It’s Kind of More Research (pt. 1)

Just like Zach Galifinakis, I have a lot of growing up to do, especially when it comes to learning how to make a great title sequence. That is why in this post I will be analyzing the opening title sequence to It’s Kind of a Funny Story, directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.

It’s Kind of a Funny Story was released in 2010, but it is not a movie I have seen before so it will be interesting to see what I am able to gather from just the first two minutes and twenty three seconds of the film.

I chose to analyze this film because unlike The Devil Wears Prada this film centers around a teen actor. The film we are trying to create will also center around a teen actor so I thought analyzing this film would be helpful. Again, for the sake of time, I will only be noting the most key elements of the title sequence.

Sound

Before images from the movie even begin to show on the screen the sounds present in the film’s world is already playing in the background of beginning credits. This helps to draw the viewer in and makes them feel like they are in the movie itself.

As you can tell this sound did not include any dialogue, however it included both diegetic sound and music at a low volume. The music that was being played also matched the tone of the scene perfectly. The slow somber notes that were held out by the instruments revealed the main character’s depressed emotions to the audience.

Then a voiceover begins as the image of the main character comes on the screen. Unlike other forms of voiceover this is not revealing to the audience what the character is thinking inside his head but informs us that the voice we are hearing is this same character, but in the future. The voice of the character is narrating us through his past.

Right as this is established and the climax of the scene begins to build the music in the background stops and we are met with what is called a sting. This sting, or loud surprising sound, is the combination of Craig’s younger sister yelling his name and a large semi truck speeding by and honking its horn. This sound is jarring and immediately relieves the building stress of the viewer who is worried that no one will be there to stop Craig from what he is about to do. This loud sound also signifies a change of tone that I will explain more in my next post.

Resources:

“Zach Galifianakis Quote.” A, http://www.azquotes.com/quote/609714.