Sexy Beast and The Shining

In class, we looked at the opening title sequences of both Sexy Beast and The Shining. Both very different yet equally successful in introducing the genre of the film.

Sexy Beast, directed by Jonathan Glazer, is a British-Spanish crime film with actors such as Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley. The opening title sequence is comical and shows Ray Winstone sunbathing by his pool in the scorching heat. We can tell that the character is probably a gangster by his ridiculous tan, gold pretentious jewellery and cockney accent. We can also tell that the character is rich by the look of his house, and we can tell it is his house by the way he speaks to the younger man who works for him. The music in the background, peaches by the Stranglers, gives it attitude which the character has. This furthers that he is probably a gangster. The editing is very slow. This is to emphasise the heat of the sun and the character's laziness. It also emphasises the boulder falling at the end as it suddenly speeds up therefore creating a threat. The opening title sequence is comical through the character's costume, which is over the top, and through his lack of reaction when the boulder just misses him. The font used is pink and over the top. This is to reflect the character and the funky feel of the film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps2WwRjvQkY

The shining, directed by Stanley Kubrick and based on the book by Stephen King, is a British-American psychological horror film featuring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. The opening title sequence is mainly just scenery and music and no characters are shown. The frequent establishing shots illustrate to the audience where the film is to take place. As the shots evolve, the audience can see that the car driving is getting further and further away into the mountains. This is done to emphasise the length of the journey and the isolation of the destination which creates an eerie feel for the audience. This is furthered by the editing. The editing is very slow again to emphasise the length of the journey and to create suspense for the viewer. The music is a very important part to the opening title sequence. The music is slow and has wailing in it, which evokes fear from the viewer as the music creates a ghostly feel. The font used is bright blue and larger depending on the importance of the name being shown on the screen. This is because Kubrick would have wanted to congratulate those involved in the making of his masterpiece.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=the+shining+opening+scene&FORM=HDRSC3#view=detail&mid=72505B16FD3F0E196B8B72505B16FD3F0E196B8B