Title Sequence Analysis

 Once we had collected our research we felt as a group that we needed to research into more title sequences of films. We felt that we needed to do this as this would then give us a better understanding of the common aspects of title sequences and also enhance our understanding of what makes a good title sequence.


The Usual Suspects

Throughout the title sequence we see that the camera does very little until we get to nearly the end of the sequence. Here we see a close up shot of same wooden sticks that are being set a light. This then cuts to two men. By using cuts it makes the pace of the film seem faster. We then see the camera panning as one of the men lights a cigarette.  Here the lighting is extremely dark. This creates a sense of uncertainly as the audience don't know what is going to happen next. Furthermore we then see the camera use a mid shot. This shot shows us the man lighting a piece of paper. This then cuts to a close up shot of the floor where we see the man drops the piece of paper setting alight the oil that is one the floor. Surrounding this oil is a man. Here the camera gives us the impression that he is trying to kill the man who is also or is trying to kill himself and the man. We then get a high angle shot of looking up at a man form above this.

The sound that we can hear is some music which is non-diegetic. The music that we here is eerie and also is very high pitched. It sounds as if something frightening is going to happen that you wouldn't expect. As this is being played over the titles it already builds up tension and suspense for the opening of the film. It is also a piece of music that could make the audience feel uncomfortable.

The title have a black background with the text appearing over the top. We see that when you first look at the titles the writing look white. However when looking closer the writing is actually the colour of blue. Although it is very faint.  The text that we see is very bold.  The typeface that has been used is San Serif. This font is clear and bold, allowing for it to be read easily. Although this leaves us opened minded about the film as if doesn't give away any ideas as the time zone of the film. For example if the writing looked hand written and old, then we might presume it was set a long time ago.
Lastly we also see that when the text is one the screen, it isn't stationary. It moves about in a fast motion and half the letters move up and half move down.





Super 8 2011

In the opening titles are see that the camera doesn't do anything. We see that the camera doesn't do anything as we get no image with the titles. All we see is a black background along with the white text. This is effective as it leaves suspense as to what the opening of the film is going to be like.

We see a black background with the white text over the top. However here we see that writing backwards. This is effective as it makes the audience look and pay attention. Around the writing we see a glow that makes the white font stand out. This writing itself is bold and is in capitals. By the writing being in capitals, it makes it stands out and it can also be seem much clearer. The typeface that has been used is sans serif.   As the titles end we see that the title of 'Super 8' fades out along with the black background leading us into the opening scene of the film.

When the titles are playing we hear some non-diegetic music. This music sounds as if something is being constructed or being taken part.  Over the top of this we also here a very high pitch sound. This sound is eerie and also creates tension.





From watching these two title sequences I have learnt many things. One of the main things I have learnt is that it is effective if there is an image behind the titles. This can be of the main film or things that relate to the film. By it being off the film is lets the audience know the story. Furthermore I have also learnt that the text needs to be clear, and needs to tell a story. For example if the font looked like it had been hand written it might illustrate to the audience that its quite old. I am going to take the information that I have learnt and incorporate this into mine and my groups opening.

Research into Crime Plot Lines

 As a group we sat down and looked at all of our research. When looking at our research we noticed that we were limited on research in crime and detective plot lines. This is when we realised that we should do some more research before before we go onto the planning process of our opening two minutes scene By doing this we would then have a better understanding of the plot lines of crime/ detective films.
 When deciding to carry out some more research we also put together some questions that we would link about when watching the trailers of some films. The questions which we came up with were: What tye of characters are there? What is the main topic that the film is based around for example money,drugs,investigations etc.

