Thursday 31 October 2013

Drawing Inspiration From TV Introductions

Below are a variety of opening sequences from popular T.V shows, which I will break down to develop ideas for the opening sequence I will be doing with in my group.
   
                    
                                       


This is the introduction and opening credits to the television show Dexter. Throughout the beginning of the sequence there is a heavy emphasis on blood, a major theme of the show, as we see it when Dexter kills the mosquito, cuts himself shaving and when the title of the show appears. Drawing from this, my own opening credits could include major themes present in the rest of the sequence. Close ups of different parts of the character and the objects he is using occupy most of the rest of the sequence, and are accompanied by credits, unfortunately not present in the version above. The problem with close ups is they could distract from the credits, which is a problem when trying to display the people involved with the production. Luckily this has given me incentive to avoid close ups when credits are being displayed, and instead save them for portions of the sequence were they are not present. Finally, at the end of the sequence, we see the character we've been following throughout - Dexter. Dexter's opening sequence has given inspiration to show small portions of a person, place or object via close ups, to then hit the viewer with the reveal at the end. I believe this will be incredibly effective within the horror genre, in which I will most likely be working in for the opening sequence.




The video above is the opening credits to the insanely successful HBO fantasy drama, A Game of Thrones, based on the book series A Song of Fire and Ice by George R.R. Martin. What makes the opening credits so good is the way they capture the feel of the show, and show off its scale and complexity. The music playing through out the credits is what really enforces the fantasy vibe, and proves that music can be a huge factor in opening sequences. Something I will keep in mind when it comes to the practical side of the project. Across the sequence we are taken to the major locations within the show, helping to develop an idea of the scale of the world in which the show is set in. One downside to the sequence is its length, a common complaint from the shows many viewers. This is also something to keep in mind, helping to prevent viewers from becoming bored due to tedious opening credits.


Friday 18 October 2013

Inspiration for opening sequence

 


The project is to do a 2 minute opening sequence for a film. After watching lots of different opening sequences, I decided that archive footage would allow for creepy opening credits when I saw the video above. The video above is the opening credits in World War Z, based on the novel by Max Brooks.