2. WHAT IS A TITLE
SEQUENCE?
A title sequence is a presentation of titles/credits of all the
people that were involved in the production e.g. cast members,
crew members, etc. These are used in:
TV programmes
Cinematic films
This is most often presented at the beginning, or end of the film.
The title sequence I will be analysing is ‘Catch Me If You Can’,
directed by Parkes/MacDonald.
3. This is the relativity media company that had produced the
film in which I am currently analysing.
The majority of films will present the production company logo
at the beginning of the opening credits. A production company
provide the physical basis for all works, and play a huge role in
funding the project. Having their logo at the start allows the
audience to immediately be informed of who has essentially
created the film, and allows easy recognition, so long as their
logo is widely known.
The majority of opening titles/credits can be plain and
simplistic however, this one has animation and relates to the
idea of the production as we can see an animated male in a
suit which is likely to play the one of the characters therefore
giving away an idea of the plot, keeping the audience
interested.
4. This print screen of the title clearly alerts the audience of who
produced/directed the film – Steven Spielberg. Spielberg is an
American film director, producer, screenwriter and business
magnate. He also produced other films such as ‘Saving Private
Ryan’ and ‘Schlinder’s List’, and this will allow viewers to
instantly recognise that a successful director has produced the
film; encouraging them to continue watching.
The directors role is to ensure all cast members as well as crew
members are fulfilling their roles – they direct the making of the
film. They generally control a films artistic and dramatic aspects.
Others involved in the production are there to fulfil the directors
needs and wants.
5. The both of these screenshots from the opening credits are of
the main actors; who the production is starring.
They are recognised as the main characters as they both play
large roles throughout the film. Also, they attract all types of
audiences as they are both well known in terms of their
attractiveness and also, their acting - Leonardo DiCaprio is
extremely well known for largely popular films e.g. Titanic,
Shutter Island, Django Unchained etc, as is Tom Hanks,
known for Forrest Gump, Cast Away, Toy Story and Sleepless
in Seattle.
This allows the production to bring in a huge income.
6. The actual title of the film plays after the previous credits.
There are more credits succeeding this; this emphasises the
importance of those mentioned before the title ‘Catch Me If You
Can’ appears. After this frame, the rest of the credits feature
those involved in the creation of the film, though they may have
not been as recognisable.
The title features a plane icon, suggesting that there is a chase
across nations, along with the blue background. The plane
symbolises flight, supporting the idea of a chase. This gives
viewers a brief idea of the plot to mull over whilst the rest of the
credits play.
7. The rest of the cast are then shown. These usually don’t
portray as large characters as the first few actors, though they
appear in the film regularly. This is more so to inform the
audience of these lesser known actors, as they are most likely
becoming more well known to the film industry.
This allows these actors recognition, and permits their own fan
base’s to be aware of their feature.
When actors are grouped in
credits, as presented here, it
is more often than not that
they are playing more minor
characters, though they are
not extras.
8. The casting director (and associate) is often credited directly after
the cast to depict the relation, and of course, give credit for those
casted in the film.
It is common during the opening credit of a film, for the author of
the book that the film is based on (if it is an adaptation) to be
mentioned. This informs filmgoers of the origins of the story if not
already known, and is also readily recognised by the film’s niche
audience; fans of the book.
8
Often when the opening credits
of a film is as animated as those
for ‘Catch Me If You Can’, the
creator of the titles is credited for
those interested.
9. The musician is most likely to be credited, as in this case, John
Williams produced the music for the film; he is extremely well
known as a talented musician and is most recognised for his
work for Jaws, the Harry Potter, Star Wars and Indiana Jones
series, and many more blockbuster films.
The film editor is responsible for putting together the film in a
coherent narrative. Editors tend to change all the time and are
not as well known or recognisable for their work as directors, or
musicians, therefore they are usually not one of the first
credited, despite the importance of their job.
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The director of photography, like
the editor, is credited later on,
though the final responsibility of
these jobs is the director, which is
why they are credited first and are
considered most important.
10. The executive producers are the last to be mentioned; they are
responsible for the management accounting and legal issues,
and are inevitably responsibly for the distribution of the film.
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