Thriller Title Sequences

Fonts are a key way of revealing certain aspects of a film, for example Blackletter fonts could be used to reinforce the fact that the film is set in the past in Western Europe, as that is where this font style originated from. The colour of a typography can also be used to suggest aspects of a film, an example of this is that white could be used to establish a theme of purity and innocence whereas black could suggest that something is immoral and corrupt.
          

 

The first titles in the opening sequence of Inglourious Basterds use a bold serif typeface, this constructs connotations of strength and masculinity. This links with the themes of the film because it revolves around strong men fighting in World War 2. However the font is also eroded in several areas, this connotes struggle and suggests that the characters are damaged from their experiences. The use of black against white allows the font to stand out, making the audience notice it more. The central position of the titles adds to this. The dark colour also suggests power and dominance as it assists the typeface in capturing the audience's attention. Alternatively, black is often used to suggest bad intentions and is commonly the colour worn by a villain, such as Darth Vader. This, therefore, could suggest that the characters or aspects of the film are immoral and sinister.

 

As the actors names begin to appear they are shown surrounded by a blood splatter. This immediately draws the audience's attention to their names and connotes violence. This combined with the stereotypical military font reinforces the themes of war and death present in the film. The typeface for the actors names is written in white, this would typically connote innocence and purity but when its surrounded by blood this becomes ironic and suggests that these characters are definitely not innocent victims. When the actor's name is first shown it's the main focus of the shot, this allows the audience to focus on who's in the film. This also serves as an introduction to the characters as the focus then moves to a picture of the character/actor. This allows the audience to discover who's who before the film begins.

This is shown at the end of the titles and introduces the film to the audience. The typeface is eroded around the Nazi symbol, this could be used to shown how destructive the Nazi regime was and how much damage it caused to the rest of the world. The symbol could also be used to further emphasise the themes of the film.

         

The typeface used to introduce the studios is sans serif and in white, this is very simple, it could be used to reflect the killer's simplistic view of life and death and his lack of emotion when it comes to killing people. Throughout the title sequence the text moves, this could be used to mimic the killer's unstable state of mind. It could also be used to symbolise how hectic the detectives' lives have come now that they are involved in the murder's case.

This typeface is scratchy and mimics handwriting, this could link with the visuals inbetween the shot of black that show the murder removing his finger prints. This could be used to foreshadow that hands are an important aspect of the film. This shot uses reverse type which draws the audience's attention to what's written on the screen. This typeface also flickers further emphasising the theme of instability. All of this combined makes the title sequence very sinister and unsettling as we are watching are serial killer plan as we are introduced to the actors in the film. It is also very evocative as the typeface combined with the variety of images intrigues the audience and makes them start to ask questions.

The placement of the actors name as part of the book could suggest that she is part of his plans and foreshadow future events of the film, this combined with a font that mimics handwriting makes it appear as though he is writing them into his plans.