Lord of War Title Timeline and opening sequence analysis

By Dario HartLord of War Title Timeline and opening sequence analysis Title TimelineT1 Nicolas Cage 0:18T2 Lord of War 0:30T3 Jared Leto 0:36T4 Bridget Moynahan 0:42T5 Ian Holm 0:46T6 Eamonn Walker 0:53T7 Sammi Rotibi, Eugene Lazarev 0:56T8 Jean-Pierre Nshanian, Shake Toukhmanian 1:00T9 And Ethan Hawke 1:08T10 Casting by 1:15T11 Music by 1:18T12 Costumer Designer 1:27T13 Edited by 1:34T14 Production designer 1:37T15 Director of photography 1:54T16 Executive line producer 1:57T17 Co Producer 2:05T18 T19 Executive producers - 2:11 2:21T20 T21 Producers 2:30 2:37

Title timeline

The conventions of a thriller openingThe storyline for the opening of 'Lord of War' could be seen to get the viewers attention well and the reason for this is due to the fact that is interesting as it shows the journey of a bullet from the production to the use of the bullet to kill someone. Due to the subject matter when it comes to the storyline of the opening title sequence the viewers attention is likely to be obtained and also held and the reason for this is because people have a build-up of tension due to the fact that they are following a bullets production to use to kill someone. The reason why tension is created is because the viewer will be wondering when the bullet is going to be used and whether it is going to inflict any damage to anyone.The conventions of a thriller opening As can be seen in the screen shot below of the executive producers the typography is very simply and I think the reason for this is so that it is stylistic of the way that military font is and what is meant by this is that the font which is used by the military is very simple and all in capitals and easy to read just like it can be seen in the opening title sequence Lord of War. This shows that the typography isnt truly stylistic of thriller as it doesnt do things such as give the viewer connotations of tension for example like can be seen in thriller se7ens font. But there are elements throughout the titles which reinforce the fact that this is a thriller.The first title of this says reads Nicolas Cage and the reason why this is the first title is because this is the main character and the most well-known actor out of all the actors within the film. Having the viewers seeing that Nicolas Cage is in the film can help to attract the viewers attention to the film as they will want to watch Nicolas Cage.

The conventions of a thriller opening

The conventions of a thriller openingThe number of shot types throughout the opening titles are very limited and what I mean by this is that there is only one establishing long shot which is of the factory where the bullets are made. The rest of the shots are however just point of view shots from the bullets perspective. This makes for limited viewing but on the other hand it makes you focus on the bullet which is being used. This therefore creates enigmas for the viewer as they could ask themselves questions such as why is this one bullet the one I am having to focus on, who's the bullet going to be fired at if it does become fired and is it going to kill the person who the bullet was fired at this also helps to keep the focus on the main thing in this opening sequence and that is the bullet. Having a small number of shops could however cause the viewers to become disinterested in the opening titles which could cause them to stop watching the film. One other shot which is used is the extreme close up which is used when the bullet is about to hit the boy in the head, this helps to emphasise the expression on the boys face which looks sad and down and causes the viewer to feel sorry for the boy as the bullet I moving towards him and the viewers know that there is a large chance that its going to kill him.

The conventions of a thriller opening

The conventions of a thriller openingHaving a the majority of the film from the bullets perspective helps to also show the extent of travel that the bullet goes through as it is seen to go from the factory to the some shipping port in Russia which can be recognised due to the accurate costume which is used worn by the person who opens the box of bullets.It then moves to an African shipping port, then onto the back of pickup truck and then into a small village in Africa where it is loaded into a magazine shot a used to kill a small child. Having changes of scene helps to keep the viewer interested as there is always something new to look at which keeps the viewer interested.

The conventions of a thriller opening

The conventions of a thriller openingThere is sound used in the opening titles of 'Lord of War' and the soundtrack used is 'For What Its Worth' by Buffalo Springfield. This soundtrack fits well with the opening titles of this film and the reason for this is due to the fact that the soundtracks lyrics talk about war which fits well with the opening titles and also the title of the film ('Lord of War'). I feel that the music juxtaposes what's going on in the opening titles and reason for this is because there are bullets being made and the opening titles are going through the bullets journey and the music which is being played is very chilled and relaxed which wouldnt be expected to go with the shots of the opening titles. Having relaxing music works well however when the gun is shot and the music abruptly stops and the reason why this works well is because there is nothing but the sound of a gunshot which emphasises to the viewer that a gun has just been shot and this sudden sound could also cause the viewer to be in shock by some sudden action which is expected in a thriller. Throughout the opening sequence the only real sounds which are properly heard are ones which are associated with the bullets for example the factory workers hammering down the tops on the boxes or the clinking of the bullets as they hit each other when they are poured out on the road in the small African village. Having only mainly sounds which are associated with the bullets being heard helps to emphasise focus on the bullets. What this does is help to create tension for the viewer as the main thing they are focusing on is the bullets which are a very harmful weapon to be used.

