Skyfall title sequence analysis (spy genre)

The James Bond Skyfall film comes under the genre our group picked for our title sequence. The genre is spy, which in turn is a sub-genre of action.

The sequence combines elements of mystery and perhaps even illusion with key iconography from the genre itself. This iconography includes guns, women and silhouettes. These visual elements are very iconic of this genre as audiences have got used to seeing them in similar films over the years. These elements are also very common in the James Bond films and feature regularly in each film in the franchise.

This sequence is perhaps one of the more unique title sequences from the spy genre as, as previously mentioned, it uses imagery that could perhaps connote mystery. Strange shapes and a slightly vague narrative leaves the audience wanting to see more of the film. However, again the iconography is key for allowing the audience an insight into the theme and genre of the film even if they had never seen a James Bond film before. The sequence also uses a shot of inside a gun barrel which again has become a key visual element of the Bond franchise. The silhouettes used are also important as they yet again give off a sense of mystery which the audience can use to create enigmas towards who the main character is. This keeps the audience in touch and makes them want to see more to find out.

The sequence arguably shows the danger that the protagonist (James Bond) will face throughout the film as a whole. The imagery that looks to closely resemble hell and images such as skulls, blood or guns could form this so called "danger". This danger is another key convention of spy films as the main character usually plays a hero who has to fight against all odds to complete some sort of mission/objective.

The titles themselves take on a slightly less important role. They adopt a smaller font size and simple font choice in order to not take too much attention away from the imagery on screen behind the titles. The only titles that are arguably made to look important are the main characters names and the film name itself alongside the director and production company.