1. Assignment 2:
Conventions of opening title sequence.
By Toby Prichard, Josh Gibson, Liam Cornwall-Tombs and Mykola Serbov.
Opening title sequence:
Penny dreadful
2.
3. OTS convections explained
Mykola
All of the text used in the opening title was in the same
style and was placed on dark blue/black background. The
meaning behind that is too create a dark theme while
switching the screens. The colour of the text is grey,
making the text look darker. The colour white would be
easier to see, but they have used the grey colour to
make it too look corrupted instead of “pure”
In the animation there have been used special effects to
create a “poisonous” and deadly atmosphere. That is
created by the use of different animals and insects
representing the people in the show. For example you
can see that to the right where this person to the right is
represented by the spider. They use filters to give this an
even eerier feeling and give a feeling of disgust to the
audience.
4. Compare to the OTS in the starter
Penny dreadful GO
Introduction of characters in the film in a
very disturbing way. Introduced with
their animals.
Introduction of characters in the film in a
flashy way by springing through slides.
No establish of narrative as it is a TV
series
Establishes the story arc of teenagers
returning to new York on their holidays
Score music used to emphasise the
mystery and dark theme of the TV series
Use of 3rd person narrative to add background
info to the narrative.
Setting of location is not used but time
period is set as we see from characters
clothing.
We know that the story is set in present day
new York.
Credits cast and company . Credits cast and company.
5. Penny Dreadful use of conventions
(Josh)
Establishing character- penny
dreadful establishes character by
showing an animal such as a wolf
or a snake and then showing the
character in the next frame.
Establishing setting- penny
dreadful establishes the setting
somewhat as the characters are
wearing clothes that would
suggest the Victorian era.
Establishing Genre- penny
dreadful use of religious imagery,
blood and animals helps establish
the monster horror sub genre.
7. Are the conventions in your OTS typical in films
of the same genre? Why or why not? (Toby)
The conventions are typical in films of the same genre such as: the blood and gore
aspect is a prominent convention in the genre and features in films and PD.
The use of mystery and religious symbolism is another typical convention within
the genre which is used extensively within the genre. Another reason that they
are so similar is that the big studios often employ the same people who follow a
formula.
Examples of
religious
symbolism Examples
of mystery
8. Evaluate the effectiveness of the OTS
(Toby)
Why it is effective Why it is not effective
It establishes the genre and themes very well It does’t clearly show the setting the
audience is left to interpret (however it
could be seen as adding mystery)
It credits the actors and producers The antagonists are not clearly
differentiated from the protagonists
Uses suspense to engage the audience
It establishes the main characters
The show is kept enigmatic
