Contemporary vs Older

Film: Mission Impossible 4 Ghost Protocol (2011)
Genre: Action, Thriller, Adventure, Spy



Film: The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
Genre: Drama

(song, visuals)

Title sequences gone far in the way they have been presented. Earlier sequences mostly revealed the names of important crew members and actors, later sequences now sometimes use them to show part of the upcoming story and set enigmas.

Over the years the ones we see today are said to have been built from "se7en" 's title sequence, since Kyle Cooper the creator of the sequence was said to have broken the mould in the creation of the sequence. 

The title sequence for Se7en (1995) uses close up shots throughout. The type of font used for any text shown is unsteady, it moves slightly in a from ranging from a slight shake to overlapping to flashing up to being flipped backwards quickly and so on.  Each close up is only on screen for a moment but the images shown leave the audience in questioning and at the same time some can be considered quite unpleasant to look at possibly creating a slight discomfort. The images also help set up possible enigmas 
The song used is called 'Closer' by Nine Inch Nails, in the sequence the song has had alternations made to it in order for it to suit. The only vocal audio that was kept from the song were "Like an animal" and "You got me closer to god" which could refer to what's happening during in the film, possibly referring to the serial killer involved because of his strange and disturbing ways of killing. The lighting used could be considered mainly low key, this also matches the tone of the film because of how the killer works.

The title sequence for Mission Impossible 4 uses it's main theme as a lit fuse is followed throughout it. The song used is the franchises own original theme originally coming from the earlier television series (1966-1973). The music is easily recognizable because of the fact that it's the main theme showing that the right series is being shown. Unlike a some other films Mission Impossible uses its own music. The use of a series/franchise keeping to using the same music can create audience pleasure and make the film more easily recognizable.

The use of visuals here could be the main thing that catches the audiences attention, the quick movements and the following of the fuse could capture an interest in a viewer. The visuals and sound also help communicate the possible genre of the film and also show possible key themes and values. The genre can also be guessed through the various images shown.

The title sequence for The Man with the Golden Arm (1995) uses a simple animation mainly focusing on moving bars which would have been seen as impressive in that period of time, catching a viewer's attention because animated openings were not used as much and were also considered harder to do. The use of some bars merging together to form a hand could relate to something that could happen in the film. 

Since the release of Se7en's title sequence the general presentation of title sequences has changed and could even be considered as improved. Before Se7en much 'simpler' presentation was used. Although work has still been put into the older sequences, there is a dramatic improvement in how a title sequence has been presented. The Man with the Golden Arm's title sequence focuses on using a repetitive movement for the sequence, although lacking in many other effects this was considered impressive for its time. This sequence in particular has possibly been made in a way where it was attempted be unique compared to others made around that time, also showing that back then time and effort was still put in alongside trying to make it unique and creative.

Se7en's title sequence features mainly quick close up shots throughout, the use of camera shots was not used as much before Se7en's title sequence. The shots are quick and effective, they shown images that can be seen as disturbing which quickly grabs the viewers attention. Along with the overlapping of frames, the music helps to build suspense and tension and also possibly make a viewer feel disconcert.

Mission Impossible 4 Ghost Protocol which focuses on the fuse makes use of multiple camera shots/angles and special effects. This film being made is 2011 has been made after Se7en where how the way the title sequence has been shown have changed. In the sequence a clear difference or maybe even improvement is evident, using this as a post Se7en example of improvement it's shown that some title sequences have changed to use lots more movement compared to older sequences. The use of CGI and other similar computer made things have also come into play, as shown in this title sequence which is another 'improvement' to the given visuals. The music used as stated earlier is the series own, which helps to make it more recognizable and interesting to the viewer.

From 'The Man with the Golden Arm' to 'Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol' we can see a large difference in their title sequences, which is evidence that the presentation of them has changed and improved throughout the years. Films before Se7en like The Man with the Golden Arm did not have access to or did not use various effects for their sequences. Although lacking in such things that did not mean that hard work, effort and thought did not go into them. Like TMwtGA  some earlier films attempted the use of animation to try to differentiate their sequences from others. After the creation of Se7en using Mission Impossible 4 as an example, we can see that films now are more likely to use multiple camera angles and computer/digital effects to produce a sequence.

As mentioned earlier Se7en has influenced the changes in many title sequences after it's release. Now a wider range of presentations have been created using various effects to suit the film, some of which now may still use older ways of presentation but most now tend to rely on the many camera options and computer based effects to present the sequence.