Title Sequence Analysis

For my Title Sequence Analysis I am going to review the title sequence for "The Number 23"

This is a film about a dog-catcher called Walter Sparrow who takes a call that leaves him dog bit and late to pick up his wife. He finds a book whilst browsing in a book store which is a murder mystery with numerology that loops constantly around the number 23.

Walter is captivated by the story and soon finds parts of his life that can be associated with the number 23. He soon begins to believe that the book is not a novel at all and is much more.

The title sequence is very fitting i feel to the movie as it is a very eye-pleasing original concept. The entire sequence portrays the members of the team who helped with the film and the title of the film along with real-life events that happened that can be somehow associated with the number 23. It tries to aware the audience of the significance of the number and get the audience thinking about it.

Some of the associations are creepily true but all of them can be rightfully assosiated with the number 23. A good example of an assosiation is the theory that the world is going to end in 2012. They use this theory and relate it to the number 23 by presenting that if '2012' is split up to '20' '1' and '2' then 20+1+2 = 23.

The sequence also involves a lot of blood. This wipes over and moisturises the paper like texture that all the "23" assosiations and producers etc... are printed upon. The blood effect gives us a very clear understanding of what is likely to be involved in the film. It gives the impression there will be violence. This is instantly appealing as the title sequence and the actual plot fit well together and are relative to each other.

I feel this is a very effective title sequence for the film. I find it very eye-pleasing and well made.

Shutter Island Anaylsis

The Film Shutter Island opens up with a short title sequence, this lasts for about 40 seconds and includes the film's title, presenter, pruducer and compnay's they are in association with. The actual film opens up with a wide angle, long shot of a boat. This is establishing the scene. It then present us with the 2 main male charecters by using close ups, and the "shot / reverse shot" technique and sticking to the 180 degrees rule during conversation.

During the conversation the charectors establish a brief understand of why they are there, who they are, the plot of the film and a bit about the charecter's backgrounds.

Later in there is another series of shot / reverse shots during a conversation with a guard, outside what looks like a prison. The scene is first viewed with a long shot to set the location. We are given a basic idea of what is happening and the guard leads the main 2 charectors through the prison. This gives us an idea of what is in the facility and we are intorduced to some of the "patients" We are given a close up of one particular and we get flashes about her. This gives us the idea that something is going to happen with her. It allows us to gain an idea of the plot.

The Team

Character Profile - Scott

Name - Michael Welling
Age - 19
Gender - Male
Appearance - Brown haired, blue eyed, jeans, pumps, t-shirt and purple jacket
Personality - Easily scared, always on edge, loudmouthed and can sometimes be very quiet around other gang members.
Background - Was part of a gang that murdered the character 'Sophia's' parents

Charector Profile - Adie

Name Sophia ____ (we never learn her second name)
Age - 19
Gender - Female
Appearance - Blonde long hair, leather Jacket
Personality - Quiet, sinister and serious
Background - Had her family murdered by gang. She is seeking revenge. She isn't very well known by anyone and stays away from any form of human contact. No one knows who she is and no one questions it. She always injects a sense of fear within others she comes close to.

Treatment 2

Treatment – 2 minutes

Seeds of Revenge

108 minutes

The film would be a 15 because it would have explicit language and there would also be violence. The film would be aimed at 15 – 30 years old and mainly male

The 2 minutes film takes place in an abandoned cellar where the main character, Sophia, has tied up her first victim who was partly responsible for the murder of her entire family. It starts with us seeing the victim being drugged by Sophia and subsequently him passing out. We then see him wake in a darkened room alone and disorientated before he realise what is happening. After this He shouts out and tries to break free before Sophia reveals herself to her first victim.

Sophia emerges from the darkness, still partially hidden, to her victim and discusses why she has done this and what she is going to do. The camera then moves to what her victim sees before switching to a shot of the entire room fading out whilst Sophia starts to kill her first victim and causing him as much pain as possible.

