Max Hall
Title Sequences
Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960, US, Shamley Productions)
In Psycho's title sequence, the word 'Psycho' is distorted, showing the audience that something is wrong, building suspense. It is also stylised in all capital letters, as is often the case with thrillers.
Hitchcock uses a colour scheme of black, white and grey in the title sequence. Whilst black and white colour schemes have become a convention with thriller title sequences, grey is not so often used. Grey is a colour of uncertainty, and Hitchcock could have done this to show the audience the uncertain nature of the film.
The Game (David Fincher, 1997, US, Polygram Filmed Entertainment)
In this title sequence, the title is shown on a plain black background for a couple of seconds, and then the background turns into a puzzle and collapses. Whilst it would be plagiaristic to copy this exactly, it is important to remember that we don't have to stick exactly to the convention of white text on a plain background. Even a simple animation can show the audience what kind of film they are about to watch.
Also in the title sequence are some grainy 'home made' video clips, where the people are standing around awkwardly. This is helpful when you are trying to achieve a feeling of instability in the film. This should be taken into consideration when we are creating the title sequence.
Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2000, US, Newmarket Capital Group)
In Memento, Christopher Nolan chooses a slightly less conventional title sequence. The title of the film is stylised in black on a white background instead of the usual white on black. The words are made up from small particles that float across the screen which could suggest uncertainty in the storyline.
The title sequences also feature a black template over the camera, as seen to the right. This template also has a fingerprint effect on it. This could be useful for a medical setting, which we have chosen.
Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958, US, Paramount Pictures)
Vertigo's title sequence doesn't feature the usual black and white theme that other thrillers opt for, but instead Hitchcock pans over a womans face, stopping at the mouth and the eyes. The close camera angle on the womans face as the names appear on the screen make the audience feel claustrophobic, which is something to take into consideration when creating a title sequence for a psychological thriller.
The shot then turns red. Red can indicate blood or danger, which will make the audience feel scared. The word 'VERTIGO' is all in capitals, as is the case with most thrillers. The womans eyes are staring straight at the screen which makes her look vulnerable and scared, making the audience feel the same.
Se7en (David Fincher, 1995, US, New Line Cinema)
In the title sequence for Se7en, Fincher uses a conventional black and white colour scheme. The title is all in capital letters in a basic font, expect the font is distorted, something often seen in psychological thrillers, and something which we should take note of when creating our own title sequence.
This title sequence also uses a double-vision effect, making the audience feel uneasy as they are put in the position of the vulnerable, where they can't quite make out what is happening on the camera. The sound is also distorted at this point, with sharp unidentifiable sound effects repeating throughout the duration of the title sequence, which certainly set the mood in the film as a psychological thriller.
The Machinist (Brad Anderson, 2004, Sp/US, Filmax Entertainment)
In The Machinist, Anderson uses the black and white colour scheme used in other thrillers, with a very basic font. Unlike the other title sequences I have looked at, the title is not distorted in any way, which could be to fool the audience into a false sense of security for the film ahead.
The other shots in the title sequence show a few different everyday objects in a pitch black room. The light blub in the sequence is very bright and constrasts to the dark background. The light bulb then turns off, making the screen dark again. One subtle reading of this could be that the light represents hope, but then the light disappears, suggesting that there is no hope and that the film will have a dark tone, which it does.
