Grading Students' Opening Title Sequence Blog Post #41

Grading Students' Opening Title Sequence

Blog Post #41

 Level 1 example:

I have given this opening title sequence a level 1 because there a various errors with it. Firstly the credits are not constant throughout the opening title sequence, they are rushed towards the end starting from 1:30, this is going against the convention because within an opening title sequence it is expected for the credits to run throughout. As well as this many of the shots were wobbly and not stabled, in order to prevent this a tri-pod could have been used to make the shot looks more professional. Furthermore within the title sequence, there are clips from different segments, this makes it seem like it is a trailer rather than an opening title sequence.

In terms of sound there at time there was quite a lot of background noise at the beginning making it hard to hear some of the dialogue, it would have been better to do a sound-over making it seem professional, as well as this it appears that the first footage was recorded on a different camera due to the fact that the aspect ratio is different then the rest of the clips, furthermore the lack of quality justifies it. The editing was also very basic, some transition could have been added instead of having simple cuts back to back.  The opening title sequence itself does not create much atmosphere, this is because the storyline was confusing and hard to understand. The location wasn't also very interesting as it seemed like it was filmed in an ordinary park creating no enigma at all as there was no sense of mystery.

It was quite difficult to distinguish what genre the opening title sequence was, this is because there was no props and the mise-en-scene was not constructed well. Furthermore the characters were just wearing ordinary clothes which makes it hard analyse what social groups they are from, as well as this there wasn't much action the opening title sequence was predominantly two characters talking to each other which makes it seem less interesting, if there was more action involved I believe it would be far more interesting giving it a higher level.

 The Edge

Level 4 example:

I have given this opening title sequence a level 4, this is because the shots constructed in the opening title sequence are fantastic, various shots are included such as a Point of View (POV) shot, long shot, close ups etc. As well as this the use of props was done very cleverly in this opening title sequence, for example the use of the gun at the end looked very realistic, as well as this Rory (the creator of the opening title sequence) had a fuse device with wires which makes him seem mischievous, this could be the device the two agents are looking after; this can also be linked into enigma because questions appear in my head such as 'why are they after him' and 'who is Rory working for?'. Building up enigma in an opening title sequence is vital and Rory has done an excellent job.

 In terms of setting, it is situated in a public place, which suggests that the two agents are willing to kill a teenager in a public place as long as they get their job done. The fact that the setting is situated in a public place creates a sense of fear as no one is safe (usually you would feel safe in a public place in a harmless environment), furthermore a public place is a convention of a thriller because many films are situated in public places such as Jack Reacher (2012).  The setting also creates atmosphere, throughout the opening title sequence there was tense atmosphere, this is because Rory was being chased by two agents and seemed.

As well as this the editing was phenomenal in this opening title sequence, the use of 3D motion tracking text makes the project seem more three dimensional making it seem aesthetically pleasing, as well as this transitions such as 'fade to black' were used to introduce the next characters which is a good way of bringing in new characters. As well as this in terms of soundtrack, the soundtrack really complements the genre and suggests that it is either a thriller or an action genre, the soundtrack is quite mellow up until 1:56 when the two agents find Rory, this makes it seem more dramatic and builds tension to the audiences eyes bursting with adrenaline to see if he can get away.