2. Definition of Genre!
• A genre is a style or category of art, music, film or
literature.
• Each different genre has its own unique elements
such as dark lighting in the ‘horror’ genre, fast paced
editing in the ‘action’ genre and disordered plots in
the ‘comedy’ genre.
3. My Genre - Thriller
• I have chosen Thriller as my genre as it is a lot different from
other genres as within the opening titles of other genres they
tend to be quite straight forward and easy to understand
where as in a thriller I can be very vague and ambiguous, this
will allow me to use interesting shots and different themes
which will all contribute to the overall affect of the title
sequence. However within the genre I will have to be carful as
there is a chance that the title sequence will come across as
very generic so I will have to be aware of that and make sure
it is as unique as possible.
4. Examples of Text
Example 1: Red Lights
Within the opening titles of Red Lights we only see
ever see things in little light or a lot of light, this is a
very effective tool as even though within the
thriller genre only darkness is normally used the
very light scenes are very effective, if not more
effective at creating a strange fear but also making
itself seem very intriguing. The music plays a very
important role in which it creates emphasis on
certain shots with different intensities of music and
also how it changes as the visuals change from dark
to light. The titles themselves have a very simple
font however this has the affect that it is very
serious, the flickering of the text also adds the idea
that the who sequence is very discordant. The
props used such as the needle and polaroid photos
are all props that are associated with the thriller
genre as they are strange and out of the ordinary
but only if they are placed in the environment that
makes them seem that way.
5. Examples of Text
Example 2: Buried
Within the opening titles of Buried there are never
any full pictures shown which follows the idea of
being ambiguous and makes it so that non of the
story is given away however they hint towards
large parts of the film. They use a very interesting
editing style which allows them to link all the titles
together like a long line of string which also gives a
better impression of the movement on screen. The
editing style to this title sequence is very strange as
there are no cuts and it is all one continuous shot
which is very different compared to many other
title sequences. There is very little in terms of
props in the sequence however the ones that are
used are very predominant in the movie therefore I
know that they have only included very important
props to the plot in the title sequence such as the
large amount of money.
6. Examples of Text
Example 3: Sin City
Within the opening title sequence to Sin City there
is very little colour used except for red which
suggest danger and violence when seen running
like blood. The main focus of the whole title
sequence is the vast and large amount of
characters as they make up the bulk of the
sequence, this suggests they are also the main
focus of the movie but it doesn’t reveille in anyway
why they are important. With the majority of the
shits being animated this sets the tone for the film
making the audience aware of the way the film will
come across without giving anything away about
there plot. Finally, the props that are seen in the
drawings are all mob related in the context they
are show such as guns or cigars which hints to the
plot but again is very ambiguous leaving a lot open
to peoples own interpretations.
7. Reflection
Through my research of the Thriller genre I have found
many useful techniques and ideas I can use in my own title
sequence to try and create a very ambiguous setting but
still leaving enough within the titles to entice the audience
and not lose there attention. I have found that within this
genre props and colours are very important as they can help
set the tone of the sequence through the context they are
used, along side the music and editing styles, all
contributing to the over all strange but intriguing effect of a
Thrillers opening titles.
