RESEARCH: Art of the Title

Captain Marvel:

 

I chose this title sequence because it reminds me of female empowerment and I think that is becoming more prominent in today’s films and is something that I strongly believe in.

The title sequence begins with the introduction of the song 'Celebrity skin' by Hole as we see a beam of light shooting into the red sky. This music is asynchronous to what we are seeing but this creates mystery as to what the rocket sounds like and what this alternate place is like. As the sequence progresses a woman is introduced in shots which slowly reveal more of her face. The background has a red wash over it and seems alien to us and suggests that the film is set in space. The lack of any other sounds leaves us wondering what non-diegetic sounds we might hear in space and what appears to be the woman's home. We then see a bright light shooting up and planes following it. The bright light is assumed to be captain Marvel and the planes might suggest that she is being chased which creates intrigue for the audience in her safety. Alternatively, they could be the planes of people who follow her but the shots of her continuously alone suggest otherwise. However, she then walks out alone thought huge doors to two lines of these planes. This shot is impactful as it highlights the possibility of a large following that she has and her walking alone suggests her high authority. 

 

The shot goes from a black hole which suggests that it is based in space and then we are shown an image of a cat and the beam of light going into the pupil of its eye. This suggests supernatural activity as it is a confusing image and abstract to what we see normally. Continuing the song throughout the film sequence means that we are focusing more on the images than we are the sound as there is a lack of fidelity between the images and sound so we cannot gather more information from the sounds. We are then shown an image of Captain Marvel with her eyes covered in a beaming light. This highlights how different she is from normality and helps the audience to see her as more powerful and interesting. The upbeat rhythm of the song creates a powerful atmosphere for the images to be shown in. 

We are then shown a series of different characters, each being given their own individual stance and shot. This quick introduction of new characters leaves us asking questions as we are only shown their faces and in some circumstances, the face is covered leaving even more to the imagination and curiosity. A fight scene is then briefly shown to us which influences us to think that there is conflict in the film and sets the mood of the film and the theme of some violence and conflict. This further emphasises the power of Captain Marvel. An eye comes on the screen with earth from a satellite view which again implies that it is set from space and that she is of an alien nature with her powers too. Finally, we see her zooming into the sky again with the title ‘Captain Marvel’ and then a bright light and darkness. The continues use of light suggests that she is the hero as light can be interpreted to mean purity.