Friday 25 October 2013

Interpretation Of Micro-Aspects In Napoleon Dynamite

For the next part of my research Andy and I have both decided to analyse the micro-aspects in two of our three analysed title sequences, I have decided to analyse Napoleon Dynamite in further depth and look as the use of micro-aspects throughout.Before looking at the micro-aspects it is important to take into account that this film is aimed at teenagers and is of course of a comedy genre; these aspects play a significant role in the overall execution of this title sequence of which I am to delve further into.

The use of mise-en-scene is particularly prevalent in this particular sequence, the use of this is quite quirky, for example burger and chips is a particular use of mise-en-scene used to display a title. I think this particular presentation of mise-en-scene is due to the audience being aimed at a younger audience, it plays on the idea that these people are still of a younger generation and that they are perhaps a little bit more light hearted and more likely to have a better interaction with objects of a not so serious nature, it also reinforces the idea that the film is a comedy and forewarns the audiences to possible laughs ahead. The positively unusual presentation of mise-en-scene means it is more likely to stay in the audiences head than many other opening title sequences that consist of the same thing.I for one often think back to this title sequence due to the overall individuality of it, particularly helped by the unusual choice of mise-en-scene.














Turning my attention to the use of sound, the opening title sequence of Napoleon Dynamite makes use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound. The diegetic sound is the movement of pencils or when a plate is put down into the audiences sight. The non-diegetic sound is the background music being played throughout the sequence. The use of non-diegetic sound brings a sense of realism and feeling that you are actually looking at a plate of food for example, it also aims to keep the audiences attention as the sequence continues to progress. In contrast the diegetic sound interrupts the feeling of being at one with the images on screen and brings the audience members back down to the reality that they are not actually in the film they are watching. The use of these two sounds allows an even blend of sound to improve the on-going sequence.

The lighting in this title sequence is bright and positive from the beginning to the end. The use of lighting is more evidence that this film is of a comedy genre,  as this similarly makes us feel happy and contributes to a positive state of mind of which the films ultimate goal is.













In terms of camera shots used there is mainly one which is a participation shot. This works in a similar role to the sound by the fact is tries to involve the audience, making them feel as if they are actually there. This is done by adjusting the objects in the middle of the screen so that they are in the centre of the audiences view .

Looking at engaging audience involvement further, the use of consistently vibrant colours on the screen and the background draws in the audience, of which is hopefully predominantly of a younger age. In the shot above you can see two hands holding a card, this teases the audience to feeling as though they are holding and actually looking at this card onscreen.














The overall, displayed titles are shown in a number of ways with some of the titles being shown using a certain sauce, being scratched onto pencils or even written in pencil  on a bit of paper, it is quite a random way to display titles.

The titles are normally on-screen for around 4 seconds, in order for the audience to read the titles without getting bored, a transition through the use of a cut is used to switch to the next title, no special effects have been used in order to do this.












Overall this title sequence corresponds extremely well to the target audience and the genre of the film. The title sequence is organic and doesn't try to give false hints to the contents of the film.  The use of micro-aspects in this sequence combine brilliantly to add enjoyment and happiness to the watching audience. Although perceived as unusual  it replicates content in the film excellently.

Information I can take from this opening title sequence is the importance of making the audience feel involved with what is being displayed, furthermore making sure the presentation of the opening title sequence corresponds well  with the genre. The use of mise-en-scene and colour dictates the mood of the audience, so perhaps I should put this into consideration.

 



 

Title Sequence Analysis Of Three Different Films

For the first part of our research Andy and I have published three differing title sequences in order to gain a more solid understanding of the way these contrasting sequences are constructed and presented in different, engaging formats to the audience. While analysing these sequences it is evident that the presentation and use of music plays a significant role in its overall development.

In the opening title sequence of Revenge Of Chucky the use of fast-paced, dramatic music creates a strong sense of exhilaration for the audience, in addition the use of dark colours  such as black while using the colour red to hint to danger links directly to the genre of the film- horror. The use of images foreshadows events in the film, while also displaying the protagonist of the film- Chucky. However, the title sequence is weak by the fact it is so fast moving that the titles are hard to read and see, as they are often hidden by the colour black and titles are only really onscreen for a few seconds, making it hard for the reader to actually identify a name and take it in. Overall, the title sequence for this film is mainly used as a way to perhaps excite the audience to content in the film and engage them further with the upcoming film. Colour, images and music makes up the foundation for this title sequence which wants to entertain rather than inform.

Our second title sequence from the comedy-drama Napoleon Dynamite is much more informative and quirky sequence, displaying the titles using a variety of mise-en-scene such as food, paper card and pencils just to name a few! This slightly odd way of presenting the titles makes the sequence unique in a way that the audience will be more likely to remember information taken from this opening sequence than sequences in other films. No technology other than a camera has been utilised meaning this sequence is economically friendly and is a cheap, effective way of informing the audience. Looking at the negatives, the background music is interesting to listen to at the beginning, however does begin to drag and become a bore as the sequence progresses. This is resembled in the titles as they do seem to correspond to this same level throughout and the audience will perhaps become disinterested in the latter stages of the title sequence as a result of a feeling of anti-climax throughout. The ideas from this sequence which I can put into my own one eventually is probably the importance of mise-en-scene and  the significance of the opening sequence to set the tone for the particular genre of film the audience is about to see.

The third sequence we looked at was from the film Toy Story of which is a comedy-adventure film; this film is of course animated compared to the other films. The positives of this sequence is the fact the titles have been effectively merged into the introduction of the film, this allows less content to be made in order to display the titles in the same format as the actual film. An upbeat song is played in the background at this stage as to create a joyful mood for the audience, which I believe is the main aim of this opening introductory title sequence. Characters in the film are displayed at this point as well a little bit of narrative, while mise-en-scene such as a ball and staircase are shown. However, with these positive images going on a negative can occur as audience members may not take notice of the titles on screen therefore the task of crediting individuals of the production of the film maybe ineffective. The information to take away from this sequence is that the use of particular images and music can alter the audiences mood and feeling toward a film, while images and mise-en-scene on the screen behind does not have to be overly static and can be part of the feature film of which this particular sequence has been incorporated into.

All of these factors I have taken on board from these three varying sequences  can be used and utilised in the production of our final sequence when the time comes.