HOLIDAY HOMEWORK / RESEARCH 1 - Analyse two film openings (21 Jump Street)

21 JUMP STREET

The opening for this film is quite hectic yet bizarre in the sense that it isn't conventional at all and is actually a mix and match of all four types of film openings. The first is a 'titles over a blank screen, followed by a narrative opening" sort of sequence as it shows a black background with the words "The End" in bold, blue letters on top of it. The title sequence then pauses on a shot of the directors' names and upbeat music is then added also.

Shortly after there are many random and colourful images that are shown at a fast pace which cause me to believe that it may be a 'stylized opening'. There are then titles on images which some viewers may find offensive such as drug abuse and provocative language but as the titles are made quite large and bold, the background images aren't so obvious at first. Throughout the sequence, the titles are all super imposed and intercut.

There are also various images sped up and slowed down during this title sequence which then brings me to the last type of film opening which is a 'discrete title sequence' as some of the images seem to stand apart from the film but also contains elements from it which may act as indicators to the plot such as money, gun firing, two police men etc. More examples of a discrete title sequence can be found in the link below. 

                                                                        

Images that stand alone from the film

Images that may act as indicators to the plot

There are various camera angles and shots going on as well as different editing techniques. Each shot has a different pace and sound and the whole title sequence involves different editing styles. Based on the soundtrack, the film appears to be quite urban/modern and more suitable for young adults+ rather than an audience such as OAPs. There are also snippets of scenes from the film which cause the soundtrack to dim a little so that the speech from the scene is heard. And lastly, some shots include diegetic and non-diegetic sounds.

Mise-en-scene in this case is very full-on, meaning that there are many locations, props, costumes, lighting, etc. being used in different ways and each all help contribute to making this title sequence very eye-catching, interesting and exciting.

The title sequence for 21 Jump Street can be watched here: http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/21-jump-street/