sweeney Todd’ and ‘The Evil Dead’, as both used long frames to track a trail of blood down into the basement of an old house. The use of mise en scene in both sequences was similar in the use of rotting wood and fire, both connoting violence and death. Other sequences such as ‘The Purge’ and ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ also rely heavily on mise en scene as they create the chilling atmosphere that creates the desired mood for a horror/thriller. While ‘The Purge’ uses violent murder scenes using weapons such as guns and axes, ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ relies heavily on the black oozing ink (similar to blood) that covers the faces and suffocates people in the opening sequence. These four sequence all use violence and connotations of death though mise en scene to achieve the chilling atmosphere for a horror movie. However, the other two sequences I looked at were ‘Se7en’ and ‘The Walking Dead’, which both use mise en scene in a different way in order to evoke the sense of unease from an audience. ‘Se7en’ is effective at creating the mood of a psychological thriller through the unique directing from David Fincher, as he does not use scenes of violence but scenes of a more sadistic, psychotic nature. For example the scrapbook making of the victims of John Doe follows a very personal view, using close-ups and point of view shots, which allow the audience to get into the mind of the character. ‘The Walking Dead’ is similar in that we do not see characters involved in scenes of violence, but the sequence relies heavily on setting, as this shows the audience the isolation and abandonment of the characters, connecting them on an emotional level. All of the sequences I looked at used mise en scene effectively, as they all created the desired atmosphere that the directors wanted for their films. After looking at two of David Fincher’s opening sequences, ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ and ‘Se7en’, I feel I want to focus my mise en scene more on a psychological horror/thriller, as I feel this will have the biggest effect on an audience due to the popularity of the films and the director.

The two sequences that involved a variety of editing techniques and altered frames were ‘Se7en’ and ‘The Purge’, which added to the overall effect on the audience and helped the main aim of their opening sequences. In ‘se7en’ the use of flashing frames and dissolving transitions, creates the feeling of the psychopathic killer, who is only shown in extreme close-ups. The editing creates the sense of disillusionment and immediately puts an audience on edge while intriguing them. ‘The Purge’ is similar in that the brightness and contrast of frames are altered to create the feeling of the CCTV footage, emphasising the murders, as it would appear they were actually happening in real time. This sequence also uses lots of jump frames, which again creates disillusionment, adding to the overall total effect on the audience and how they are going to perceive the film. If I am going to base my sequence on a psychological thriller I will spend lots of time on editing, to create similar effects to these sequences, as I feel this will create the best effect for an audience. As I am basing it on a psychological thriller I feel my target audience will be aimed at male and female adults between the ages of 20-50. As I am not focusing on the gory side of horror, and more the psychological side, this is an appropriate audience. This can be seen because of the audience of 'Se7en' which is similar to this according to IMBD.

There was a range of different music choices in the opening sequences I analysed ranging from Led Zeppelin used in 'The Girl With The Dragon Tatoo' to a classical French song called Clair de Lune used in 'The Purge'. Most of the sequences aimed to build suspense and tension through the non-diegetic soundtrack in the opening sequence by including a crescendo of musical instruments. Those were ‘Sweeney Todd’, ‘The Evil Dead’ and ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’.  Where as others used sharp, high-pitched notes, which were randomly placed creating the sense of disillusionment. This can be seen in ‘se7ev and ‘The Walking Dead’ and is effective when focusing more on the psychological thriller instead of a violent gory horror. The music I found most effective was the soundtrack used in the opening sequence of ‘The Purge’. This used contrapuntal music (music that does not fit with what is showing on scree) – we listen to calming French classical music while watching brutal murders committed in cold blood. This creates the most shocking effect on the reader and engages them, as what they are seeing is out of the ordinary and intriguing. In my opening sequence I will use something similar to contrapuntal music but I will also include elements of the crescendo, so as to build suspense and tension to create my horror/thriller.

The representations in the opening sequences were limited due to the genre I have chosen. I found that the camera work used included a lot of extreme close-ups in order to conceal the identity of the character to create suspicion, like in ‘Se7ev’. Therefore I will also include this in my own sequence and other shots of setting in order to meet marking criteria.

After analysing all six of the opening sequences I have a much clearer understanding of what to include in my own sequence and how to plan in order to achieve the best possible opening I can create. 

Until next time :)