Blog : Title Sequence Research

             Blog : Title Sequence Research

A movie title sequence is the opening of a film. A good title sequence sets the tone of the film, introduces the overall theme, and often times names some of the main cast and crew. It is usually creative, as it has the important job of grabbing the audience's attention. It needs to captivate the audience effectively, or else they will get bored. This includes the visuals, music, camera movement, shots, and the dialogue that is chosen to go into the title sequence.

Title sequences are made by first creating a storyboard, which is a visual plan for a piece of film. Then the music, font, and other decisions have to be made and picked out. It is then edited, and special effects are usually added depending on the genre and film that it is opening.

                   Halloween

Halloween (2018) is a film about Michael Myers getting loose after being in a Psychiatric hospital for 40 years due to his previous killing spree. The movie continues following Micheal Myers killing more people. 

This title sequence starts with a black screen, with just the word "HALLOWEEN" smacked in the middle in Bright Orange. Then the next scenes depict a smashed pumpkin "growing" or "inflating" back to its normal shape and size. (Basically implying that Micheal Myers is coming back.) As the pumpkin "inflates' names of cast and crew appear on the right of the screen in Orange letters Infront of a Black background. As the sequence goes on, the pumpkin slowly gets closer to the screen and in the last scene only one eye and the nose of the pumpkin is visible. It ends with a black screen and the name of the director, again in Orange. Behind the pumpkin there is a slight orange glow that intensifies and then dies down by the last scene. The music is ominous from the every beginning and adds a layer of suspense and it makes you feel as if you are starting a classic horror film. 

This title sequence was made this way because the original movie's title sequence was also a jac-o-lantern, but here it symbolizes a 'return'. It was made using practical effects by Greenhaus GFX.

                  Anne with an E (2017)

Anne with an E (2017) is a TV adaptation to the classic L.M. Montgomery book (ANNE OF GREENGABLES) about an orphan girl on Prince Edward Island in 1890. It tells the story from when she is just a young girl, all the way up until she is a young lady. 

The Title sequence is full of captivating images that have so much detail- it makes u want to watch it over and over again just to look at it all. It starts off depicting a cold, wintry landscape and images of a girl who seems to be lonely and confused. The sequence gradually moves to warmer hues with the hummingbirds, yellow dresses and bright leaves. It transitions into landscapes and birds, covered in gold tones everywhere. The ending scenes are of branches inscribed with various phrases, and the girl. The very final scene is a branch with an inscribed name of "AnnE". The full sequence all roots back to nature, the natural world, and shows Anne's connection to it. As this background sequence is playing, names of the cast and crew are also being displayed. The music is a rendition of "Ahead by a Century". This creates a contemporary and connecting feeling. 

This title scene was very detailed in its making. The images of Anne, played by Amybeth McNulty, were all delicately painted by Brad Kunkle. The gold leaf was a leaf covered in gold foiling. There were also some digital elements to some of the picture to create that 3-D look. Overall this Title sequence required a lot of varied work and elements.

             Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is considered a classic holiday film made in 1964. This film tells the story of Rudolph, Santa's main Reindeer, and how he became the famous Reindeer with a glowing nose. 

The sequence starts with a snowman listing out the names of Santa's Reindeer. He speaks in a calming tone as his voice drifts out into a song towards the end. The sequence continues with shots of cartoon trees, gifts, and other holiday items, which also display credits of cast and crew. The background is full of Christmas colors such as green, red, and white as snow flurries magically float down. The music is upbeat to the tune of the famous "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" theme song. The sequence calmly tracks/swoops to the right to display these different items.

Because this particular movie is stop motion Claymation, the production team had to set up these frames and create these sets by hand. The characters are all made and they had to decide on how each the Mis-en-scene would be set up in each particular frame. For the Snowman part of this title sequence, the crew had to move him just one little bit at a time to create the full sequence.