Module 5 week 6 – Activity 2 Case Study | Title sequences

The most striking thing about The Good The Bad and The Ugly (TGTBTU)is the use of music to emphasize the action depicted by the fairly simply graphics.
The heartbeat drums building up smashed by the gunshots to introduce the main character and highlight the producers, directors name etc. The simple use of keying over red and green gives a real feel for the blood shed in the movie and is again emphasised buy the gunshots.

Combined with what seems like hand drawn animation (given the year of production) a real sense of fear and speed has been created by the meshing of these simple techniques. It is not a pleasing, easy on the ear sound and the harmonies that are ‘sung’ are dischordal and not harmonious making it a difficult and uncomfortable listen.

The Island of Dr Moreau (TIODM) is on the other hand a lot more modern and recongised as being a pioneer in motion graphics title sequences exhibits far more incredibly trickery and modern titling capabilities. At the same time there are similarities in some of the simplicities used here as well. There is a basic theme of simple core colours to begin with and these are matted or keyed out to reveal other imagery beneath them similar to TGTBTU. Where as in the latter a fragmented feel is achieved by washing text in and out the same overall effect is achieved in TIODM with text fragmentation. They both use a similar dramatic effect with sound accompaniment to emphasize key turning points with dramatic drumbeats and key splashes of sound movement. The music to TIODM is also dischordal and awkward on the ear and is used to create a sense of discomfort and fear and uneasiness to great effect.

Off topic, but an amazing title sequence to watch for Tracking, Compositing and 3D compositing is Carnivale by a52 (available on Art of the Title also). In this sequence the user is shown 2D flat plane Tarot cards that are then turned, tilted and zoomed into in a 3D composite manner. German imagery comes to life and American newsreels float in and out of perspective tweening between the film reels and the still imagery. The whole sequence is an amazing display of motion graphics, compositing and 3D animation merging with film. What kind of genre would you say this is? I think it belongs in the surreal pocket but has elements of so much it would be heard to define.

I also found the sequence from Casino Royale most intriguing visually, especially the way that the four suits from the deck of cards are used to excellent effect. Every time a character is crunched, punched, killed and squished they explode into an alternate suit from the deck. In one particular card scene a composite takes place where you are seeing an ink drawing of the Queen from the deck, as the crosshair passes over her we see a real woman of similar ilk beneath just for a second. The theme uses these images throughout the entire composition building on the theme of the casino as roulette wheels spin in and out of focus and characters dissolve into hearts, clubs, spades and diamonds while Daniel Craig romps around shooting people. Fantastic! I think I have found my calling, a total mesh of all of my favourite things piled into one!