Art of the Title Sequence-After Hours

After Hours

The titles themselves are of the actors and the parts they played.
The names of both the actors and the characters they played are in white font. However, the font of the actor's name is a lot larger and is shown in capitals in order to show that the actors are the most important to promote the film and some are probably big names. The characters they played are shown in italics and smaller font to reveal what the leading roles and what the smaller parts are. We the audience know this because the leading roles are shown on their own and the minor roles are shown grouped together.

The titles are placed over scenes of the office that the characters are shown in and are generally aligned to the right so that audiences attention wasn't diverted completely away from the set up. The mise en scene overall is very neutral coloured so the white text blends in yet isn't invisible, this compliments the overall setting.

The main shots of the setting that are used in this title sequence are close ups of objects such as chairs,desks,lamps and computers which reveals to the audience that it's set in an office. Other shots used are medium shots of characters at their desks which reveals to the audience that these will be the main characters so they can gather an idea as to whether they are going to like it or not. Long shots and extreme long shots are also used to show the overall setting and the other characters so we see all the action at once and don't know who to focus upon. Therefore the director can manipulate us through the use of other shots to make us focus on whatever character they want.

This title sequence appeals to me because I like the way in which the audience is manipulated through the use of camera shots to focus upon certain objects and characters. I also like the fact that the titles in the title sequence are subtle yet obvious at the same time due to the colour schemes used in the mise en scene.

claustrophobia by sam

This Image of Kayleigh conveys claustrophobia. The fact her composition fills the camera space creates a sense of entrapment. The camera angle is also tilted from an upper angle emphasizing her emotions. Her facial expressions are glum and she is looking down, this portrays her phobia.

Disorder

This image represents disorder in a variety of ways.

To begin the image is shot at an over the shoulder angle and shows Filipa with a very demented look on her face which could represent her having a disorder of some sort (probably mental).

Secondly you can see that she is smiling whilst putting duck tape on a mirror which shows that she enjoys destruction and complete disorder.

Therefore this image works well as we can see clearly the look on her face and what she is doing.

this image represents Mystery.

this image works well because of the fact that black cats is used a lot in mystery. also the glowing green eyes also shows a degree of mystery. the background also makes it seem as though it is in a grave yard.

It works happiness.

This photograph shows happiness.

It works as an image because of her expression and emotive physical composition. The camera shot was tilted as opposed to straight showing characteristics of someone that is having fun or has a content spirit. The photograph is zoomed out to show all the content of the character instead of just facial emotion. This is important because it gives the image a larger narrative.

The Shining

This 1980 thriller movie based on the novel authored by Stephen King, is directed by Stanley Kubrick. It features Jack Nicholson as the main character, portraying the dark sinister caretaker who becomes obsessed with his job at a secluded hotel, who turns onto the mission of killing his wife and small child.

This film being a thriller purposefully created suspensful moments to lure an audience to keep watching. Using the collaboration of sound, mise-en-scene, camera work, editing and of course beleivable acting, it has been possible to create such an impactful film.

A scene in which suspense is created using all these variations is in the front lobby, where Jack and his wife Wendy are gradually increasing into an escalated argument. The suspense here is created as Jack starts backing into Wendy while she starts walking backwards while talking to him. We know Jack will do something to Wendy because of his speech and facial expressions, which are one of a maniac: his contorted eyebrows, sneering mouth and verbal sarcasm conclude in such an excellent performance for this character. As Jack starts backing into her, the camera pans quickly from her to him giving an effect of dialogue and communication between them. This motion is effective in creating the tensious distance but physical closeness between the two. At a point the camera is showing a close shot of Jack from above, although this normally indicates a sense of weakness of that character in this case its the other way round, mentally Jack is the more powerful character in this shot and Wendy is ultimatly scared of him. This close shot creates effect by showing deep facial expression and emotion in their faces The editing of the long shots give the audience a longer time to wait, thus creating suspense in the possibility of what may come to happen. The music and sound is very important in this scene to create atmosphere and having watched the film i know its a very tense one between the characters, as obvious. The eerie sounds which gradually crescend into a larger motion when Wendy hits Jack with the bat cause the audience to come to an end in their suspicions on what may have come to happen.

All these factors and edits come together to create such a suspenseful scene amongst the other scenes in the movie. Ultimatly the story line and producing was excellent, as to uphold such an innotive idea and maintain it entertaining for the audience.

Thriller title sequence

Out of the six possible opening sequences my favourite would have to be “Seven” because all factors such as mise en scene, music/sound, lighting, camera angles and editing that contribute to it are very good.