The City of God (2002)

'Two boys growing up in a violent neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro take different paths: one becomes a photographer, the other a drug dealer.' Provided by IMDb
"1970's: Li'l Zé has prospered very well and owns the city. He causes violence and fear as he wipes out rival gangs without mercy. His best friend Bené is the only one to keep him on the good side of sanity. Rocket has watched these two gain power for years, and he wants no part of it. Yet he keeps getting swept up in the madness. All he wants to do is take pictures. 1980's: Things are out of control between the last two remaining gangs...will it ever end? Welcome to the City of God. Written by Jeff Mellinger <jeffmellinger@astound.net> "   Provided by IMDb

 Topics,Themes are ideas

• War- fighting 
• Conflicts 
• Based on a true story 
•  Covers the factors of life
• Charting the growth of gang members from child hood until adult hood

Key Characters 

• One man who inflitrates a war
• One man becomes a photographer
• Police and Law

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

'Two imprisoned men bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency'. Provided by IMDb

Themes and Ideas

• Punishment
• Fightning
• Religion
• Freedom- A better life 
• Relationships- how the two men bond in prision-The friendship between Red and Andy
• Determination- Andy uses a rock hammer to try and break out of the prision.
• Institutional Evil- the cruelty of the guards and of the other prisoners

Key Characters

• Barristers
• Guards of the Prision
• Two prisonsed men who have commited crimes for different reasons
• One of the prisoned men was put in prision for killing his wife and her lover

Similarties

•  Both of the two films are related to punishment
• Both are realted to
•   A Good side an an evil side- Two men in prision and then the friend is trying to keep him on the good side of sanity.

Differences

• In City of God is based around romance
• The Shawshank Redemption is based around crime and being able to get a better life.

From watching these two clips, I now understand what needs to be included into the plot of a film. This will help myself and my group, as we will be able to now put together a good plot, so that our opening two minutes are effective. From choosing two films that have a time difference between them it shows me how films have changed yet still follow the same type of themes. I have also learnt how a few mintues of a film can show many themes.  From this task I am now able to take this information and discuss it with my group. This will help us as we can now use this inforamtion to help us  think about what our main plot line is going to be.

Editing of our Continuity Task

After finishing the filming, we imported all of our clips onto the Mac's. Once these had imported of the camera onto the Mac we could then open up Adobe Premiere. This enabled us to import the clips onto this piece of the software. As I had never used Adobe Premiere before myself and my group had a mini tutorial session with our teacher so we knew where all of the tools were that we would need to get started. This enabled us to find the rest of the tools as we went along the process of putting the Continuity Editing Task together.

Our first task when we had uploaded all of the clips and imported them into Adobe Premiere was to go through all of our clips that we took to see which ones we were going to use and to also see which ones were of the better quality. This enabled us to be critical about our work as we had to watch the clips closely to make sure that the camera was steady at all times. This also allowed us to see if we followed the 180 degree rule. This was extremely important that we checked for this. If we hadn't has followed the 180 degree rule we should of had to reshoot all of the clips in that location. When going through the clips we deleted the ones that we felt were of a good standard. This then enabled us to write down the clips that we were going to use. From watching the clips back, myself, Amy and Josh realised that we needed to reshoot two of our clips. We decided to reshoot these two clips so that they were of a better quality. For example one of the scenes that we wanted to reshoot was when Josh ( acting as the murderer) had the weapon behind his back. This was a close up shot so that we could only see the weapon and his hand behind his back. We needed to reshoot this as the weapon wasn't in full view as it was hidden by the coat that was being worn. By reshooting it enabled us as a group to firstly get a better shot of this close up and secondly to improve our skills. Our second reshoot in which we decided to do was when the Murderer was walking down the hallway looking through the door before he goes through one. We decided together as a group that this needed reshooting as we needed to focus on being able to use the technique of panning correctly. From looking back at our first few clips of this compared to when we reshoot it I can say that we definitely progressed when using the camera.
After selecting our clips from the reshoot we started to edit and put together our task. To start off with we firstly put all of our clips into the timeline. This then allowed us to watch the clips in order. After watching the clips we then as a group discussed each clip and where about we were going to cut or spilt the clip. For example in our first shot we have the murderer coming from around the corner of a building. This was a long shot which allowed for the audience to establish where this character was going to be going.  As the character got closer this then allowed us to cut to a close-up of his face. By cutting to a close-up it allows the audience to see the characters facial expressions. This then allows them to determinate what they think the character is thinking about and also how the character if feeling and portraying emotion. This is important for the rest of the task as it then allows us to go back to a medium shot of the character running to the destination.

