The document provides an in-depth analysis of the title sequence of the film Edward Scissorhands. It summarizes that the sequence uses shots of snow, a soft classical song, and gloomy locations to set a fantastical yet darker tone for the younger audience. It also reveals clues about Edward's character through symbolic shots, like showing him as a creation from a mechanical experiment who was left unfinished after the inventor's death. The analysis of the title sequence aims to understand how it introduces the film's narrative and represents the characters.

1. An Analysis of
Edward
Scissorshands’ Title
Sequence
Elleah Stanton
Distributor: 20th Century Fox

2. Audience and
Representations
 Edward Scissorhands is aimed at the younger generation as it
contains fantasy and extremely fictional ideas. However another
audience of this film is teenage girls aging from 14-18
approximately.
 The title sequence appeals to the younger generation by including
shots of snow as children stereotypically enjoy this weather. It also
plays a soft classical song with choir sounding voices which
connotes fantasy and alerts the audience that what they will be
watching will be a stereotypically family friendly film.
 As for the representations, there are not any social groups that are
presented in the title sequence. However the film represents youths
in both a positive and a negative way. It shows the typical high
school ‘jock’ in a negative light however it shows the soft female
character in a positive light to be more understanding and willing.

3. First the distributer logo is shown, a bespoke
studio ident is used as there is snow falling in
front of the well-known 20th Century Fox logo.
The colour has also been changed to a deep
blue. This change in the logo gives the
audience a slight thrill as it is a stretch from
the norm which excites the viewer, especially
the younger audience. The shot of the logo
then fades to a black screen for a few
seconds
Next is a pan/downward tilt shot of some peculiar
concrete stairs that appear to be leading to a
wooden, medieval door with a large black door
knob. This would first suggest that the film was a
period drama as the wooden door is
iconographic of medieval Britain. However after
watching the film we know that this is not the
case, as it is set in a modern-looking and perfect
village. Therefore this gloomy looking location
signifies that there will be a darker theme within
the fantastical and family-friendly atmosphere.
It is symbolic of the way Scissorhands hid away
from the world, held captive by his own
conscience.
With regards to the credit shown here, the director is
credited very early on. Usually the name of the director
is placed at the very end of the title sequence. They
have decided to put his name first as he is a very well-known
director and is known to specialise in weird
fantasy films. It prepares the audience for an idea that
they have probably not come across before.

4. TThhee FFiillmm TTiittllee
Then, the title of the film appears on the
screen. It is a white text against a black
background. The text looks quite dramatic
and poignant as it is long and bold, which
reflects the fantasy-style nature of the film.
The two words then begin to move outwards
as if they are a pair of scissors. This is cleverly
done by the creators to resemble the
characters name. This then lets the viewer
know that his name literally represents him.
The idea that there is a character with
scissors for hands is iconographic of fantasy,
and certainly Tim Burton. Next appears another pan shot of a gargoyle that is
covered in cob-webs. Cob-webs are iconographic
of the stereotypical ghouls and haunted mansions
and therefore signifies, again, that there is a darker
tone to the film.
Regarding the credit shown here, Johnny Depp is
well-known for appearing in Tim Burton’s films. He is
also a very large Hollywood actor and the big-brand
name intrigues an audience of many. His name is
also placed first because he plays the main
character.
The fact that Johnny’s character is tormented by his
fears of the outside world is reflected in this shot. The
threatening look of the gargoyle symbolises
Scissorhands’ past and conscience forever being
stuck with him. This then shows that his character
could be shy and an introvert.

5. A point-of-view/ tracking shot of a
concrete stairway s then shown. This
use of camera movement makes the
audience feel intrusive, as if they are
walking up the stairs to an unknown
residency. This lets the viewer know
that they could be following the
character’s life in the film, and that
they will be getting an insight into his
emotions.
Furthermore, cob-webs are shown on the
railings of the stairs, which symbolises
Edward’s loneliness and banishment from
reality. The viewer then knowns that they
will be looking into the mind of a
character that is fragile to the outside
world and is maybe scared/ apprehensive
of leaving his self-given prison.

6. The audience is then given their first glimpse at
the more fantasy-style tone of the film. A
strange mechanical device in a tilt/pan shot
that is moving downwards is shown, then
comes a pair of giant scissors. This then
suggests that there is some experimentation or
mechanics involved with the film. Putting two
and two together the audience can see that
the scissors link to Edward Scissorhands and
that he could possibly be the result of a
mechanical experiment.
Another downwards tracking shot is used to show a
steampunk-esque piece of equipment, extending
the experimental idea from the previous shot. Then
an actor is credited, however this time the words ‘as
the inventor’ are used. These words then confirm the
viewers thoughts on the mechanical
experimentation as the word ‘inventor’ suggests a
man who has been testing and conjuring up a
product.

7. The following shot is a shot of a
steampunk production line, with
machines stomping down onto a
presumed conveyor belt.
Then a shot of a odd looking piece of
machinery is shown which slightly
resembles a face. The credits then
appear for the producer of the
special make-up and scissorhands
effects. This credit has been used on
this shot because it links directly to
the character, like the shot of the
machinery does.

8. A pair of hands are shown using an
outward zoom. They look as though they
have been prepared ready to be given
to the creation the inventor had made.
However the following shot is another
outward zoom of a picture of a old man
who appears to be dead. The audience
assumes this is the inventor and therefore
provides the narrative. The fact the hands
have been left untouched and that there
is a dead man resembling an inventor
suggests that the creation was left
unfinished or unperfected, leaving
Edward with scissors for hands.
The title sequence, therefore, provides a
slight insight into the events before the
main character was around and acts as
a piece of the narrative puzzle.

9. My Project
 I am aware that this film does not fall under the
category of thriller. However I decided to analyse
it because I liked the camerawork and wanted to
adapt them into parts of my project.
 The way the shots have been darkened and
tinted blue also caught my eye as this idea could
be used for a thriller film title sequence.

10. My Project
 I am aware that this film does not fall under the
category of thriller. However I decided to analyse
it because I liked the camerawork and wanted to
adapt them into parts of my project.
 The way the shots have been darkened and
tinted blue also caught my eye as this idea could
be used for a thriller film title sequence.