Analysis of Title Sequences
In this blog post, I will be analysing the title sequences from both Django Unchained and Tron Legacy. I will be trying to identify the common features in title sequences and the purposes of the sequences in their films.
Django Unchained Title Sequence
This title sequence was for Quentin Tarantino's 2012 film Django Unchained, starring Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz. Which was a modern take on an 'old western' style film, set in 1858 Sourthern USA during the slave trade era.
The sequence starts with a 'classic' take on the Columbia pictures ident. I think that they use this classic version of the Columbia ident to give the viewer the feeling of watching an old or classic film.
After this, it is quickly cut to a picture taken in the desert or wilderness. When this cut takes place, the title song which is non-diegetic music also begins playing and the opening credits start to roll.
I think that the credits seem to go in a order of importance.
The credits' order goes...
- Film production and distribution companies ('The Westein Company and Columbia Pictures).
- Film writer and director, Quentin Tarantino.
- Main Actors (A majority of the names in this list were the 'big name' actors in the film).
- The Main Title (not really a credit but is the point where action starts to take place in the background)
- Co-Stars (Actors who played key roles in the film but aren't as well known as the main actors).
- Credit to the music producers (singer and musicians behind the title song and film's soundtrack)
- Key production crew members (Main & Executive producers, costume designer and director of photography)
1, 2, 3 & 4 Being the more important credits
5, 6 & 7 being the less important credits
The credits appear in all capital lettered text with a rather bold and sans serif font which is a deep red with a defined black boarder around all of the letters. The deep and almost blood red colour of the text is probably used to foreshadow the fact that there is a lot of bloodshed later on in the film.
They seem to also appear large and in the middle of the screen until the main title appears in between the ending of the main actors' credits and the beginning of the co-stars' credits.
After this, the background stops being a still image of the desert and action starts taking place. This affects the type in that it becomes smaller and varies position on screen to almost 'make space' for the background action which almost becomes the main focus after the title appears.
The action begins as the camera moves down from it's almost 'high' position of the still shot of the desert setting.
It moves down to show four black slaves (presumably) who are shirtless, barefoot and tied in chains, walking through a desert path guided by two white slavers (presumably) on horses with large shotguns in their hands too.
There is a lot of focus on the slaves to make sure that viewers understand that they are indeed slaves. This is done by focusing on the fact that they're shirtless, barefoot, chained up/shackled, have ungroomed hair and that they all have severe wounds on their backs from whip lashes.
Throughout the sequence the slaves and mounted slavers are seen journeying to an unknown location. They are seen travelling in the scorching mid-day heat through the desert and then a bitter cold looking forest at night time. The credits, music and overall sequence end in the cold night time forest where you can here the rattling of the chains from the shivering of the slaves. From here, the sequence has officially ended and the film has now begun.
I like this sequence mostly because it's quite classic look, the non-diegetic music in the background and generally the fact that it's well played out in that it transitions onto the film very well.
Also, I considered to use it because after seeing how good the title sequence was, the first time I saw the film, I was quite enticed to watch on and indeed did enjoy the rest of the film a lot, enough to call it one of my favourites.
Tron: Legacy Title Sequence
This title sequence was used for the 2010 film, Tron: Legacy which was a sequel to the popular 1982 film titled TRON. The story follows Flynn's son, Sam, who responds to a message from his long-lost father and is transported into a virtual reality called the Grid.
The sequence begins with an unconventional and 'digitalised' version of the classic Walt Disney Pictures ident. This is done to correspond with the digital nature and heavy use of special effects & CGI in the film.
After the ident has faded to black, seemingly non-diegetic electronic music starts to play. Shortly after this, a voice of a man begins speaking about information moving through computers. As this happens, a computer generated image of what is said to be a "cluster of information" begins moving across the screen and dividing into many smaller clusters which then start to take the shape of and transitions onto a birds-eye-view of a city.
Viewers are then shown another CGI of the Tron title placed vertically between two buildings.
The title sequence features no texts as credits but simply just as the title.
The Tron title text also takes on the digital and computerized theme shown in the previous images on screen and the ident. The text is shown to be quite large scale as it fits between two buildings. Also, the font makes the title look almost as if it's a neon light sign.
After the title appears the camera is seen to move through a narrow gap between the letters in the title. Doing so, it's almost as if the camera is moving from this digitally composed city, created by the clusters of information, to the real world. This might be done to foreshadow a similar but opposite take on this event that happens later on in the film.
The voice over includes mostly the voice of a, presumably, middle aged man and at parts a young boy. Once the title sequence has commenced, it's revealed to be a father who's telling his son a bedtime story. They are also the first two characters who the viewers are introduced to.
I liked this particular title sequence because it heavily uses special/visual effects and CGI. Also, I liked it because in a way it was quite simplistic and easy going. By this I mean that it didn't have any credits, making it easy just to focus on the the voice over and the visuals that were on screen. Similar to the Django Unchained title sequence, it made a good transition from the title sequence to the main film.
