HW 2b - Analysis of Titles in Film Openings (DYM)

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/casino-royale/

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/guardians-of-the-galaxy/

 

The two film openings that I have decided to compare are Casino Royale and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Below are two timelines of each film opening which show the running order, placement of titles and also the music involved. 

Running order

Both films start with the production company as the first credit. Guardians of the Galaxy then follows with the writer's credit as well as the cast credits before the title appears (at 2:25) whereas Casino Royale has only has the main actor's credit and the author's credit before the title appears (00:15). Both films then follow with the crew credits and have the executive producer's, producer's and director's credit at the very end. 

Placement of titles

For both films the titles have been positioned so that they do not cover the main focus on screen. For example, in Guardians of the Galaxy majority of the titles are in the bottom right hand corner or on the sides, so that it does not distract from what is on screen as the background for the titles is a scene from the film. In most cases, the character is the focus and so the titles are positioned around him. Similarly in Casino Royale, the titles are placed around the screen so that it doesn't cover the intricate graphics behind them. Main credits such as the film's title appear in the centre of the screen for both openings. In Casino Royale, the main cast credits are in the centre as well as the production company and author's credit.

Style

Guardians of the Galaxy is a sci-fi action film which can be seen through the holograms, spaceship and advanced technology. The general colour scheme of the opening scene is greys, blues and black which works well with the outer space theme. This is contrasted by the bright yellow font used for the title and credits, which draws attention to them. The font used also has a futuristic feel to it, helping to emphasise the genre. In a similar way, the Casino Royale opening also uses the animation and graphics to portray genre. Within the animation are constant images of cards and roulette tables, highlighting that the central focus of the film will be the casino and what takes place within it. Additionally, there is a large focus on guns, fighting and violence in the animation, showing that this is an action thriller. The main colours used are black and red which are the colours of the suits on cards but also could be used to symbolise blood and death. The font is simply and the colour is white which allows it to be seen clearly and also means it does not distract from the graphics. As both films are large blockbuster films, they both have the budget to create incredible graphics and visual effects within the opening which helps to engage the audience. 

Sound

Guardians of the Galaxy starts off with a non-diegetic soundtrack as well as sound effects which helps to create atmosphere and realism. The non-diegetic soundtrack ends just before the title appears as this is when the main character takes out an audio player and plays the next track (which is now diegetic). This song continues for the rest of the titles. The upbeat track shows that this film will be quite light-hearted and comedic. The sound effects are heard throughout the whole opening. This is different to Casino Royale which has a score that has been specially written for the film that plays throughout the opening. This is because the James Bond franchise is an extremely popular franchise known for its iconic theme and memorable scores. A single gunshot is also heard at the very start which further emphasises the genre of the film.