Hey! Since we've concluded the baseline research for our genre, it is finally time for us to look into ideas for what our actual opening could look like. The whole point behind even researching title sequences is to get an idea of how to establish the mood of the film from the very beginning, thereby eliciting an emotional response from the audience, whilst also properly crediting the film's creators and crew. To do so, we located and began looking at two very interesting websites, "Watch the Titles!" and "Art of the Title."
When it came to "Watch the Titles!," we did like how user-friendly the interface was with the "Feature film" section being pictured right on the home page for easy access. Upon clicking to access that part of the website, a number of different title sequences were presented to us, both live-action and animated alike. My groupmates and I were very fond of the fact that a snapshot of the title sequence had been provided, which allowed us to tell gauge whether or not a film would even have the possibility of fitting into the science fiction thriller genre. Now, when you actually click on one of the movie thumbnails, you are directed to a page with an enlarged image of the snapshot under which the designer of the title sequence's name is listed. On that same page, a brief synopsis of the general creative choices made in the title sequence is available, followed by a description of the techniques used in filming the title sequence, insight as to where the inspiration for the opening came from, and occasionally a transcript of an interview with the designer of said sequence.
Another convenient aspect of the website was the drop-down menus it had located at the top of the page, the "Studios" and "Designers" segments to be specific. Under the "Studios" tab, we found a list of various film content studios and a list of movies for which they had produced title sequences. We uncovered something similar under the "Designers" tab, except, this time, the films and their respective title sequences were shown listed alongside the names of their creators. The search feature on this website allows us to easily locate designers, title sequences, and even related articles and posts. Overall, after performing a relatively quick look over the entirety of the website, I do believe it will be a valuable asset in providing us with the concrete basis we need to generate inspiration for our upcoming project.
An image of the website's home page can be found below:
As for "Art of the Title," I will say that the homepage did look like it would be a bit difficult to navigate at first, at least until my group mates and I noticed the drop-down menus at the top of the page that prompt users to view numerous title sequences. Upon selecting the "View All Titles" tab, users are directed to a page comprised of various thumbnails which capture the title of the film itself during the opening sequence, much like what we saw on "Watch the Titles!". We sorted through the titles by filtering through the "Released" option, which organized each opening by its release date from more recent to older titles, the "Published" option, which showed when the title sequences were added to the website itself, and finally the "Name" option, which categorizes the films by the names of their production companies. In addition, when clicking on the aforementioned thumbnails on the website, we were shown a nine-panel set of images taken from the film's opening sequence, followed by movie credits, and sometimes an extract from an interview, or information about the title sequence's use of color and typography to convey a specific mood related to its genre. Film openings that are similar to the one shown will also be displayed at the bottom of the page under the "Related" section.
If we were to go back to the home page and select the "Designers + Studios" button at the top, we'd be shown an extensive list of just that, which we could change to a grid format to make it more digestible. Back on the home page are also a few articles that provide more in-depth information regarding certain titles sequences. The website's search feature is much more comprehensive than that of "Watch the Titles!" as it displays results for specific genres in the form of title sequences, designers, and studios. Moreover, I found that this website had a wider variety of movie openings than "Watch the Titles!," so it may be more useful to us than the aforementioned site.
I've included a screenshot of the website's home page below:
I definitely believe that these two websites are very promising in the sense that they both have so many amazing references that we can touch base with when looking to come up with our own ideas.
With this blog, it's safe to say that we're entering new terrority, so I think Judy Garland's iconic line, "I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore..." (The Wizard of Oz 1939) is a perfect way to end off this blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment