Title Sequence Clip Review

My initial impression of the opening sequences of films is astonishment, the scenes can give so much information on the characters in just those few minutes. These directors can capture the interest of their audiences, foreshadow what is to come, and develop the characters and plot. There are so many key elements into film making that many people look over but still create a big enough effect to resonate with the audience. There is so much that can be found out about a character in those few moments its truly incredible. Knowing this now watching movies in the future will be so much more enjoyable. When watching the opening sequence of “What About Bob?”, you could tell that he is a germaphobe just by the way he needed to have a napkin to touch anything public. In the beginning, it also showed him telling himself positive affirmations alluding to being lonely or having low self-esteem. These little things foreshadow what the movie is going to be about, you could assume that in the next scenes he will be learning to overcome these obstacles to become a more functioning citizen. “Saturday Night Fever” was very cinematic, the designer of the film was able to tie in the color theme in the titles into the clothes that Tony was wearing. Something as simple as the title’s font or color can add just the right touch to a film. In the article “First frames: titles in the digital realm”, the author states, “Good titles design stems from an idea rather than flashy or experimental graphics per se. An opening title sequence generally engages with the big themes of the film and looks at overarching themes and metaphors of the film,” (Merril, para.18).  The typography and visual style created in the opening sequence can establish the mood and image system not only for the film you are about to watch, but for the poster, DVD/video packaging, web site, and all promotion and branding graphics,” (Merril, para.5). In this statement, the author explains how important the opening sequence can be stating how it establishes an imaging system. This imaging system affects the films’ branding such as a poster not only the film itself. In some films such as, “Choose Life”, the opening sequence gives specific details about each character. For instance, their personality traits or physical features. After watching the opening scene of “Pulp Fiction” I was a little confused at first. The way the couple was portrayed in the first minute made them seem like a normal relationship. However, towards the end they completely switch attitudes as they go to rob the café, they're in having breakfast. It makes sense though afterward when you think about it because you never really know who isn't “normal”. In the James Bond movie, “Goldfinger” it's almost the opposite of “Pulp Fiction” because instead, James Bond acts normal more upstanding actually because of the way he dresses but can blow up a whole building. The way James Bond is portrayed in this opening scene makes him look very mysterious which is probably a good thing considering he's a spy. After watching all these opening scenes and getting an idea of what my portfolio project will be based on, at the moment a film project is my first choice. I think it’s interesting how much you can get just from the few minutes of an opening scene and I would like to further explore that topic.