Title Sequence Analysis

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/cirque-du-freak-the-vampires-assistant/

   Only the very first image is real but, to show that the story is fictional, it is placed in world of drawing and animation. Also, the fact that he is alive and playing on a PSP in a coffin goes against everything and that tells the audience that not everything is as it seems.

   The title sequence for this film is all animation, with every image and figure a silhouette. From the coffin, spirals a strand of DNA which suggests to me that something about the genetic makeup of that character will change in the film. This then turns into many strands of DNA which then form a web with coffins dotted around it. The number of coffins makes me think that people will die in the film and that there will be a lot of vampires.

   In addition, every line in this shot isn’t straight, but diagonal, and this represents that something isn’t right. Another thing that shows this is that the first title is off kilter.

   The background is yellowed and looks like paper, this suggests to me that the story may be quite old or the vampires in the film have been around for a very long time. Also, what looks like black ink seems to be bleeding onto the screen which signifies that it might be paper. However, because the ink is bleeding and some of it is a vibrant orange-y red, some audience members may think that it is blood and that represents that something isn’t right.

   The transitions in the sequence are very smooth and work very well, as the web turns into puppet strings which hold up the main title. Puppet strings reoccur a lot throughout the sequence which tells me that there will be someone controlling many of the characters and their actions. A strike of lightning implies that something is wrong and the sound of the lightning breaks up the sound track and may make younger audience members jump.

   The strings then disappear and the letters melt to form a face. A new colour is introduced to the silhouettes; red. The eyes of the man are red which can signify anger, dangerous, and perhaps bloodlust.

   In contrast there are the cool colours of the graveyard, which is in the mouth of the red eyed man, and on head stones there are names of people who helped in putting the film together, I think this is very effective. It also links back to the first image.

   Then, because the images are in a mouth, it shows the uvula which is dripping and then grows into a spider. Spiders represent fear and because it has a fair bit of screen time throughout the title sequence it suggests to me that it may play a large role in the story. It then fires webs, again at diagonals, to show the next two names.

    The images move fast and the sound effect used sounds to me like the buzzing of electricity, which may indicate danger.

    The spider then splits into the hands of the puppet master and two puppets rise onto the screen, limp and not in control of their bodies, one of them then signals for the other to follow, which tells me that one of the main characters in the film will influence another and that bad things are likely to follow because the spider then reappears with the two boys following close behind. They are also falling downwards which suggests that something isn’t right because people do not usually enter a shot from above.

   In the next part of the sequence, the music becomes louder and more violent and the colours become darker and the pace increases. All these things suggest that at some point in the film there will be danger and fight will occur. The watching eyes and grabbing hands, which are in the ground and on the trees, suggest that something isn’t right and that the two characters in the film that these puppets represent are being watched and controlled indirectly, being forced to take a certain path, without them knowing.

   The spiral of them falling slows the pace down for a second or two, almost as though the world is moving in slow motion, this also implies that something isn’t right in the film.

   The pace speeds up again as theatre curtains open.  This location suggests to me that part of the film will be set in a cinema or that it’s all a show. Also, you usually find puppets in little miniature theatres because that is where they usually perform.

   Then a bearded lady comes on the screen, which completely goes against any stereotyped or convention and signifies that something isn’t right.

   There is then a monkey girl and what looks to be a rotting corpse standing up. This suggests that the characters in the film aren’t exactly normal. Many bats fill the screen which reminds the audience that vampire’s play a big part in the film, and makes me think of danger.

   Many eyes appear on the screen, which makes the audience feel they are being watched as well and brings them into the film. Ink bleeds all over the screen which little hooded figures with red eyes part by moving from the screen. The hooded figures suggest mystery and that the bad guys are mischievous and tricksters.

   We then begin to move outwards, back the way we came through the graveyard. But instead of the colours being all blue there is red mixed in which tells the audience that something has changed, but not for the better.

   Then brilliant white teeth – a stark contrast against the black, making them stand out – fall from a person’s mouth to form steps. The two boys go down them and then the screen twists and they end up going end wards again, which makes me think that they are going round in circles and are stuck in their predicament. 

   Suddenly one of the two boys has a face, which signifies that he has found his way and that is he different to the other boy in that he isn’t going to be dark and evil. He is being chased by the other boy which also suggests that good is running from evil because it doesn’t want to be tempted.

   The puppet master appears again, controlling his two puppets, and then eats them, which implies that everything has gone to plan and it is all just how he needs it to be.

   The sound track to the sequence follows closely what is happening on the screen.  It starts off fairly barely but builds up as the story goes along. It creates emotion and portrays the state of a situation very well. Realistic sound effects are also added to bring the animations to life, for example the animals in the sequence are given realistic sounds, such as clicking and hissing.

   The ending of the music is very final and grand and implies the ending of a story. In a way, the title sequence is a story in itself but each individual can read into it in whatever way they want.