Analysis of Perks of being a wallflower title sequence and opening scene

Analysis of Perks of being a wallflower title sequence 

Institutions 

• Summit Entertainment LLC (formerly Summit Entertainment LP) is an American film studio and a subsidiary of Lions Gate Entertainment headquartered in Universal City, California with international offices in London.
• Mr. Mudd is a film production company founded in 1998 by Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, and Russell Smith. The production company is also well known for producing three films "Ghost World, "Juno", and "The Perks of Being a Wallflower", all of which received critical acclaim. 
  

Audience and Genre 

• The genre for Perks of being a wallflower is a drama, romance and fits in well with my chosen style of film- which seems to be in the indie teen comedy type genre. Whilst this film isn't a comedy I absolutely love the story line and in terms of looking at the title sequence I would love to take inspiration from some of the dramatic shots that are taken and used before the first scene begins.
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  •This film is rated PG-13 and would therefore be aimed at the older teen and upwards sort of age range. I feel that this film caters well for both sexes as the main characters are a mixture of genders and the themes of the film are relatable for all types of people. The film itself has been rated at the level on appeal for mature thematic material, drug and alcohol use, sexual content including references, and a fight - all involving teens

Analysis 

The first shot we are presented with in the title sequence is the credit for the films institution. The format of the credit is shown in type writer style of font and the director has used the non-diegetic sound of a type writer of the credit so the enhance this effect further. This suggests that the credits are being written like a book, which is fitting as the film has been adapted from a book into a movie. This sound also connotes the time period in which the film is set and suggests that it has not been set in modern day, as most people do not use a type writer. The contrast between the black background and the bright white font is eye catching to the audience and I would like my credits to be just as bold in my title sequence. The transition from credit to credit is also effectively used in this sequence, as one credit ends it fades into the background and the next credit appears. 

The next three credits to be shown on screen are of the three leading actors. The first actor to be credited is Logan Lerman who plays the main character of Charlie in the film. Whilst this fits well with the conventions of title ordering, I would have perhaps expected maybe a bit more from the credit of the main actor. Perhaps a bigger credit or bolder font or stronger beat in music when he name was shown to indicate to the audience that he is the main character. But instead the director has chosen to keep the title the same as the rest and I quite like it's subtly as it is different to other films and doesn't just use it's main actor as a 'poster boy' for the film. 

After Logan has been credited the next to actors names to appear on screen are Emma Watson and Ezra Miller. Both of these actors have main supporting roles so it seems appropriate that they would follow Logan. Again as mentioned before all three actor credits appear in the same style with the same backing track of music. 

After the three main actors have been credited for the film, the main title appears. Just before this appears the sound of the type writer stops and gives a loud 'ping' and the sound of the type writer being closed to signify that whoever is writing have finished. Once this cuts out soft guitar based music kicks in and the main title appears. The effect of the music as this point acts as a starting point or the film, it creates as sense of relaxation and a calm soothing mood for the audience. Once again the title is in the same font as the previous credits, however, this time instead of fading out into a black background the shot fades into a pan of the underside of a bridge with the camera being moved on a vehicle. This point-of-view style of shot represents the personal qualities of the film and the journey of the main character as he shares his story.   

These point-of-view shots seem to been of a city in the night time. This sort of shots represent how time passes us by and we cannot stop it or predict what will happen within that time period. I like the dramatic element that these shots bring and they tell a story within themselves. For my sequence, although it is supposed to be in the comedy region I would like to take some form of inspiration from these types of shots to add a more artistic dimension and deeper tone. The next few shots shown after these are quicker paced shots. They show the camera moving under a tunnel and passing by lights. This changes the tempo of the sequence for a brief period and again add to the dramatic tone being created. 

Opening scene 

Once the titles have finished and the Director of the film has credited- which is in keeping with my research into title sequences- the opening scene begins. The scene begins with a fade in shot from a black screen to reveal the reflection of the main character charlie in his bedroom window. 

In this first section of the film we are introduced to Charlie as he is writing his diary. The use of Non-diegetic sound here used to represent him reading his thoughts out to the audience as he writes them down is an effective way to understand the story of the character. I like the use of voice over and would like to try and incorporate this into my own sequence perhaps rather than using dialogue to make the main character more personal to the audience. These shots also show an alternative representation of teenage boys. Stereotypically, we would not expect to see a teenage boy with a diary, writing down his thoughts. This connotes the characters emotional side and makes him more relatable to a wider range of people. I would like to include this sort of opening scene if I am to use one within my title sequence. 

Music 

The music used within the opening title sequence is The Samples- Could it be another Change. This backing tracking has a country and western feel to it with a heaving use of acoustic guitar and soft western vocals. The music is very relaxing and gentle, it doesn't necessarily have any sort of link to the story line of the film but its calming nature and emotional tone fit in nicely with the flow of the shots and is a good choice of track for the opening credits.