Class Notes- Tuesday 19th January

Genre

N.I.C.S- Use to define genre
N- Narrative
I- Iconography (Visual elements which establish the genre)
C- Characters
S- Setting

Analysing genre:

Dr.No 
Action/spy film- silhouettes, gun barrel (iconography which establishes the genre). Features Sean Connery-most known for James Bond.


Splice
Sci-fi film, green colour scheme, consistent colour scheme throughout which gives off a skin/ alien effect on the audience.


The back up plan
Chick flick- bright colours. Hybrid: Romantic-Comedy (Rom-Com). Romance iconography- babies on TV. Comedy iconography- Flasher. This film is clearly targeted towards a female audience- elegant typography, animation, colour scheme.


This means war 
Rom-Com: references spy film. Uses intertextuality to reference a James Bond film.

Class notes- Thursday 14th January

Saul Bass (1920-1996)

Who was he?

• An American graphic designer who became famous for his work in film.
• He studied design at Art Students League in Manhattan.
• Born in New York on May 8th 1920.

He had a very recognisable style which consisted of simple and generic shapes. These were strategically used to convey the genre of the film.

He started his career by designing posters with his ability of being able to capture the mood of a film by using simple images and shapes.

Often, these shapes used were hand drawn by Bass in order to create a more casual appearance. This was also usually accompanied by a sophisticated soundtrack.

Throughout his career he designed over 60 title sequences with his most famous including North by Northwest, Vertigo and Psycho.

He worked alongside Alfred Hitchcock a lot in his career with a good example being Vertigo.

His title sequences revolutionised the style in which we see them these days.

Class notes (Thursday 7th January)

Order of titles (Rule of thumb):

• Studio
• Director
• Stars (In order/reverse order of fame/status) 
• (Film name)
• Crew
• Editor
• Writer (screenplay)
• Producer
• Director 

"Catch me if you can" title sequence

The "Catch me if you can" title sequence uses very simple typography which accompanies rather straight forward animation which mainly consists of straight lines. The font itself is a San serif font (letters without tales). In fact the sequence uses both a serif and San serif font . The font looks almost like a typewriter. This could be deliberately used to indicate the time period the film is set in, which is presumably the 1960's. The font also seems to be light hearted, allowing the audience to enjoy the sequence more. It doesn't take a serious or dark tone which gives the film a warmer feel to it. The Serif font helps to give the film a more old fashioned look, which suits the serif font which looks like a typewriter. The type of clothing worn by the characters in the sequence (despite being animated characters) are typically old fashioned, again suggesting how the film would be set in the past.

The lines that appear commonly throughout give a certain flow the film. It also suggests that lots of different things will happen at once in the film. The actual plot is the film is that of a man who, in an attempt to escape from something, will take on many different persona's and jobs. The lines therefore could represent this.

The sequence as a whole follows the main character (Leonardo Di Caprio) on his journey, going through several different costumes and professions on the way. In regards to the titles themselves, they appear in the same style as the majority of the sequence, using lots of straight lines. Perhaps this could be a way to emphasise how important these titles were. The soundtrack is very upbeat and friendly, which complements the overall style of the sequence as a whole. 

Class notes (Tuesday 5th January)

What is a title sequence?

• An introduction
• Opening sequence of a film
• Presentation of title and production and cast members
• Catchy sequence
• A way to convey the genre and make a good first impression

Typically they contain:

• Film title
• Details of cast and crew
• Introduction to characters/character type
• An indication to the setting of the film
• An indication to the time period which the film is set in
• Information regarding the mood
• A signature theme tune (recognisable and catchy)- E.g. James Bond
• The films genre
• Questions that the viewer finds intriguing and interesting.
• An editing style that will be followed throughout the rest of the film
• Mise en scene and cinematography styles that will be followed throughout the rest of the film 

Different types:
Title sequences can be used as:
Prologues- Giving a back story to the film and filling the audience in with what has happened prior to the actual start of the film. Often uses flashbacks and perhaps montages. E.g. The Incredible Hulk/ Watchmen.
Setting up universal theme of film- This is a more simple way and will look to inform the audience what the film will be about and what the genre/ theme of it is. E.g. Love Actually.