"Romeo and Juliet" Opening

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/william-shakespeares-romeo-juliet/ 

The sequence opens with a monologue that is read in the form of a news report, which immediately alerts the audience that the film is set in a modern time period, unlike the original story of Romeo and Juliet. The slow place of the monologue builds up tension as the camera slowly zooms towards the TV screen.

We then see bold white text that reads “IN FAIR VERONA”, immediately setting the location for the audience. The strong choir element of the non-diegetic music gives the scene an overwhelming celestial type atmosphere/tone whilst the sudden crash of the drums connotes power and strength.

Through an establishing shot, we can see skyscrapers that indicate a highly populated city set-up and the positioning of the Capulet and Montague towers (they reside next to each other and are similar heights) show that the two families are in close competition and openly against each other. It is also clear that Verona is a religious place from the tall statue we see of a religious figure; the height, positioning and close up shot of this statue not only emphasises on the importance and power of religion here but also suggests that it is the heart of the city.  However, the establishing shot allows us to see that the Montague and Capulet towers are taller and wider than the statue which could suggest that these two families are more powerful than the presence of religion or that, as it resides in between the two towers, it is the only thing stopping them from completely clashing. It is also distinct that Verona is an industrialised and busy place because of the amount of worn buildings and cars visible. 

The establishing shot sets up a contrast to the clips of violence, fire and police we see afterwards. The footage is filmed in a shaky manner that disorients the audience and makes them feel as if they are in one of the police helicopters on screen, watching Verona from above. The violin strings in the soundtrack creates a determined and tension filled atmosphere as it gradually builds up to the powerful choir chorus again.

The fire that appears on screen during the newspaper clippings montage not only connotes destruction and anarchy that cannot be controlled but, once we see it close to the quarrelling families’ surnames, could foreshadow the tarnishing of their reputations. The newspaper articles help us understand the scale of this clash and how well known it is whilst the dark lighting of the riot clips portray Verona as miserable and gloomy, something that is further hinted to by the worn out and stern expressions of the parents in both families.

The names of the magazines we see (‘prophet’ and ‘bullet’) could be used to foreshadow the themes of religion, violence and death; the word ‘bullet’ links in with the fast paced editing between shots of the city and words taken from the monologue that builds up tension and could foreshadow the speed in which the feud between the two families escalates. One newspaper title labelled “Montague vs Capulet” suggests that the media in Verona purposely publicise the clash and oppose the two families against each other. Two other newspaper headlines also stand out; “ancient grudge” puts emphasis on how long this withstanding quarrel has gone on, in fact the word “grudge” suggests it will never go away whilst “new mutiny” reveals that the clash has not always been this violent and it would appear that the younger generation have taken it upon themselves to make it this way.

When the line “take their life” appears on screen and we hear it spoken in the voice over, the t is written as a cross which again suggests heavy faith in Verona but also connotes sacrifice and could be referring to the film's narrative and foreshadowing Romeo and Juliet’s tragic fate. suggest that the families are wealthy and have a high status whilst the images of guns imply danger and violence and contrast hugely with the angelic shots of a chapel and a choir that connote innocence.

From all these clips, the audience learn that whilst religion is a huge element of Verona and it is home to places of worship and wealthy families with high reputations, Verona is not as respectable as some of the establishing shot would have us believe but in reality home to damaging, destructive and violent events along with a long standing aggressive issue between the families living there.

Saul Bass

"The Shining" Title Sequence

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/the-shining/ 

                                                                                      

The opening sequence of The Shining starts with an establishing shot of the landscape to show the scale and dominating element of nature of the location. We notice that the atmosphere here is so far very calm and still, and could even look peaceful. After the camera shows us the lake, we then see  a bird's eye shot of a wide road with a small car traveling along it which demonstrates the striking difference of size of the vehicle when it is compared to the huge scale of the location; it is almost insignificant amongst the towering trees and vast, dark lake we can see. The music paired with these shots is made up of a low and lingering organ sound that gives an ominous, eerie atmosphere that indicates the psychological horror genre. As the camera tracks the car, we can tell that it is of some significance but in each shot it always take up a minor fraction of the screen, portraying it as easily lost in this place.

The opening sequence consists of different angled long shots and some crane shots of the car traveling in different stages on the road that keep the genre of the film vague but we get a sense of isolation as there is currently no other human life present, just a sweeping landscape of nature. The on edge music hints that there is something not quite right with this place as the notes are low and menacing; a symbol like instrument later on resembles a hissing sound, which suggests something antagonistic and animalistic goes on here and could be foreshadowing events that occur in the film. The tracking shot of the yellow car makes the audience feel as if they are stalking whoever are inside and we notice that the car, though it is tiny in comparison to every else, has a brighter colour than any of the trees, rocks or mountains we have seen.

