The Shining
The title sequence sets up this film perfectly. Form the very fist moment, you’re on the edge of your seat waiting for something to happen. You’re creeped out from the start, and it begins right there.
Without that eerie music, this would be a peaceful panoramic of the New York countryside. A captivating display of nature’s beauty and tranquil. But no. The song of impending doom turns this natural wonder into a hellish descent away from anyone who can help you. The cute yellow beetle is transformed into a chariot of death. You’re on your own, and you’re gonna die. But you don’t know how, so you stay glued to the screen for 2 hours.
Is that helvetica? It works. It’s there, but you don’t need to notice it. Light blue? It was the 70’s. But white text may have been hard to see on the backdrop. Regardless, the music causes the sweeping panoramic, the cuteness of the yellow beetle and the light blue helvetica to go unnoticed. Put some cheery music to this and it completely changes. I just watched it to Here Comes The Sun and it was bright and cheery.
Quantum of Solace
Can’t tell if this is the coolest James Bond title sequence ever, or if I’m extremely biased towards the song by Jack White and Alicia Keys. Either way, this is one hell of a title sequence. It has all the elements of a Bond title, but it’s the newest, meaning it should be the most technologically advanced. But technology is only as good as the mind behind it, and this sequence is brilliant.
There are two things about the environment that play on the theme of the film. The desert, where the film takes place, and the spherical star chart thing, representing the powerful organization behind the evil deeds of the story. The sun works great for both; being the center of power in our solar system, and always associated with the desert heat. The desert sand is part of nearly everything that happens, and even Bond seems powerless at times to our destiny to become sand, an the “gravity” of the situation (the all-powerful secret organization). But of course he still kills a bunch of guys while surrounded by models.
The curvy, slow-revealing typography creates a sense of smoothness that fits right it with the slow-motion anti-gravity action. These movies are smooth, just like Bond. And the color scheme uses yellows and blues, blending warm and cool.
American Splendor
Giamatti looks like a curmudgeon all the time in this movie. And Harvey Pekar was, his whole life. This title sequence does a great job setting up this biographical film about Harvey Pekar. From decaying Cleveland to grumpy Harvey walking the streets, the dirty brown pages, and the textual narration, it’s all here. The mood of the film is encapsulated in the title sequence. Even the jazz sets it up as a story about a regular guy.
The backstory is given as the credits “roll.” It’s cool how it’s all given as part of a comic strip, which is what Harvey Pekar is famous for. But he never really made any money because of it. And, as you can tell, he was always grumpy about it.
The movie switches from Paul Giamatti playing Harvey to the real Harvey Pekar several times. They’re blended seamlessly together, and the process begins with the title sequence. I think the wide shot of him walking down the street is the real Harvey, while the rest is Giamatti. Overall, this title captures to mood of the film, and the man.