Treatment 1

Treatment – Whole Film

Seeds of Revenge

108 minutes

The film would be a 15 because it would have explicit language and there would also be violence. The film would be aimed at 15 – 30 year olds and mainly male
A girl of 12 witnesses her entire family massacred in front of her and all she can do is hide. 7 years later she can do a lot more than hide. We follow the story of one woman who lost her family to a pack of drug dealers trying to get some cash as she tries to seek revenge on the 10 men who are responsible, and a few more as collateral damage.

We start by seeing the true side of Sophia and the true intentions that she has revenge engraved into her mind and we also see the intention of the drug ring to find and kill Sophia before she can find and kill her ten most wanted.
After Sophia has started her twisted plan the ring soon sends people to deal with her sending her into hiding and forces her to work from the shadows to take out her targets. Before long Sophia is forced to flush out her targets with the plan of luring them into the open.

Logo

Risk Assessment

Similar Projects - Memento

Memento

Review
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20010413/REVIEWS/104130303/1023

Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vS0E9bBSL0

Similar Projects - The Number 23

Number 23

Review
http://www.cinemablend.com/reviews/The-Number-23-2105.html

Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ElUBr6-GLU

Similar Projects - Shutter Island

Shutter Island

Review
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/mar/11/shutter-island-review

Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5iaYLCiq5RM

Title Sequence

The titles sequence that i want to review is the opening theme to the TV show Dexter which is about the life of a blood analyst who works with the police on a regular basis to catch serial killers. All the while Dexter is hiding the fact that he too is a serial killer who hunts down acquitted murders and seeks vengeance.

The opening theme shows us the morning routine of Dexter Morgan and takes us through him waking up to him going to work and everything in between. I feel that the title sequence is very good as it shows us the dark side to everything he does. A good example of this is when he cuts into some meat that at first looks like human flesh but as we soon see it turns out to be bacon. This sequence is visually pleasing and shows us how everything can be seen in two was just like how Dexter feels in his everyday life.

Another good title is the titles for Lord of war a film about the life of a gun merchant. This Title scene is shows what happens when a bullet is produced, shipped and then finally used. It is visually pleasing as it gives a first person view from the bullet and shows us what it sees, so to speak.

I feel that the title to Dexter would be a better title for our movie but instead of showing a lighter side i think we could show the darker side of the main character showing how she has a dark side because of what happened to her family.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHn1zogeyO4&feature=related

Certificates of film "15"

Since our film is aimed to be avaliable to a 15+ audience we need to be sure our film stands by the legal certificate standards in place to have permission to show the film to the specified age group. If we do not stick to these regulations then the film may be classed as only being suitable for 18+. This does not follow our plan and so problems may occur.

Below are the official standards that we have to follow for our film to gain an 15+ Certificate.

Official Certificate Standards

"Suitable only for 15 years and over

No one younger than 15 may see a ‘15’ film in a cinema. No one younger than 15 may rent or buy a ‘15’ rated video work.

Discrimination

The work as a whole must not endorse discriminatory language or behaviour.

Drugs

Drug taking may be shown but the film as a whole must not promote or encourage drug misuse. The misuse of easily accessible and highly dangerous substances (for example, aerosols or solvents) is unlikely to be acceptable.

Horror

Strong threat and menace are permitted unless sadistic or sexualised.

Imitable behaviour

Dangerous behaviour (for example, hanging, suicide and self-harming) should not dwell on detail which could be copied. Easily accessible weapons should not be glamorised.

Language

There may be frequent use of strong language (for example, ‘fuck’). The strongest terms (for example, ‘cunt’) may be acceptable if justified by the context. Aggressive or repeated use of the strongest language is unlikely to be acceptable.

Nudity

Nudity may be allowed in a sexual context but without strong detail. There are no constraints on nudity in a non-sexual or educational context.

Sex

Sexual activity may be portrayed without strong detail. There may be strong verbal references to sexual behaviour, but the strongest references are unlikely to be acceptable unless justified by context. Works whose primary purpose is sexual arousal or stimulation are unlikely to be acceptable.

Theme

No theme is prohibited, provided the treatment is appropriate for 15 year olds.

