HB: Analysis of Title Sequence: The Conjuring (Wan, 2013)

Title sequence for The Conjuring (Wan, 2013)

http://vimeo.com/70837709 

Order and duration of titles

00:00 – 00:08     THE PERRON FAMILY
00:09 – 00:16     THE WARREN FAMILY
00:17 – 00:22     DIRECTED BY JAMES WAN
00:23 – 00:26     WRITTEN BY CHAD HAYES
00:27 – 00:31     PRODUCED BY TONY DE ROSA – GRUND PETER SAFRAN ROB COWAN
00:32 – 00:37     EXECUTIVE PRODUCER WALTER HAMADA DAVE NEUSTADTER
00:38 – 00:42     DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY JOHN R. LEONETTI ASC
00:43 – 00:47     PRODUCTION DESIGNER JULIE BERGHOFF
00:48 – 00:52     EDITED BY KIRK MORRI
00:53 – 00:57     PATRICK WILSON
00:58 – 01:01     VERA KARMIGA
01:02 – 01:05     RON LIVINGSTON
01:06 – 01:08     transition with a photograph
01:08 – 01:11     AND LILI TAYLOR
01:12 – 01:18     JOEY KING SHANLEY CASWELL HAYLEY MCFARLAND MAKENZIE FOY
01:19 – 01:23     SHANNON KOOK JOHN BROTHERTON STERLING JERINS
01:24 – 01:28     CASTING BY ANNE MCCARTHY AND KELLIE GESELL
01:29 – 01:33     COSTUMES DESIGNED BY KRISTEN M BURKE
01:34 – 01:38     MUSIC BY JOSEPH BISHARA
01:39 – 01:43     A NEW LINE CINEMA PRESENTATION
01:44 – 01:45     transition with a photograph
01:46 – 01:48     SAFRAN COMPANY EVERGREEN MEDIA GROUP PRODUCTION
01:49 – 01:54     A JAMES WAN FILM
01:55 – 01:56     transition with a photograph
01:57 – 02:01     THE CONJURING

Typography

• All of the opening titles/credits are coloured black or occasionally white if there is a black background. The colour black has typical connotations of mystery and evil which is suitable for this films paranormal genre. Keeping the sequence in black and white also creates an eerie atmosphere which establishes the mood for the film.
• The font which is used for the cast and crew members names is very simplistic and quite block shaped due to being entirely in upper case. This makes the font easier to read for the audience as, evidently from the shot times above, there isn’t a large amount of time to do this in.
•  Also, since the sequence consists of a series of stills which are very interesting to look at, any different type of font may detract from this which is not the desired outcome.
• The titles appear and disappear at a fast pace which builds up tension and suspense.
• The sizing of the font has also been considered. Words, such as ‘WRITTEN BY’ are smaller than the name which follows; this gives prevalence to the name causing the audience to give this their attention.
• The positioning of the titles within the frame make them clear to see; they usually have a box to themselves which is placed in the clearest part of the image currently in shot.

• The first and last name to appear is ‘JAMES WAN’ since the director is considered the most important person.
• Furthermore, certain people have a longer shot time than others do which shows the difference between the director, producer, main cast and the supporting cast.
• Finally, the film’s title ‘THE CONJURING’ is the last thing to appear in the sequence along with a picture of the setting fully establishing the film. This font also slightly differs from the rest, being made bolder, which causes it to stand out more
• However, the font which is usually used for the films main title (on posters etc) was not used in the title sequence, possibly since it may have looked odd within the theme of the sequence.

              

What else have I learnt from this?

• The transitions which are used between shots, for example fade to black and fade in, kept the colour scheme dark causing the creepy atmosphere to continue.
• This is accentuated by the slow pace which is created, as with the use of music, this really builds up suspense for the rest of the film. 
• The whole sequence conveys a sense of the supernatural through the colour scheme which the titles and images both stick to, emphasising the connotation of evil and paranormal.
• This is highlighted with the use of acetate slides and old fashioned newspapers as they both look creepy and set the context for the film.
• As shown near the end of the sequence, the institutional film was produced by ‘NEW LINE CINEMA’ and ‘THE SAFRAN COMPANY’. The creative director was Aaron Becker of Becker Designs, who was in charge of the title sequence.

 How can I use these ideas in my own production?

• It is evident that we need to ensure our titles are clear and, therefore, easy to read. To do this we must consider the background, font colour and composition/positioning.
• The transitions conveyed the paranormal genre well and as this is the genre of our production we may want to consider experimenting with some of these.
• The use of black and white proved very effective as it created an eerie atmosphere. Although our production will not be in complete black and white we are trying to emulate a darkened appearance so will need to think about this related to the font colour.