Analysis of Two Title Sequences

 

 Elementary Title Sequence

In this sequence the titles mainly appear after something has passed the screen or gotten in the way of where the titles are to appear. For instance, the gun’s revolving cylinder twists into view, leaving behind the name of one of the main actors in the series. This is an interesting way to get the audience to focus on the titles and makes them more likely to remember the names after they’ve read them.

The colours are all similar, except the white titling to represent the good the detectives do, and they nearly blend in together. However, thanks to the different lights we are able to differentiate between the background and the revolver, making it clear that the series involves crime but that it is a mystery to who commit it.  This is also emphasised through the extreme close up camera shot from the shooting end of the revolver, keeping the shooter hidden, even though no sign of the handler is visible it implies that there is someone watching. On the other hand it links to Sherlock Holmes and how he manages to see things from the murderer’s perspective in order to solve the mystery.

The Sixth Sense Title Sequence

In the sequence, The Sixth Sense, the titles fade in and out of the shot as if they were fading from a dream. The dreamlike effect is also used with the surroundings, portraying the centre of the long shot in black and white then fading out into black around the frame to suggest that beyond what the audience can see there is something evil, dangerous or unknown. These dark colours support the genre of the film as they set the tone and having the church in the shot being engulfed by these dark colours implies something unholy will happen.

The font of the titling is clear once it has fully faded in in the shot, proposing that the protagonist isn’t always clear minded and may even be unsteady at times. Then again, as the titling centred in the shot is highlighted by the light of the church, it denotes that the protagonist is tempted by the darkness (evil) but that he has light (good) in him.