Analyzing Title Sequences
In analyzing film title sequences, I would specifically like to focus on the incorporation of the credit text and titles into the film's visuals, and how they connect the opening to the rest of the film.
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm (1968, dir. William Greaves) & Lilya 4-Ever (2002, dir. Lukas Moodysson)
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| Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Title Card |
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| Lilya 4-Ever Producer Credit |
Both of these film's opening credits are similar in the sense that they are laid over B-roll footage. The footage, however serves a purpose in both credit scenes. In Symbiopsychotaxiplasm, we are shown footage of people in Central Park engaging in the average park-going behavior of the time. For instance, the title card of the film shows a loving couple. The film is centered around the topic of interpersonal connect and peoples' role in society. Love is the most intimate form of human connection, so it only makes sense that the biggest title is shown alongside the peak of interpersonal connection. The important credits are shown alongside footage of more mundane activity, such as men of different cultures playing soccer, or a woman riding her bike. However, footage depicting sexual imagery (ex. a man groping his partner's buttocks) is also shown, illustrating the spectrum of human living and interaction. The footage at first is unassuming, but a more analytical view shows the connection between the footage behind the credits and the film.
The titles themselves come in after a slight delay following the introduction of a new shot. The titles are initially small, but grow in size while in diagonal motion from the corner of the screen. Perhaps this is to first draw focus to the shot, then divert the viewer's attention to the credit text.
Lilya 4-Ever's titles are large and centered on the screen. The viewer must view the title before viewing the shots of the town. However, these shots of the town do extremely well in establishing the setting of this story: a poor city in some Slavic country. Such a bleak setting can only host an equally bleak story.
Mother (2009, dir. Bong Joon-ho)
Mother's opening and title sequence takes an extremely artistic approach, pairing the titles with footage of the mother dancing. This sequence is also repeated as the last sequence of the film. The dancing paired with the music seems, at first, fun. However, the music takes a momentary break, and the mother in this moment shows some signs of distress. While this is all happening, the credits are shown in a small and dark font in the bottom left third of the screen. The mother in the right third is the main focus, but the viewers eye is also naturally drawn to the position of the credits filling the negative space. The small and dark font suggests that what is actually important is the mother dancing, and not the credits. The font color also provides a hint at the darker tone of the film. The title card shot shifts to a darker palette, and the mother's body language suggests great sorrow. Now we know that what lies ahead will explain the mother's seemingly deranged behavior and her sadness. The film title itself fades in after a short delay, similar to the technique used with the titles in Symbiopsychotaxiplasm.
Relating These Openings to Our Film
All three of these films are unconventional, the title sequences especially for Symbiopsychotaxiplasm and Mother when comparing them to what is traditionally seen in Hollywood. My film would be similar to these in that sense, so I hoped to take inspiration from them.
I like the idea of having titles that are not shoved in the viewer's face, as seen in Mother, but I also like the hidden context in the first two title sequences. Ending on an impactful shot paired with the film title as seen in Mother's title sequence would work great for my production, so I will continue brainstorming to see if I can incorporate something similar in my project.
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