Violence

Violence may be strong but should not dwell on the infliction of pain or injury. The strongest gory images are unlikely to be acceptable. Strong sadistic or sexualised violence is also unlikely to be acceptable. There may be detailed verbal references to sexual violence but any portrayal of sexual violence must be discreet and have a strong contextual justification."

Genre

Thriller is a genre of literature, film, and television that uses suspense, tension, and excitement as the main elements. The primary subgenre is psychological thrillers. After the assassination of President Kennedy, political thriller and paranoid thriller films became very popular. The brightest examples of thrillers are the Hitchcock’s movies.

The cover-up of important information from the viewer and fight/chase scenes are common methods in all of the thriller subgenres, although each subgenre has its own characteristics and methods. Common methods in crime thrillers are mainly ransoms, captivities, heists, revenge, kidnappings. More common in mystery thrillers are investigations and the whodunit technique. Common elements in psychological thrillers are mind games, psychological themes, stalking, confinement/deathtraps, horror-of-personality, and obsession. Elements such as conspiracy theories, false accusations, paranoia, and sometimes action are common in paranoid thrillers. Some argue, though, that the thriller genre is simply a pseudonym for the horror genre, both using suspense and atmosphere to cause feelings of dread in their audiences.

Some Thriller subgenre include;

* Crime thriller: This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasise action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include serial killers/murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, heists and double-crosses. Some examples of crime thrillers involving murderers include, Seven, A Perfect Murder, No Country for Old Men, Firewall, Hostage, Silence of the Lambs, Kiss the Girls and Copycat. Examples of crime thrillers involving heists or robberies includes The Asphalt Jungle, The Score, Rififi, Ocean's 11, Entrapment, The Killing and Reservoir Dogs.

* Disaster thriller: In which the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc., or nuclear disasters as an artificial disaster. Examples include Earthquake, 2012, The Day After Tomorrow, Poseidon, Knowing, Deep Impact and Twister.

* Mystery thriller: Suspense films where characters attempt solving, or involved in, a mystery. Examples include Flightplan, Mindhunters, The Number 23, Unforgettable, Shutter Island, Secret Window, Vertigo, Identity and Memento.

* Psychological thriller: In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical. The Alfred Hitchcock films Suspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, and Strangers on a Train and David Lynch's bizarre and influential Blue Velvet are notable examples of the type, as are The Talented Mr. Ripley, "Orphan", House of 9, Phone Booth, Cape Fear, Red Eye, The River Wild, Psycho, P2, Breakdown, The Collector, Panic Room, Don't Say A Word, Frailty, The Good Son, Dead Calm, Funny Games and Misery.

*Revenge films: Out of the sub-genres of exploitation film, this focuses more on the thriller elements such as suspense, tension, some action and fast-pacing rather than scares and the supernatural. Some famous revenge films are The Last House on the Left, Irréversible, Thriller - A Cruel Picture, Baise-moi and I Spit on Your Grave.

Although most thrillers are formed in some combination of the above, there are some however that are formed with other genres, which commonly are the horror genre, spy genre and the action/adventure genre.

Props

Rope / Duck Tape – The Victim is bound by this.

Water – Victim drinks water. It is contaminated by a drug that knocks him out. This is how he has come to be tied up.

Flowers – Killer is seen placing flowers on a grave at the beginning of our film. This gives an idea towards her reasoning and past.

Pick Axe / Clippers / Knife – Threatening tools used by the Killer to intimidate the Victim.

Chair – The Victim is bound on the chair.

Clock – After the Victim drinks the contaminated water a clock is shot for a long period of time. The shot will then be sped up showing a passing of time.

Distribution

The company was founded on the 10th March 2005 with a headquarters located in New York City, USA. The company has over 200 employees and its website is www.weinsteinco.com

The Weinstein company has distributed films similar to our such as Lucky Number Slevin in the past therefor it is experienced and happy to work on this kind of film.

The company distributes its films overseas too so this will increase the number of people that have access to a cinema screening of our film.

Wikipedia link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Weinstein_Company

Script for the first 2 minutes.

This is the script for the first 2 minutes of our film. It includes a title sequence and music to set the mood. The short bit of dialogue presents panic in the victim and the killer's small amount of dialogue creates a sinister character.