This is the tool we used to cut the clips:

 After we had together all of our clips and were happy with the editing, we added in a Title. Again here I learnt how to add in a title and also how to make it move across the screen.

Creating the Title

Adding Effects

For the title sequence we decided to have a black background with white writing. The font in which we used was Sans Serif font. This was decided upon as group. 

• Black Background

• White Text
• Black Background
• Sans Serif Font has been used which makes it clear and easy to read. The use of this typeface is simple, yet effective.

• Moving onto the screen

• Once the text has appeared it stayed on the screen for about two seconds.
• It then slowly disappears with the effect of a 'Cross Dissolve'.

Once we had reviewed our editing task, we decided to add some music in over the top of the audio. This music that we added in was dramatic and frightening. This created an atmosphere of tension.

Below is our finshed Continuity Editing Task:




I have learnt many new things from completing the Continuity Editing Task. Firstly I have learn about the 180 degree rule when using a camera. This was important when we were filming as we couldn't break this rule. Secondly, I have also been able to physically use the camera to use the technique of panning and also the use of close ups, medium shots, long shots and a shot reverse shot.  From looking back at the requirements for this task I feel that myself and my group have done our best to try and for fill these requirements to the best of our ability. I feel as if I have progressed a lot since the start of this task. By being able to practice the techniques and how to edit the film will help when we are at this stage in our opening two minutes of our film. I will now be able to use these skills in which I have learnt and developed and be able to incorporate these into my groups film.

Anaylsis of the Godzilla Trailer

Camera:

The Trailer of Godzilla opens with an establishing shot of  the city overlooking the river. The establishing shot sets the atmosphere for where about this scene is going to be set. We then see a man walking down some stairs. Here we get a high angle shot. This then leads into a long shot. The long shot allows the audience to see the setting around the man and also the atmosphere. Alternatively we also get a high angle shot of the man. This shows us that the man is going to be viewed upon as being smaller than other people. This could suggest his social status as being of the lower class. This will either make the audience feel sorry for him or they will look down upon him. Once the man has walked down the stairs we get another high angle shot from above as two men are talking to him. We also then get a point-of-view shot as the men are talking to him. This gives the audience the chance to see the man in the view that they do. This refers back to how the use of the camera makes us look down upon the man. As the man starts to walk down the pier we see a low angle shot along with tracking. This is shown in between the wood of the pier. Furthermore we see the use of a low angle shot juxtaposing with the high angle shot. This juxtaposes as the low angle shot makes the man seem bigger and more valued than the high angle shot which makes him seems small and less valued.  A long shot has been used through some fencing to show the man sitting down at the end of the pier fishing. This then leads into a medium shot whilst the man is fishing.  However this time we see the front of the man. This allows us to see his facial expressions. We then see the camera focusing on the fishing rod. This gives us the impression that something is going to happen. As the man continues to fish we see a close up of his hands and the fishing rod. This shows us how tightly he is holding onto the fishing rod, suggesting that the current is getting rougher, creating suspense.  The man also believes at this point that he has caught a fish. As we see him holding the rod so tightly it suggests to the audience that it can't be a fish as soon after the rod is let go off and goes straight into the water.  Suddenly we see a wave appear. Here we see a medium-long shot of the man in the background along with the wave.  We then see a mid-shot of the man, allowing us to see the expressions on his face, allowing us to know how frightened and shocked he is. An extreme long shot has been used when the man starts to run down the pier, leading into a bird's eye view allowing us to see all of the action that is happening from up above. After we see some titles we see a point of view shot of a person sitting in the back seat of a car. This allows us to see  what the person can see and also suggests that is going to happen in the next part of the film.

Editing:

At the start of the trailer we see a few cuts. One of these cuts is from the establishing shot into the opening shot of the man walking down the stairs. This creates a calm and peaceful atmosphere. As the trailer continues we see more cuts being used building up tension and suspense.  This makes the pace quicker. We also see a shot-reverse-shot. This happens when we see the man picking up his drink to him looking at the fishing rod to us looking back at him. This makes us dwell on the thought of what is happening.  We also see a dissolve shot from the establishing shot into the opening scene.

