Melissa's Analysis of Titles

Sherlock Holmes

The title Sherlock Holmes communicates to the audience that this film is a Thriller because they recognise the character from the famous set of detective novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This creates interest as people wish to see how the stories have been interpreted because of how well known they are.

The logos of the production companies appear right at the start as a part of the setting. Quiet, non-diegetic music can be heard as light shines on the logos (as though a torch were being shined searching for clues) this adds to a sense of mystery as they contrast with darkness and the music adds an eerie feel.

Light shining on logo. It is a part of the setting,

Diegetic sounds of horse and carriages along with a shadow which passes over one of the logos communicates to the viewer the Victorian time period in which the film has been set. It also creates mystery because the viewer does not know who is in the carriage or why it is there.

Shadows appear over the logo as horse and carriage move past making it part of the action

 

From the production company logos, the camera tilts up as the horse and carriage goes past, again, communicating the idea of Victorian England as the sequence begins. No character names are introduced throughout this sequence, leaving it an enigma. The non-diegetic music is sustained but then fades away and is replaced by the diegetic cries of the horses and carriage movement.

 

The sequence begins after a tilt up from the production companies

The title originally appears as a subheading on a newspaper, using a font to look like typewritten. It starts of as part of the newspaper which communicates the use of how news is spread, setting the time period. Crimes are often reported in newspapers which shows the viewer that the characters are detectives. It also conveys to them that there will be lots of crime and mystery in the film, representing common features of the Thriller genre. The non-diegetic music crescendos as this happens, adding a shock effect on the audience as it takes them by surprise. It is also a similar theme to the one being played as the production companies were being shown at the beginning, separating it from the story.

When the titles do appear, they introduce the character from the previous sequence to be the protagonist, Sherlock Holmes, through the use of a photograph from the previous sequence being linked to the subheading. However, the title is only used as a subheading and the “killer” in the main heading is remained nameless, adding mystery for the audience.

The shot from sequence being used to introduce the characters and titles

 The title then fills up the centre of the screen, remaining in the typewritten font on the yellowed newspaper background as the rest of the text dissolves away. This shows the audience the key subject of the film but also how popular the character is in the story which could add mystery when a villain is involved. The title remains in the centre and, though the font is bold, the edges of the screen are fading into darkness, putting it in the spotlight, showing that the character does not know much about the situation which is about to occur whilst they are the centre of attention. 

Titles bold, typewritten and fill up centre of screen. The text is fading in background of yellowed newspaper. Edges are darkened

From the titles itself, there is a bright white flash and a camera flash sound effect and the titles are replaced by a street sign which is the famous street that the character of Sherlock Holmes lived on. This is significant because it sets the story for the audience which contrasts with the previous sequence of action and does not reveal any more information from it. The non-diegetic music then fades away.

Bright flash to transition to main sequence

Source Code

Production company logos appear on a black background with the non-diegetic soundtrack running over the top of it.  This music runs throughout the opening credit sequence which engages the audience as it introduces the action. The music crescendos followed by it being very quiet when the sequence begins, creating a shock effect on the viewer which then informs them that this is a Thriller film.

The non-diegetic music is tense and crescendos throughout. It also resembles the sound of a train with the brass. All the establishing shots follow the track of the train around the city which informs them of the main subject of the story. The music adds suspense and tension which leaves the audience thinking that something is wrong, creating an enigma.

The production companies then flicker and appear in the bottom left-hand side of the screen which makes it look like a computer screen flickering. They then stay on screen for another couple of seconds before clearing out, making it easy for the viewer to read them. This lets them focus on the action happening in the background.

Production companies flicker in the bottom left hand side of the screen

The names of actors appear in a similar way but they also appear in bottom centre and right of the screen, making it interesting for the viewers.

Actors names appear on the bottom centre of the screen

The title also appears in the same way as the actors and the production companies did. However, a line runs underneath it like a train track. This lets the audience know that the train is the main focus without peeling the attention away from the action happening behind. The titles are white with a black outline which makes them clear and easy to read as the background changes.

The title appears and a line runs along the bottom like train tracks

After the title appears, more production companies and the music producers are mentioned, along with editors. This shows takes the focus away from the titles, hiding it’s significance from the viewer, making it a mystery.

The name Source Code makes the audience think of computers which creates an enigma because it leaves the audience wondering why the train is so important. This lets them know that this is a Thriller film because they realize that something can’t be right. 

Skyfall

The sequence begins with no introduction to any characters and only diegetic sound. An enigma is created when the dialogue says “agent down” because the audience doesn’t know who or why and is left guessing.

"Agent down". The characters and situation is unknown to the viewer.

 The non-diegetic music begins when a character falls down the waterfall. This then begins to separate the credits from the actual story of the film. The music has its own soundtrack which lasts the entire 4 minutes.

The sequence appears to start as his face comes into shot and he starts to drown.

The production companies appear centre screen, followed by the lead actor and the author of the 007 books. This makes it clear to the audience that this is separate to the story happening previously.

The lead actors name appears as a hand drags the character down, separating the sequence from the main storyline.

The titles appear small in the centre of the screen as it appears that the main character is falling down, making it symbolic. The titles look faded and broken which connotes the sense of death and something being wrong, creating mystery and suspense for the viewer. The size of the font make them seem overwhelmed in the vastness of the sea surrounding it, making them seem vulnerable. They are also on screen for a very short period of time before fading out, as if the character is also fading out of existence.

The titles appear in the middle as the protagonist is being swallowed by the ocean floor.

The idea of a Thriller is communicated by the use of symbolism in the background behind the title sequence. There is lots of imagery of death, weapons and blood which are all very common features of Thriller movies.

An example of the symbolism of death

An example of the symbolism of weapons

The colours of the credits change frequently to ensure that they are readable by the audience whilst the action in the background changes. It also provides interest for the viewer, keeping them engaged.

An example of the frequent change in the colour of the font.

At the end of the sequence, the name of the director appears in the centre of the protagonist's eye, as though they were introducing the film.

The director's name in the centre of the protagonist's eye to end the sequence and introduce the rest of the film

The name Skyfall creates a sense of the end of the world and disaster, which creates the sense of a Thriller film because it makes the audience wonder whether there will be a state of equilibrium or peace for the protagonist at any point.