Analyses of Opening Credits Sequences

Analyses of Opening Credits Sequences

- One thriller, one non-thriller -

Panic Room: Lots of sweeping long shots of skyscrapers, and in amongst the buildings are nested the names of the major actors involved in the film. The skyscrapers create a sense of claustrophobia; almost as if they're caging in the streets and their inhabitants – and the foreboding, creepy music accentuates this. Following the first few names, the title screen pops up in a slightly larger font, followed by more names of various other actors. The typography is interesting, too; it's written in a font that one would expect from the heading of a newspaper – probably a reference to the Manhattan setting. Why is it always Manhattan?

James Bond: Die Another Day: This particular opening sequence relies heavily on CGI imagery; there almost isn't a single shot that doesn't feature computer-generated special effects in some way, and this works to fantastic effect. It's symbolic of James' suffering as the villains are torturing him, and the fire and ice motif represents the ongoing conflict of good and evil that defines the structure of a Bond film. There are close-ups of the woman-like figures, and various different long-shots of James and his captors in the background. The actual credits feature a far wider selection of different members of staff than Panic Room; though it follows a similar formula of director/producer > actors, it also features other staff, such as the heads of photography units, sound staff and costume designers.