Sound:

The opening of the trailer starts off with some music. This music seems to be quite upbeat, which makes the atmosphere seem full of life. We then hear two men talking over the music. As the men are just talking over the music is portrays to us that this is what they do on a daily bases.  When we see the man by the pier fishing we here a non-diegetic sound. This sounds like a fish. However we cannot see the fish. This then leads into a diegetic sound of the waves crushing against each other. These sounds are deep and low- sounding a bit like thunder creating a dark atmosphere. As the tension rises the music speeds up. This is when the man stops talking suggesting to the audience that he is to terrified and frightened for what is going to happen.  We then get a cut away into some titles as the 'Godzilla' title came up we here a non-diegetic sound. This sound is off a scream. As we cannot see where the scream is coming from we can only presume it is from the man himself. This also creates tension as the audience have no idea on what has happened as all we can see is a black background.

Mise-En-Scene

As the trailer starts we see a misty, rainy day leading into what look like a very much deserted village. This creates a dull atmosphere.  From what we can presume the man seems quite happy as he is walking along the pier hoping to catch a fish. The man is dressed in what looks like some old clothes. This suggests to use his social status. The first titles that appear we see a black background with yellow font being used. In typography we also see a sans serif typeface being used. This type of font is bold and eye catching. However when we see the title of 'Godzilla' we see a green background fade into a black background with the font is black and green surrounding the font the outline the letters. This is extremely bright and really draws you into what is being said on the screen.

The Start of our Continuity Task

Before we start to make our own opening to a thriller we have to complete a Continuity Editing task. This task requires to to think carefully about the 180 degrees rule. The final product can only also be approximately in length 60 seconds. Before we started we were given the Technicaul Requirements for the task, these are:

• Your must NOT break the 180 degrees rule
• You must include a shot-reverse-shot
• You must include a variety of appropriate camera angles
• You must edit so that continuity is apparent and meaning is clear
• You must include more than one location
• You must include some interactions between characters
• You must include some non-diegetic sound

These Technical Requirements are the aspects that me need to incude in a task to be able to say we have completed it at the end.


When planning the task my group broke it down into sections:

 The first thing we did was to make a brainstorm and write down our ideas. This allowed us to then think further into what each one should include and the theme of them. This then allowed us to decide on which idea we were going to do. My groups idea was to be called 'Man with Issues.' This idea is based upon a man who finds out that is wife is having an affair. We thought that this would be a good idea as it leaves the options open as to what we can include. Once we had decided on our idea, we then wrote down all of the possible aspects that we could include.

Before we could  devise our shot list or make our stoyboard we had to decide on our locations for our shots to be filmed. We decided to film in three different locations. This meets the requirements as we have included more than one location. This would then allow us to be able to say we are going to film this part here and be able to now where each shot was going to be being filmed when it came to drawing out our storyboard.
Below is a picture of our storyboard:

 1. This is our opening shot and you see the man walking from around the corner. Here he sees a weapon. This is a long shot.
2. We then have a close-up shot of the mans facial expression before he goes to pick it up.
3. As the man is picking up the weapon we have another close-up of his hand and the weapon.
4. This shot is a medium shot showing the man walking away quickly.

 5. Here we see the man walking fastly down the a hallway. Here we thought we could use panning.
6. As the man looks into the rooms we continue to use panning.
7. He then goes into a room were we have a close up of him starting to speak.
8. We then for the first time see the women who has been having an affair at the table writing down some information. This is when we get her response to what she has to say.

 9.  Another close-up shot of the man is then used.
10. This then shows us the weapon from behind his back.
11.  Here we have an over the shoulder shot so that we can see the man looking at the women.
12. This is a shot-reverse-shot sequence

13. This shot shows the women saying how sorry she is to the man.
14. Here we show the man hitting the women over the head with the weapon. We have an over the shoulder shot here which then leads into a high angle shot when he hits the women round the head.
15. This shows the high angle shot of above.
16. We then see the man walk away by dropping the weapon on the floor and then having the dorr slam shut.






 
Before we could start filming we devised a dialogue so that we knew what was going to happen. In my group Amy was the women having the affair and Josh was the husband who found out.  We then moved onto actually filming our opening.

