Art of the title – analysis of title sequences - Eric Huynh

I selected 2 title sequence clips from www.artofthetitle.com

I chose to analyse: Iron Man 3 and The Avengers

Art of the title – analysis of title sequences

Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3 (2013) — Art of the Title

1.      Credits:

Director

Screenplay

Producer

Executive Producer(s) – 8x

Director of Photography

Producer of Design

Editor – 2x

Costume Designer

Visual Effects Supervisor

Visual Effects Producer

Music Supervisor

Music

Associate Producers – 2x

Casting By

Cast – 13x

Associates (other film productions involved) – 3x

2.      Font Type

The font type used for the titles resembles the font of the film title, Iron Man 3. It is a type of San Serif font. The titles are bold capital letters, but the font itself is simple; it’s unlike Serif fonts, which are a more fancy and traditional font. This type of font is aesthetically pleasing because of its simple attributes. It’s a more modern style font.

3.      How we see the font

In the frames, the font or titles are moving. The fonts move forward and get bigger. They appear at the centre of the screen. Cast fonts/titles tend to appear at the centre, beside their character. This links the actor and their role, or character in the film. Credits appear at the centre and in front of the characters. This shows that the credits, or the people associated with the production of the film, are more important than the images.

4.      Behind the font

Behind the fonts we see scenes from the film in a comic style. This shows that there is a clear link between the film and comics. The style is identical to a marvel comic book, which makes it evident that the film is based on a marvel comic. We are introduced to the characters associated with the film. We hear a song playing continuously throughout the title sequence. The song has a comic-style feeling to it. The song sounds hard-core and highlights a key feature about the film, which is the embedment of a lot of high-impact action.

5.      What do you like about this sequence?

I like this sequence because it’s aesthetically pleasing. I am attracted to the design and style of the sequence, which is comic-like. This comic style design appeals to my age group: Teenagers. It is generally males of this age group that have a strong attraction to comics. Thus this style easily catches my attention. Also, the quick-paced song playing throughout the sequence was very comic-like as well; it easily grabbed my attention. It made it clear that the story was action-based, which peaked my interest.

What I can see, hear and feel: The title sequence establishes the main characters: Protagonist, heroine and antagonist. It also shows the opening credits, cast and film name. The title sequence uses freeze frames and comic style for dramatic effect. Also, it hints small hints to what is to come in the actual film.

The Avengers

1.      Credits

Director

Story – 2x

Screenplay

Producer

Executive Producer – 7x

Director of Photography

Production Designer

Editors – 2x

Costume Designer

Music by

Music Supervisor

Visual Effects Supervisor

Visual Effects Producer

Casting by – 2x

Cast – 13x

Associates (other film productions involved) – 1x

2.      Font Type

The font type used for the titles is the same type as Marvel. This creates a clear link between Marvel and the film. It is a form of font called San Serif, which means it doesn’t have the strokes on the letters (also known as Serif’s). It’s not just the font that’s the same but it uses bold and capital letters like the Marvel title. Both Iron Man 3 and The Avengers have similar fonts that resemble Marvel because they are both based on Marvel Comics, and are films that are produced by Marvel Production.

3.      How we see the font

The fonts appear at the centre of the frame, on either the left or right of the screen. The fonts are fixed, but look like they are moving due to the rotation, movement or effects of the camera. The fonts usually appear in front of the images, which show how significant they are.

4.      Behind the font

Behind the fonts we see items or costumes associated with a character from the film, such as Iron Man’s suit and Thor’s hammer. We are introduced to the characters through images of their items and uniforms. We hear a very thrilling song throughout the sequence. The song is a type of song you will hear when a super hero makes his/her appearance onto a scene. This song almost instantly makes you aware that the film is about action, which gives you an idea of what is to come in the film.

5.      What do you like about this sequence?

I like this sequence because the song used gives you a strong idea about the film. It’s a thrilling song that makes you aware that action plays a major role in the film. I like the fact the actors are not shown in the sequence, but their items and costumes in the film are used to represent them. This, in a sense, makes you look more closely at the sequence and grabs your immediate attention.

Conclusions – What we expect to see in an opening title sequence

In a film’s opening title sequence, we expect to see credits. These are the people involved in the production of the film. It is important for every title sequence opening to show the credits: director, producer, costume, designer, editor, main actor, etc. The credits for every title sequence can vary depending on the type of film. Music and casting is information that I expect to see in the opening sequence. This is because if I like them music I want to know who produced it. Also, I want to know who is acting in the film. I want to know the actors/actresses associated or play a role in the film. However, one of the most important aspects of a title sequence is the title of the film. I expect to see the title of the film. The title is expected to have much thought put into it, such as colour, size, content and placement.

I've learnt the title sequence plays a major role in:

• grabbing the attention and engaging the audience
•  promoting the production company
• highlighting the genre, mood and tone of the film
• giving the audience an idea of what is to happen in the film

A title sequence can be considered the back story of a film. It’s a metaphor or pun for what the film is about. It can add additional information that the film missed out. Most importantly, it puts the audience in the right place to understand what is going on.