Analysis of opening title sequence

Frankie chambers

InceptionMese en sceneThe opening sequence of Inception is done by using animation. This seems to have been done in the style of a lot of old psychological and crime thrillers, such as Saul bas’s opening titles for Alfred Hitchcock's psycho, this is probably to show there is something weird going on. The distorted lined and urgent music also compare with Psychos opening titles. The use of distorted and confusing lines gives a sense of confusion and mystery. The colours used are red, black, and white witch also seems to be a common theme in crime thrillers as the red can be interpreted as blood, power, and danger and the black and white could represent good and evil. A important item in the film is the spinning top owned by the anti hero. There is a animated spinning top that consistently appears in the tangle of lines during the opening credits and is the first thing you see at the start. This is to add to the confusion of the opining credits and also to make the audience feel like they have been let in on a secret when they find out the spinning top is a consistent theme in the movie. The animated image of the spinning to spinning right at the start of the opening titles also ties the opening to the film to the end nicely as the very end of the last scene in the film shows the spinning top spinning (and not falling over)TitlesThe titles are done in very bold, strate, block capitals in either black or red. This is done to show the film is serious and sinister as that is the feeling having such dramatically bold titles gives. Every new title is done by zooming into a part of the title already on the screen, this is done to create a direct link from the title to the film as the film is about people going deeper into dreams and the titles are going deeper into each title. SoundThe music is quite fast passed and dramatic, it is used to create suspense through the title sequence before the film starts, it is music made by an orchestra, witch indicates it may be a film about important rich people or gangsters.

still of opening titles showing a confusion of lines and the presence of the spinning top

Spinning to at the very beginning

The butterfly effect Meis en scene The background is black with specks of blue and yellowish

light appearing on the screen and moving across in a spot light motion, or in a fluttering flashy motion. This is don to make the viewer feel uneasy and intrigued into what it may be. About a quarter of the way through the opening titles sequence and weird bulging ripple of yellow light appears in the bottom left hand corner. This causes a deep sense of confusion and shows that there is defiantly something very strange about to happen in the film. Halfway through the title sequence it becomes clear the blue lights are butterfly's even though they are still slightly blurry you can make them out. Fragments of hand written righting also is show on the black screen. Both the butterfly and the righting have been used to link the titles sequence to the film as the name of the film is the butterfly effect and in the film the protagonist keeps dairy's. Just after the half way point of the title sequence images of an x-rayed human skull and neck flash really quickly onto the black background they get more and more frequent and then stop before the end this is used to increase confusion and give a hint that the film is about the Brian

Titles The titles are done to look like they are floating on some kid

of fluid, as when they appear and disappear they are distorted and cause ripples. This could possible be a link to the fluid around your brain but is most likely done because the link between the rappelling affect of one small thing on the water and the effect that one small thing can have on the lives of human beings as this is a direct link to the film. The distortion of titles is also done to shows things aren't quite as they should be.

music The music is light and fluttery, yet urgent, this is done to put

across the feel of a butterfly on a jurney.

Bulging ripple of yellow light

Blurry yet distinguishable butterfly

The shining Meis en scene and cinematography First the logo of the producing company is shown

followed by a tracking shot along a river in a mountainous aria. A birds eye view of a small road between lots of trees is then shown, this is to demonstrate the remoteness of the aria that the film is set in. A panning shot follows the car from out of the trees to a narrow road along the side of a gorge or mountain. The panning shot zooms in on the yellow car and then moves past it, this is done to show the irrelevance of the car in such a vast landscape. The camera carries on panning the land from a high angle until finally showing a big hotel at the foot of a mountain. This is done to show there is no easy way to leave the hotel and how isolated it it, the titles also end showing the hotel because it is a main theme of the film.

Titles The titles are done in bold capitals, this is to show the

movie is serious. The color is a torques blue color, this is done because it is a strange color that is often related with the supernatural because it looks like it is florescent and spooky.

music the music at the start of the titles is gloomy and ominous

to fit in with the vastness of the landscape being filmed. Half way through the titles the ominous music is joined by weird spine chilling twidderly bits like millions of owls talking to each other late at night and string being plucked, this is done to assert the audience that something is not right and there are probably going to be so very strange things happening in the film.

Hotel at the end of the sequence

Shot showing big landscape and small road.