A title sequence is the method by which cinematic films or television programs present their title and/or key production and cast members, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound. It usually follows but should not be confused with the opening credits, which are generally nothing more than a series of superimposed text.
Title sequences play a very big part in introducing a thriller film; the title sequence can use all kinds of particular elements to draw an audience into the action or physiological prospects that the film may go on to show. As our own thriller specifically requires titles, we feel that it is important that, the style, font, colour and the soundtrack that the titles are played to be relevant to our thrillers plot and also look professional.
Many titles sequences are used to engage the audience and often can create enigmas on what the film is about and can often show who the main protagonist is. Especially in thriller/horror films this is particularly used to create suspense and tension before r character dialogue is even spoken.
One of the most influential and talented title sequence designers was American Saul Bass, who was best known for his design on animated motion picture title sequences. During his 40-year career he worked for some of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers, including most notably Alfred Hitchcock, Otto Preminger, Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese. Amongst his most famous title sequences are the animated paper cut-out of a heroin addict's arm for Preminger's The Man with the Golden Arm, the text racing up and down what eventually becomes a high-angle shot of the United Nations building in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest, and the disjointed text that raced together and was pulled apart for Psycho.
Saul Bass’ initial objectives for all the title sequences he has created, was to set the mood and underlying core of the film’s plotline and express the story in a metaphorical way. He saw title sequences as a way of conditioning the audience so when the film actually began, viewers would already have an emotional and psychological resonance with it.
A piece of Bass’ work myself and my group particularly liked and felt was relevant to that of our own thriller was that of Martin Scorsese’s Casino (1995) an action packed thriller based on the themes of greed, deception, money, power and murder. All themes we have wished to feature in our thriller.
The title Sequence starts with a pitch black background and white narrow font style writing, this creates the sense of mysteriousness and intrigues the audience. The classical style soundtrack of Bach’s “Matthaus Passion” is played adding to the intensity of the opening. The visual then changes to Sam “Ace” Rothstein walking confidently out of a building and into a car which then proceeds to blow up into a fireball, Rothstein is then seen through a hyperbolized fireball and is represented to be in hell. Bass shows Rothstein’s desperate fear of losing control is reflected through his out of control freefall, and his increasing inability to maintain perspective on what is going on around him. Fire then transitions into crimson patterns portraying the lights of Las Vegas. Patterns continues to transition and are used as abstractions of Las Vegas signage and immolation's. Rothstein descends quickly over the superimpositions, then disappears entirely. Bass’ opening montage sets Rothstein well on his way to the calamitous life beyond repair Scorsese has in store for him.
Bass‘ vision of hell accurately summarizes the narrative ahead, without ruining any of the narrative surprises Scorsese has in store for the viewers. Like many a great Bass sequence, the combination of image and sound urges the viewer to consider theme: Las Vegas as the most tempting hell on Earth.
As the patterns continue to submerge through the screen, white titles are again show, and like Scorsese’s Cape Fear (1991) that’s title sequence is also produced from Bass, the actors names dissolve from left to right across the screen, this engages the audience to read what they are watching and take in the enticing world that the characters come from. The titles then remain centre for the rest of the sequence, until a crimson-orange swirling pattern appears and a black figure is seen falling again. Suddenly burning flames shoot up from the bottom of the screen and Rothstein’s body slowly slowly descends into them, showing his way into his hellish surroundings. Once the body is eliminated from the frame, the flames quickly shot up to the top of the screen and starts to diffuse into the crimson background until the frame is full of flames, a metaphor which shows we can all be captured within some type of hell. The scene is left with “Directed by Martin Scorsese” as the strong flames flicker behind it, which leaves a lasting impact on the audience and leads firmly into Rothstein’s story. In the editing process of our own thriller, Bass’ work has been influential, as we have included the pitch black background and featured the centred white titles, which it is unfortunate that we can not transition into each other. So instead we have created an interesting and intriguing way of transitioning the frames into each other to be in keeping with Bass’ absorbing style.
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