Execution research: Title Sequence

In the process of researching for the opening scene, I learnt about something else that is also important - Title sequences. Title sequence is the presentation of opening credits in a series of shot which is used not only to give credits to the cast and crew, but also to establish the overall tone and theme of the movie. Thus, it is very important to have a good title sequence since it contributes a lot in making the movie memorable and resonates with the audience. For instance, when we mention The Pink Panther, the audience may not be able to remember what its plot is like. but they would much likely remember the jazzy music and the animated pink panther at the start of the film.

One of my favorite opening credits is the title sequence at the start of Catch Me If You Can.

The reason why I like this title sequence the most is because it is very creative in a lot of aspects. First, instead from just using shots from the movie or just a moving background, they decided to use 2D cel animation on top of digital footages , which is a very unique and "out of the box" way to give opening credits. Furthermore, these animations are actually foreshadowing and telling us bits and bits of the movie, like how the main character is blending in, and "sliding through doors" without being caught. The bold visuals clearly reflected on the style of Saul Bass, combined with catchy music in the background have created the perefect title sequence for me.

Based on my research, I've come up with my own title sequence! Since i don't have the budget to create such elaborative effects and animations, I think that I would find non-copyright background videos on Youtube and play the credits with the background. Thinking about what video I should find that correlate with the theme (murder) of my opening scene, i suddenly remembered about the picture i used for my pitch presentation! It was a picture of a knife with a dropping down effect, which somehow makes me think off blood slowly dripping down. So i searched for "blood dripping effect" on Youtube and found the perfect video for my opening scene! I paired this with an "ink effect" for the credits, and i think it did very well in portraying the overall violent and bone-chilling theme of the movie.