The typography for this opening sequence is completely out of place; it does not hint to the fact that this film is a horror film at all but this could work in favour of the genre to unnerve the audience because it is so contrapuntal. The contrast between the menacing music/ and the bright font used is immediately noticeable and suggests that something in this place is not right- there is something strange going on and this makes the audience on edge.

The colour of the font is not associated with horror films but gives cold and unnatural connotations (especially when compared to the landscape); this could be foreshadowing something to do with life here or a hinting to a character trait of somebody in the film. The opening credits are presented in a rolling motion and go down to up which, as the camera pans we have seen go left to right, disorients the audience and fits in with the ongoing idea that things here do not match. The down to up motion could also represents the car's physical journey up the mountain and away from civilization.

Narrative enigmas are already created for the audience- they have been introduced into this car yet do not whose in it nor do they know where exactly the film sets place, just that something isn't completely right here. The genre of the film is mostly constructed through the music; the low sounds create a creepy, haunting tone for the film and it is only when the shots of the deserted location are paired with this that they hint to a horror film- because of the organ sounds, the natural setting does not seem peaceful and serene but isolated and strange. Because of these two elements, it is clear that the horror film will be focusing more on the psychological side of things and using that to create an affect or provoke a response rather than the usual iconography that we associate with horror films such as blood and the usual setting of night. 

As the scene goes on, the bird eye view shots show us cars that appear to have been abandoned and the one car we see moving is driving in the other direction completely away from the scenery, suggesting that there is something dangerous with the location and a reason as to why there are no people here. The pace of the sequence is relatively slow- it isn't rushed which hints that the audience are supposed to take in the scale of the location and again could be used to unnerve them. There are not a huge amounts of cuts in the sequence which adds to this idea that the car is being directly followed through the maze of trees and as the further it gets towards its destination, instruments in the music begin to take on a higher pitch. This builds up tension and the instrument, at points, sounds like somebody is screaming, supporting the horror genre and danger theme. The text at this point gives details of cast and crew.

The last shot on screening in this opening sequence is the lingering shot of the hotel. It appears to be in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by water and mountains, and looks old and worn which is key in horror film iconography.  We can infer that this is the destination of the car as it is the last shot. The music reaches its peak here and the low organ sounds continue with a screeching and moaning like instrument at the loudest it has ever been which suggests that there is something really wrong with this house, that it's haunted, eerie, dangerous and it will not bode well for the people in the car we assume were heading here.

"Zombieland" Title Sequence

The sequence opens with a strong rock beat, connoting rebellion and disruption. This is paired with a low angle slow motion shot of a man being thrown off a staircase in a prison- we can tell it is a prison from the barbed wire in the background and the man in the bright orange jumpsuit-  suggesting that the film carries a theme of violence and could involve some form of anarchy or disrespect for the law. This shot also shows the film is from Hollywood and presumably set in America, as we see the production company's title ("Columbia Pictures") in a bold red font that  resembles blood, which hints to the horror genre though so far the violence suggests an action genre.

The next shot, however, establishes the film as a horror due to the heavy presence of gore. We see a woman in flowery, pink and girly clothes with a drink in hand- a seemingly ordinary action- with a scared facial expression being chased by a blood-covered zombie like person which gives the audience the idea that normality is being rudely disrupted by crazed "humans".

The cardboard sign that reads "the end is near" in the wide shot seen on the left gives the film an apocalyptic feel and, paired with the shot of zombie like people, suggests that a zombie apocalypse is vital to the film's plot. We also see the first name of an actor starring in it and the font used disappears off screen by burning away, conveying destruction.

Another wide shot of three men and a burning car again continues the theme of anarchy and chaos as we see several notes of money launched into the air carelessly and a bloody person clashing with a riot shield, showing that this disaster is widespread and affecting all classes of people. These shots continue the idea that the narrative involves a zombie outbreak that destroys normality in this populated community (the amount of people, buildings and cars in shots show the amount of people present/affected during this).

The still offers a juxtaposition as we see a bride and groom, which we would associate with happiness and love, covered in blood and the bride is physically attacking her partner with a crazed look on her face.

The title of the film confirms the zombie apocalypse narrative and continues the characterization of victims and zombies along with the theme of violence/destruction as we see a man smashing glass to get away from a zombie woman.

Overall, the montage shows different characters who are carrying out usual actions and being attacked by fearsome zombies which establishes the horror genre and apocalyptic tone.