The conventions of a thriller opening

How is the genre of a thriller represented in the opening titlesThe conventions of a thriller which help to show the thriller genre of the film include things such as low key lighting, quick cuts, changes in camera angle and disorientation of time and space. The first sight of this being a conventional thriller was when the bullet can be seen being made for the first time and the reason for this is because bullets have a connotation with violence and the reason for this is due to the fact that they are used in guns which can be used to kill people. This is why people relate guns with violence which is a key convention to a thriller. This also shows the viewer that there is likely going to be violence in the film and especially when shown along with the title which contains a very strong word which is 'War' which also has connotation with violence and killing. This therefore creates tension for the viewer as they will be waiting for the action to occur in the form of a suggested gun fight.

How is the genre of a thriller represented in the opening titles

How is the genre of a thriller represented in the opening titlesLow key lighting is used in the opening titles of Lord of War. The time that low key lighting is used is each time that the location of the box of bullets changes and this can be seen for example when the bullets move from the factory to the ship yard in Russia as the only lighting that is used is a small amount through a slit between the box and the lid of the box. What the low key lighting does is create suspense and also enigmas for the viewer as when low key lighting is used when the box is either used or there is a change in position the viewer begins to wonder where the bullets will end up next and the tension is created as each time low key lighting is used and the bullets change position the action where the bullet is used gets closer. Having low key lighting and then suddenly there is a lot of lighting also creates a shock factor for the viewer especially when in the cinema as this will be emphasised due to the size of the screen and the fact that it is dark in the room.

How is the genre of a thriller represented in the opening titles

How is the genre of a thriller represented in the opening titlesChanges in camera angle werent used much throughout the opening titles but the time that they were was when the bullets got knocked out of the box at the African shipyard and when this happened the camera angle went from a just a normal point of view shot from the bullet just looking staright ahead to the camera following the whole bullets travel therefore helping to make the viewer feel disorientated due to the may directions the bullet travelled in. When the bullets fall out the box the bullet which has been focussed on throughout begins rolling towards the edge of the harbour as if its about to fall into the water which creates suspense that the viewer can feel as they dont know whether the bullet is going to fall into the water however the bullet is saved and the suspense felt by the viewer was therefore relieved when the bullet is saved.

How is the genre of a thriller represented in the opening titles

How is the genre of a thriller represented in the opening titlesA disorientation of time and space is used very well throughout the opening of the titles and this is due to the constant change of setting and also things such as weather as when the viewer is following the bullet in Russia the weather is cloudy but when the box of bullets is in Africa the weather changes dramatically to sunny and cloudless skies. The only time the actual time can be seen is right at the start of the opening titles when in the factory as can be seen below.But as soon as the bullets move out the factory it is impossible to track time as we dont know where the places that the box of bullets are appearing at and also on top of this the bullets go through a number of transportations which again helps the makers of the film to disorientate the viewer when they are trying to track time so at the end of the credits the viewers have no clue what time or what date for example the film is set in which helps to create tension for the viewer as the enigmas they have such as where are the certain settings for the film and when is it set keep running through their mind.

How is the genre of a thriller represented in the opening titles

How is the genre of a thriller represented in the opening titles Quick cuts are a very significant thing to include in a thriller as this is a key convention and the reason for this is because it helps to create tension and suspense for the viewer as these quick cuts are usually used when either there is action going on or there is a build up to the action and the film maker wants suspense to be built before the action breaks out. Quick cuts arent used in the opening titles for Lord of War meaning that some people may not notice that it is a thriller but suspense and tensions are created in other way with things such as quick changes in camera angles. Shadows are also usually used in thrillers and the reason why these are used is to again create tension. The way in which they create tension is for example say that there is a shadow of someone coming behind a victim who is about to be attacked and a shadow of the attacker can be seen by the viewer getting closer which creates suspense for the viewer as they can see the attacker getting closer.