When we were filming we took many clips so that we could then select the best ones and edit these. When filming we had to take into consideration the 180 degree rule. This meant that we had to be careful with the positioning of the camera. We also thought about the different shots that we could include for example a mid-shot,a shot-reverse-shot,close ups, long shot etc. This allowed us to include a different range of shots creating a variety.

Once we had finished filming we then uploaded all of our clips and started to look back through them to see whihc ones we should select to use. The programme in which we are using to create this task in is Adobe Premier. This allows us to edit and add in sounds.

I believe that this day was very successful, as we as a group achieved a lot in one day. From the beggining of the task, I learnt about the 180 degree rule and how and why it is important not the brake this rule. I also believe that I made progress in my own learning as well. I believe I made progress as I now now know more about the camera and filming. When we were filming today it helped me as I was able to actually film what was happening, making sure that I included the requirements.  Throughout the day, I believe we made as a group a lot of progress.  One reason why I believe we made a lot of progress is because we managed our time well and were commited to what we were doing. By being able to get all of our planning and filming done, it will now allow us with enough time to be able to edit our opening 60 seconds to the best of our ability. It will also allow us to be able to able to once we have put it together going back over it to make sure that everything is ok.

Anaylis of Donnie Darko

 To be able to understand the use of the camera, sound, mise-en-scene and editing in films we started to watch the opening few minutes of Donnie Darko.
Part 1:

Camera and Editing
The film starts off by giving us a dark background. This dark background then fades into a bright shot in the daytime. We see that the film starts off with the use of tracking. This then leads into an extreme long shot. This shot shows us the location of where this film is set. We then see the camera tracking the man character in the middle of the road. The camera goes from being an extreme long shot to being a close-up shot with no cuts in-between. By there being no cuts in-between it shows how the pace of the opening is very slow.  We also see that the camera uses a medium close shot. This allowed us to see the man's facial expressions. Furthermore when the man character gets upon his bike we see the use of panning being used. This is when the camera swivel to follow a moving subject. This happened when we saw the man character getting upon his bike, and riding it. Here we also see a lot of a lot of shots being shown. This makes the pace of the film seem a lot faster compared to the beginning when it was quite slow. After this we then see many jump cuts of him on his way home. This keeps the pace of the movie quite fast.

Sound

When the titles are playing we firstly here a thunder sound. This thunder sound is non-diegetic. Non-diegetic sound is where the sound isn't visible on screen, but you can hear it. In films this is usually done for dramatic effect. This thunder continues on through when the first scene starts. Here we here the birds coming in. This is also a Non-diegetic sound as you can't actually see the birds at all.  An introduction of music starts and replaces the sound of the thunder. This music starts when we see the boy lying on the floor just about the get up. Here the music is deep in sound and is ominous and dark. By is being ominous it makes us as the audience that something bad has happened. This makes us wonder why the boy is lying on the floor. This music then changes as we see the camera moving closer toward the man character, we hear the sound of a piano. This music is calm and peaceful. However it is quite a dwelling sound. This give us a slow opening and shows a melancholy. This is when we have a deep and long lasting sadness. This portrays to us that the man character could be trying to think back on what happened.

When the character stands up we here some music being played. This music is very angelic. This symbolises kindness and innocence. We see that when the boy picks back up his bike and gets on it the music tempo increases. This is much more upbeat than before. At this point we see many camera shots. This makes the film a much faster in pace. The music that we hear is called 'Killing Time'.  The word 'Killing' connotes to us that the film is a thriller. This relates back to the genre of the film.

Mise-en-scene
The opening title sequence of the film starts off by having a black background. On this black background we see some white text. Around this text is lots of negative space. The white text looks quite old and as if it has been hand-written. This makes us believe that the film is a thriller because of the way the letters have been formatted.

