Comparing Title Sequences

Opening Title Sequence of American Horror Story Season 1 

I have analysed the opening title sequence of American Horror Story for season 1 which was created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk and produced by the studio FX. American Horror Story Season 1 includes the cast of Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson and Jessica Lange. the opening title sequence in American Horror Story is an effective beginning to convey the genre. 

This is done through the use of the gothic font conveying the horror genre also portrayed through the title

saying American Horror Story. The disturbing soundtrack which is made using sound effects makes the audience feel uncomfortable also combined with the iconic horror imagery creates a sense of fear for the audience. The iconic horror imagery consists of skulls, blood and knives but also includes an image of a white dress conveying the innocence of a female which is a stereotypical victim emphasising these horror

conventions. The title also displaying ‘American Horror Story’ conveys the location of America combined with the images of a basement and a house also helps to portray the location. Overall this creates a shocking, disturbing tone and atmosphere to the opening title sequence preparing the audience for the rest of the tv show. This opening title
sequence gives suggestions about the rest of the narrative which I believe will be about someone uncovering a range of horrific cases and set in a location of a house specifically a basement which is shown in the imagery in this title sequence. We are not introduced to any characters adding to the sense of mystery as their identity is

hidden which is shown through the POV shot of a flashlight. We can assume one of the characters is going to be a killer shown through the iconic horror imagery such as the knives hinting that this narrative is going to include violence and death.

Opening Title Sequence of Grease

Contrasting with American Horror Story Season 1 opening title sequence, I have also analysed the opening title to the film Grease. Grease is a musical/romance film released in 1978 and directed by Randal Kleiser. It includes the cast of John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John and Stockard Channing and was produced by Paramount Pictures. The genre of the opening title sequence is conveyed through the soundtrack which is upbeat, positive and features the title of the song portraying that it is going to be a musical. 

The use of the font is comic and fun conveying that the film is going to have a light-hearted narrative. This opening title sequence is an effective way of setting the time and location which is set in the 1950s and in America. This is shown through the font styles used and iconic period imagery such as Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Thunderbird Ford and American Diners which are all animated. The location of a high

school is shown in this opening title sequence portraying it as an important element of the narrative as the credits transition into real life. This also hints to the narrative that the main characters are most likely to be teenagers. We are introduced to Danny as the first character and it is displayed as ‘John Travolta as

Danny’ in the credits which shows that this is a show/musical. The next character we are introduced to is Sandy which hints at an element of romance in the narrative conveying the genre. This is because one male and one female shown one after the other subconsciously hints to the audience that there will be r romantic relationship. When being introduced to these main characters, the audience can infer a lot of

information such as Danny being presented as lazy, vain, cool and a leader showed through his rock poster and set of his bedroom. We know he is going to be the protagonist in the film as the rest of the male characters are shown together in one shot whereas he begins the opening title sequence and is by himself. This contrasts with the next character, Sandy, who is portrayed as being feminine, kind, beautiful and naïve shown when the bird dresses her. This use of juxtaposition hints to the audience that there is going to be a conflict in differences and there are going to be different worlds coming together. We are given information about the teenagers shown through the leather jackets, smoking and running away from the police hinting at an element of rebellion.

I believe both opening title sequences are very effective ways of establishing genre however my personal preference is Grease. I like how the soundtrack used is upbeat and includes the title of the film showing that it going to be a musical. I believe the animation is an effective way of portraying how the film is going to be light-hearted, have a sense of comedy to it but also romance. I also like how we can gather a lot of information through the characters through no dialogue just the animation setting the tone and atmosphere for the rest of the film.