Se7en title sequence deconstruction

Se7en

When retiring police Detective William Somerset tackles a final case with the aid of newly transferred David Mills, they discover a number of elaborate and grizzly murders. They soon realize they are dealing with a serial killer who is targeting people he thinks represents one of the seven.  How many titles are displayed during the opening scene? Around 34 titles are displayed during the opening scene. What images are prioritized during the opening scene?

There is a lot of jump transitions of someone crossing out words, drawing over faces, cutting out newspapers, all of it is very dark in-depth, and seems to be prioritized throughout the opening scene. 

What connotations do the images carry? The images carry an eerie feel and highlight the thriller aspect with the transitions and sound which is suspenseful. How is the genre reinforced through symbolic and technical codes from the outset? The genre is expressed through every single transition, font, and shot from the outset you can certainly tell this is a thriller and that it’s insanely mysterious.

How does the film establish an enigma from the outset? The title sequence alone seems like one big puzzle, all the x-rays and pictures with scratched eyes out seem mysterious and entreating.

What strategies are used to ensure the film appeals to its target audience? The old fashion creeping seeming font, the dark, and lack of color variation.

How has technology been used effectively? The birds-eye shots and close-ups of certain objects and pictures express the thriller film you're watching the camera angles and editing is used so well that while you're viewing your kind of weirded out but curious about what's next.

Split title sequence deconstruction

SPLIT

The split title sequence is very simple. It has an eerie sound to it with no lyrics.  split is a psychological horror film that follows a man with dissociative identity disorder. Kevin crumb, as he kidnaps and imprisons three teenage girls in an isolated underground facility. After they awake from unconsciousness, the girls soon realize that Kevin suffers from DID, a coping mechanism he developed from a childhood of abuse and torment. The title sequence from the film has roughly 25 titles displayed but they do have a transition where about 30 of the same title appear once on the screen. The images prioritized are multi-cut footage shots of the basement where the girls are kept, the lighting Is dark and eerie. The images carry a dark, kinda creepy feel to them it’s very simple yet frightening.

The thriller is clearly shown through technical and symbolic codes, the title sequence is eerie, it’s bold yet simplistic and minimal in the color scheme.  
The film establishes a mysterious and psychological thriller through the tone of the mise-en-scene and from an outside perspective it can seem puzzling and intriguing.  The split film is a part of a three-movie trilogy one of the very amazing m night Shyamalan films that attracts a rather “serious” audience when it comes to the type of cinema they enjoy with a muted, dark setting that engages with audiences that enjoy genres like horror, thriller, and mystery and movies like Psycho, Unbreakable, and The Shining. The close-up angles and tracking shots along with the jump transitions with the titles add contrast between the titles and what’s happening in the film. The girl is unconscious and is located in a room where she will be kept captive. The editing with the multi-cut footage and cool transitions of the titles created while editing really set the theme of the film and grasp the audience's attention.

Title Research: Watch The Titles Website

Watch The Titles

The second and next site is called Watch the title. Once you open up the page sequences automatically start playing. The top right says the title of the website just like the art of title website. 

There are clickable links that send you to other pages to the right of the title. The names of the buttons are "title sequence, designers and studios".

When you scroll over title sequence many options are placed. The title sequence options are Featured films, TV shows, event titles, student projects, video games, and french Friday.

There are more designers on "watch the titles' then on "the art of titles" but fewer studios. They also have a search bar option to make navigation easier.

They have their social media on the top left of the screen Even have an interview you can scroll through under the sequences presented automatically. You also have the option of browsing all the interviews instead of having to click on the right side of the screen to see the designer's interviews. Underneath the interview, is the same option as under title sequence. At the bottom of the site there is a quote that says "forget the film, watch the titles" which I personally thought was pretty funny. Then they have links to there about page as well as press, credit, and links. they also provide a newsletter that allows you to input your email and sends you updates on the latest

Title Research: Art of the Title Website

 Art of the Title

There are two websites we will be using to research title sequences within our genre. One of which is     ARTOFTHETITLE.COM

When we open the website we automatically are introduced to the title of the website on the upper left-hand side of the screen then title sequence and a drop-down menu to the right of it.

The drop-down menu it titled "Designers + Studios" and contains a list of designers such as Arron Becker who designed and directed main title sequences for films such as Split and Get out.

 And other designers like Francisco Sanchez de Cante who contributed to title sequences for Wonder Woman.

It doesn't just list a  plethora of designers it also names studios and even provides the option of looking at a grid view of the studios and designers. To the right of the dropbox there is a search box.

 The search box allows you to look up movie titles, artists, and studios so that you can research the artist and if available an interview of the process of creating the title sequence. 

On the home page there is a college of title sequences and above them is a title saying "Top 10 title sequences of 2019" that they created to homage too. Next to that art of the title linked their social media account.

At the bottom page it has links to separate pages and screen. 

The pages they have linked is About, New, Titles, Features, Designers, Studios, and sponsorship. They also claim their copyright claim. They also state how the sequences are owned by their respective owner. The About page discusses how the website is a publication site and informs the readers on the staff and stuff like endorsements, acknowledgment, and how to contact them. The news page discusses the Emmy nominees and winners. Then pages like Title, Feature, Design, and Studios are also linked on the bottom but rather than skimming through them on the top of the page it sends you to another screen instead. 

Genre Research: Donnie Darko

DONNIE DARKO

-Film synopsis-

Description

"During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named Donnie Darko sleepwalks out of his house one night and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days. When Donnie returns home, he finds that a jet engine has crashed into his bedroom. Is Donnie living in a parallel universe, is he suffering from mental illness - or will the world really end?"

Mis-en-Scene

Costumes- Bunny costume, 1980's clothing, and school uniforms.
Lighting- Usually Dim and Dark lighting to express depth with lots of shadows as well revealing the sub-genre may be a horror 
Acting style- more mannered “classical” then intense and psychologically driven but more “natural with a good flow throughout.
Props- Bunny Mask

Setting-  1988 in Middlesex, Virginia
CAMS

Camera Angles- High angle, Medium angle, Medium closeup,
Camera Movement- Tracking, Panoramic,
SOUND-
Eerie sound effects made by the bunny, frank. Low tempo music. Both diegetic and non-diegetic sound.

Genre Research: American Psycho

AMERICAN PSYCHO

Description?

Description

"During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named Donnie Darko sleepwalks out of his house one night and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days. When Donnie returns home, he finds that a jet engine has crashed into his bedroom. Is Donnie living in a parallel universe, is he suffering from mental illness - or will the world really end?"

Released Date: April 14, 2000 Director: Mary Harron

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Genre Research: Split

S P L I T

Kevin a Disossitive identity disorder victim has a total of 23 personalities. He sees his psychiatrist often and discusses what's happening in his life. She does research on her DID patients and wants to demonstrate to the world that not all people with DID are vial and manic. At the beginning of the film, he abducts three girls which he will feed on in order to feed the beast, a personality that the other personalities didn't believe in. Kevin battles the other personalities in hopes of trying to mend them but can't control who sits in the light.