When we first see the man in the middle of the road with his bike next to him, it instantly makes you believe that he has just fallen off from his bike. However we don't actually know if he has or not. One reason for this is because when the man wakes up he is in his pyjamas. Here his facial expression convey to us that he is very confused.  We then see man getting up from the ground. Although, strangely he has a smile on his face and is laughing This gives us the impression that he is finding this amusing. This raises more questions as we wonder why as the audience he is finding it so amusing.
We then see the boy riding back to his neighbourhood. Instantly you can tell that  the location is in an American Suburb. This is recognised by the big houses which are all detached and the wide streets.  When he gets to the neighbourhood we are shown a Halloween sign. This sign shows us the place, time and event date of when this event is on. This sign suggests the aspect of Halloween. It also suggest to us as the audience that it could be a thriller/horror genre. This is suggested by the sign being Halloween themed which makes you think of Halloween related character for example witches and demons.

Later on we see a sign on the fridge door saying 'Where is Donnie'. This sign is for Donnie but more importantly it is for us as the audience as Donnie is missing physically and mentally.
Lastly we also see a women in her front garden reading a novel by Stephen King. Stephen King was very famous for writing horror movies. This again relates to the genre and backs up the point that it's a horror thriller.

 
Part 2:
 Camera: 
 We see that the camera zooms in towards the door and then zooms to the Chandelier and then back to the door again. By the camera doing this it makes the audience wonder why the camera is zooming from the Chandelier to the door. This portrays to use that this could be a sign to what is going to happen later. Later on in the clip we see Donnie walking down the pathway outside. Here the camera uses the technique of a Long shot. This is effective as we are able to see Donnie walking and also the surrounding around Donnie. We also see a close up shot of Donnie and the rabbits head. This happens when the editing technique of dissolving is being used.

Editing:
At the beginning of part 2 we see Donnie walking down the stairs. Here all cuts have been used. This speeds up Donnie going down the stairs as it is completely unnecessary to see Donnie walking about of the bedroom, onto the landing and then down the stairs. We as the audience can presume this has happened.  Here continuity editing has been used. This type of editing gives the film a quicker pace. This type of editing can also be referred to as a cheat cut- cheating time. We also see the editing technique of cross dissolve being used. This happens when we see the figure of the bunny and Donnie head. This creates the effect that either Donnie and the bunny have some sort of link/connection or that the bunny figure is in Donnie's head. Cross dissolving can also create a moment of super imposition. This makes us ask questions as we wonder why this has been done. Here we see a shot- reverse-shot sequence. Here we believe that director wants us to dwell on what is happening.

Sound:
The opening of part two starts off with some the chime of a clock. This acts as a signifier of time travel and also time. When Donnie is walking down the stairs we hear some background sounds. These background sounds are of someone talking. It is an Non-Diegetic sound, as we can't see where it is coming from on the screen. This sound is scary, deep in tone and distorted.  It also sounds like it's a voice from the future, as if it's not even current yet.  The voice could be of the antagonist. This reinforces the genre of the text and continues to create a sense of mystery and is sinister. At this point in film the voice is in his head. This is an assumption as we haven't seen the rabbit yet so we do not know.

Mise-en-scene:
The clip of the second part opens with Donnie in pyjamas as he has just got out of bed. We then see him walk down the stairs. Here the camera focuses on the Chandelier so that we can't see him go through the door when he's down the stairs.
The first time we see the rabbit is outside. We see that the rabbit is standing behind some brushes on the golf course and Donnie is walking up the pathway. Here we see a link between Donnie and the Rabbit as if they could be the same person and share the same life or are linked in some sort of way. This makes us question the possibilities.
The lighting is very low key throughout. By the lighting being low key it creates an atmosphere of darkness, and it also make you believe that when Donnie opens us the door that someone else is going to be there. We also see that low key lighting has been used on the bunny. This builds up the atmosphere of darkness. It also adds a sinister aspect. By using low key lighting it also makes it seem unknowing to the audience of what is happening. The use of non-diegetic music helps to add to the atmosphere that the low key lighting is creating.
The bunnies suit looks as if it is for Halloween. This relates back to the genre of the film being a horror as you expect to see scary and frightening outfits on Halloween.