To begin with we are shown a lot of disturbing images in the mise en scene. In the sequence we see images of a man crossing out words in the bible which reveals to us that he believe that he is God. This makes audiences scared of what is going to happen in the film as this character is clearly deranged. Further on in the sequence we see the character taping nails together and then a case file with an image of how a person died which ironically is with nails in the head. This makes audiences realise that this character probably killed this person which makes us fear for any other characters that will be in this scene. As the opening sequence progresses we see more strange images such as when who we assume to be the same character is threading a needle and then sewing something to a body which has a message on it. This once again is disturbing and reveals that this character is just mental and will go to any lengths to get what he wants done, done.

Throughout the opening sequence audiences have to hear strange disturbing music which creates tension as it’s a fast paced non-diegetic electro sound with music distortion. The electro sound is strange for a thriller film which makes it seem like the film is going to be very scary and that the main character is most likely to be a bit psychotic if not then definitely insane. The music distortion in between makes it seem like the character is killing someone as then a case file is shown after and therefore we are scared of this character.

The lighting in this opening sequence is low key which means that there is a high contrast and this makes us as the audience focus upon different objects or other items shown which then makes us scared as these objects are strange and portray death.
The camera angles also add to this sequence to create tension and fear as most of the shots are close ups on the strange objects that the main character is killing people with or medium shots of the character making something that is strange i.e. the nails on the tape this makes more tension as we almost see him but we don’t.

Finally, the editing makes thriller opening good as the cuts are quick but the actions in the shot are slow. The quick cuts create pace and tension, which makes audiences scared as the character, is clearly very confident as they do their work slowly and carefully with precision and therefore raises the question “will he be caught?”

Overall all of these factors in one way create tension and fear which I like because it keeps you in suspense and every thriller should have this. However this opening also portrays a strange character that just kills in cold blood and I love a thriller movie to have a character that is positively mental because it’s more interesting and more psychological and this is why this opening was the best.

thriller genres

Thriller films are usually divided into sub genres a few example of these are:

Horror thriller

Action thriller

Religious thriller

Drama thriller

Ect…

The type of thriller genre I like most is drama thriller e.g. Dorian Grey which seems like a simple drama but it gets darker and darker as the film goes on

suspence

The beginning of a thriller is a key element for the rest of the film. Not only does it have to give an introduction to the film it also has to be able to catch the audience’s attention.

The title sequence of Arlington road had a very weird yet interesting beginning. The scene is set in a suburb and allot of cuts where used to show this. The whole of the beginning was shot with inverse colours which made the scene very eye catching but also seem a bit surreal. The music is very sinister which gives away that at some point something bad is going to happen.

The reason I personally like this is because of how different it is in contrast to most thriller openings and how it not only sets the scene in such a short amount of time but also the use of colour in the scene .

Thriller sub genres

Thrillers can be divided into sub genres.The different types of thriller sub genres are :
religious thriller
action thriller
psychological thriller
conspiracy thriller
erotic thriller
technological thriller
and more

The thriller sub genre that inspires me most is psychological thrillers.
An example of a psychological thriller is Seven.
Seven contains a lot of strange images such as needles and a bible and other strange objects that don't have the same semantic field which leaves the audience with many questions to ponder over.
The music is very distorted and electronic which makes good tension throughout the title sequence.
This particular title sequence and its genre inspires me because i like movies that play a lot with the mind.

The Shining

Suspense is created in a variety of ways in “The Shining” using mise en scene, music/sound, editing and camera.

An example of a scene in which suspense is created by these features is the one in which Danny and his mum are being shown the storage room. The mise en scene creates suspense because it is just a typical storage room so we expect nothing to happen but as the other two characters move on Danny stops and we see his facial expression becomes scared so we believe something bad is going to happen and are therefore scared for Danny and his welfare. As this happens, the camera tracks the other two characters and then cuts back to Danny’s face and pans in, so we the audience are on edge as to what’s going to happen. Also a low angle shot from Danny’s point of view creates suspense because it seems as though he is causing Danny to feel scared. The sound at this point is a very low-pitched non-diegetic sound which creates suspense because it’s very loud and the pace changes. Editing also creates suspense as when Danny looks up at the cook a non-diegetic sound has been inputted while the low-pitched noise is still playing (although quieter) and this is speech and says “I want ice cream” which creates suspense because it’s an odd thing to say.

Overall, mise en scene, music/sound, editing and camera all contribute to creating suspense in scenes in “The Shining.”

Suspense

Suspense is creating tension on a clip which therefore keeps the audiences attention and hooked on to the plot. This is done by making the audience feel anxious or uncertain about a situation in a plot. This can be used in films, books and many other situations.