Title AnalysisBy Jumana Ismail

For my research and planning, I have learnt the importance of titling in any film is to show case the cast and crew involved in the production. According to the uses and gratification theory, the titling helps the audience by allowing them to identify important things in the titling. The audience is able to recognise the product or person in front of you, role models that reflect similar values to yours, aspiration to someone else. For example, by allowing them to know who the directors and producers are, who are usually successful people that the many people in the audience would aspire to be like them. Successful typography sets the tone of a film and allows the audience to establish the rhythm and pace.

In order to produce good titles for my opening sequence, I have decided to analyse the titling sequence from two horror films with a horror genre as this is what I would like to for my main task. The two films I have analysed the tiles for are:-Halloween (1978)- Dawn of the Dead

Introduction

Billing

Billing is a term used in performing arts, specifically in film, television and plays, that refers to the order of how credits are presented for plays, films, television.etc. The information we see as part of the billing is usually the crew and other members that are part of the production.

They are represented in order of importance, the credits appearing first are with higher importance than the ones after. It is usually presented like this:

1) Producer2) Director 3) Well-known characters4) Major starring actors5) Title of the film6) Composer7) Designer 8) Editor 9) Director of photography

Although there is usually a specific order in the way the credits appear in title sequence, many

films go against the conventions and do it differently. For example in many title sequences I have looked at, the directors name has appeared more than once. This also happens more when the director is very popular. For example, In the

movie ‘Dawn of the dead’, John Carpenters name appears about 3 times. This also may be due to the fact that he is one of the top directors in the

genre.

Halloween is a horror movie that came out in 1978. It is directed by John Carpenter who is one of the top 5 directors. I have decided to analyse the title sequence of the movie ‘Halloween’ as I felt that they strongly stood out to me and followed the conventions of horror films. Additionally, Halloween is a very popular film and one of top movies in the genre.

Halloween

Initially, Halloween begins with a logo of the name of the company that distributed this movie, which is ‘Compass international pictures’. A compass international pictures is a well known distribution company in America. They have also distributed other films such as blood beach and hell night which are both also horrors. The company logo is very blunt and distinct which works well with the rest of the titles. Additionally, the distribution company is being advertised because if the film is good, the company will be remembered by the audience. Furthermore, as the company is well known and successful, it may establish positives expectations in an audience.

Usually in most films it says ‘producer’ however in this movie it says ‘Mustapha Akkad presents’ which is usually more interesting as the audience would feel as someone is presenting them the film, as if it was a ‘gift’ for example. After this, the title fades out for a while which excites the audience into knowing who the actors in this film are.

This the picture used next to the word ‘Halloween’ in the title sequence which is used to symbolise the day of Halloween in which most of the film is about. The fact that the titles fade out and the picture of the pumpkin fades in portrays the fact that this film is in relation to the day of Halloween which is something scary. The fact that this photo sits on the screen for a while allows the audience to process the picture in, as it will be coming up a lot during the film and therefore signifies the pumpkin.

The colours Orange and Black are two very contrasting colours which is used for a dramatic effect. The fact that a bright colour like orange is put against a dark colour like black makes the titles stand out to the audience and therefore it is clear to the audience who the actors are, as well as the title of the film. Therefore the audience is able to always remember the name of the film due to the way it looks. Also, as I previously mentioned, the colour orange is associated with the day of Halloween.

The colour Orange is symbolic of power and curiosity, which allows the audience to be curious and then realise that danger will happen throughout the film as the titles hen turn Red. The fact that the titles appear orange and then turn red shocks the audience into wondering what would happen next. The boldness of the titles makes it more blunt and unique in comparison to other titles, as it is different to typical horror films.

As the typography is towards the end, camera focuses more and more on the pumpkin rather than the actual words, as it zooms in to the pumpkin. This may be use to portray how danger is closer and closer, which excites the audience to watch the actual film.

Dawn of the Dead

Dawn of the Dead is a horror movie which came out in 1978. It is directed by George Romero which is also one of my top 5 directors, which I found out as part of my research and planning. I have decided to analyse the titles of ‘Dawn of the Dead’ as it came out the same year as Halloween, which is the previous film I have analysed the titles for. Whilst watching the opening sequence of this film, the titles stood out to me as I thought they were very different in comparison to other movies with the same genre. The titles were very animatic and bright which stand out to the audience and therefore makes the film more appealing.

United Film Distribution Company is a well known distribution company that has distributed over 23 films. Most of the films distributed by this company are horrors which shows that they have had a success with horror movies and therefore it may be a successful distribution company. The fact that it is the first title that has come up in the opening sequence is typical of horror movies, and any movie in general which follows the conventions of titling. Therefore, in my opening sequence, I would do the same. The title for the distribution company is simple and bold which allows the rest of the titles to stand out as they are very different.

Before the name of the film appears in the title sequence, the sentence ‘When there is no more room in hell’ comes up, then fades out, then ‘The dead shall walk the earth’ fades in. This is very different to the usual titles, as the movies intentions is to scare the audience from the minute they watch the titles. This is contrasted to other horror films, as the titles are usually just the names of people that have participated in the making of the movie. This makes the titles of the movie to stand out and therefore grabs the audience’s attention, allowing them to be hooked onto the film just by watching the titles.

The titles in this movie are a combination of black, red and white, which are the three main colours that are very bold, however have powerful representations. For example, the colour Red is the colour of fire and blood, which is usually associated with evil. Additionally, the colour black is a colours is a colour that is usually associated with power, death, evil and mystery. On the other hand, the colour white is related to purity and light. The fact that two powerful and evil related colours are put with the white may indicate that the evil will overcome the good in the film. Furthermore, the colour white is used as the titles in the black and red background which may be used for it to stand out and therefore draw the audience in. Moreover, the colour white can emphasise on the dead as the colour is usually related to ghosts and this film is about dead people.

The typography used in this film is very distinct, as it is not set out on the screen in a typical way. The titles are placed in different ways with different designs in order to allow the audience to stay focused and so it doesn’t bore them. According to the different titles that come up, it is set out in a different way and a different colour which interests the audience into reading what it says, as they also tell a story through the animations that are visible on the screen.

ConclusionOverall, according to the research I have done on title sequences from the horror genre, I have realised the importance of titling and the effect it has on any movie, specifically a horror, as it builds up suspense, by just watching the titles. By researching other title sequences from horror movies, I have learnt the importance of setting out the credits in a precise way and a specific order. This is according to the ‘Billing’ order, which is used in not only film, but plays and television. I have also learnt that the theme has to have a link to the rest of the movie, whether it is through the colours used or the design. It is very important that the name of the film looks different to the rest of the titles or stands out the most in order for the audience to clearly remember it. According to both title sequences I have researched, it is evident that both films have the name of the distribution company right at the beginning of the sequence, with a unique logo. this allows the companies to each be unique and be remembered by there specific logo. Each separate title sequence follows its own theme and strategy and stays the same throughout. This is important as it makes the film more distinct. From analysing these title sequences, I have learnt that they have a big impact on the rest of the movie and therefore I would do the same in my own title sequence.