Evaluation
From watching the opening few minutes of this film, I have learnt that the openings of a thriller can include so many different things that portray many different meanings and feelings to use as the audience. This will help me and my group when creating our opening two minutes of a thriller as we now know how the little things can make a big impact on the way we view the movie and what interpretations that we get. I have also learnt that by adding in non-diegetic music is creates a dramatic atmosphere. One aspect that I think when making the film we will benefit from is the use of low key lighting. This would be effective as it really builds up the atmosphere and gets the tension raised right from the beginning. This will be helpful when planning and making our thriller opening as this is something we can consider including.

Crime Gangster Films

After deciding as a group that we should do some further research, we thought it would be a good idea to looking into previous Crime Gangster films to see what the opening two minutes of the film featured and what were the conventions of it. By looking at Crime Gangster films it would help us as then we should see if we did decide on this genre what the opening two minutes roughly includes.
Below is the film Road to Perdition which was a 2002 film and the classification of a 15.

Road to Perdition 2002.

  

The Plot:

 

Mike Sullivan works as a hit man for crime boss John Rooney. Sullivan views Rooney as a father figure. However after his son is a witness to a killing he has committed Mike Sullivan finds himself on the run trying to save the life of his son and at the same time looking for revenge on those who hated and offended him. Jude Law co stars as a hit man hired to kill Sullivan.

When the title sequence starts to play we see a black back drop. The black back drop is a common theme/ feature in the Crime Thrillers and the Crime Gangster Thrillers. On the top of the black back drop appears the titles. These titles are in the colour of white. Again here this colour has commonly been used. Here we also see that the style of Sans Serif has been used. In typography a sans serif typeface is one that does not have any small projecting features called 'serifs' at the end of strokes. Additionally here we see the same pattern arising of the Sans Serif typeface being used.

Around 15 seconds into the tiles we start to hear a noise as if its the sea and the waves crushing against each other. We continue to hear this as the titles are being played. This sound is calm and peaceful. This sets the atmosphere as being calm and quiet. The black back drop slowly starts to disappear about 41 seconds into the title sequence. This is when we see a man figure looking out towards the sea. This gives us as the audience the impression that he might be reflecting upon something.  When we start to see an image of this man figure we also start to hear some other musical being played softly in the background. The first shot we get of this man figure is a long-shot. The camera then starts to zoom in. This is when we were who we think isa  young boy speaking saying the words of ' There are many stories about Michel Sullivan'. From the who we think is a young boy saying portrays to us that he is going to go back over a story that he believes. The man figure that we get in the establishing shot gives us to possible opinions. One of these is that that could be Michel Sullivan and you are hearing the boys voice over the top of it. Furthermore it could be the boy that we are hearing doing the voiceover, but as we can't see the front of him we do not know if this is true or not. The boy then continues to say 'some say he was a decent man some say there was no good in him at all. But I once spent  sixth weeks on the road with him in the winter of 1931. This is our story.'

By this boy saying ' this is our story' it tells us that he once knew this man and is going to tell us the story of him from his point of view. It also tells us that we are going to be shown a story of events that happened.

From the establishing shot I can tell that the location of this film is set in America. I can also tell this by the voiceover of the boy as he has an American Accent. The setting also helps to establish this as we can see a beautiful sunset.

We then see the man figure stat to fade away quickly and we get a white backdrop appearing. This is when we hear the words 'This is our story.' The white backdrop fades into a hill that is covered in snow.  Here we get a long-shot. At the top of the hill it looks like a boy riding down on his bike. When he gets closer this becomes clearer. This boy is whom we presume is Michel Sullivan. The titles then start playing again and we get an image of Michel riding through the town on his bike. We then get a shot of the back of Michel with the member of the public surrounding him as they walk past not taking a paper of him. When Michel starts riding through the town some upbeat and jolly music starts to play. This sets the scene. This give us the impression that it's going to be very market like when Michel is trying to sell the papers. In the last minute we see the camera zooming in on him.

The opening two minutes of this clip have shown me again some similarities between the titles. For example a black back drop with the white font and the typeface of san serif has been used. We see this in many other Crime Thriller Movies as well. The opening two minutes of the title sequence has helped me to understand how so much detail can be put into the first minute. This will help me and my group when planning our thriller opener as we will be able to consider for example including a voice over, or sound effects instead of just having some music being played in the background.

Below is a clip of Part 1 of this Film: