ANALYSIS OF CREDITS USED

- CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (2002)

InfinityScope Studios

WHAT IS A TITLE SEQUENCE?

A title sequence is a presentation of titles/credits of all the people that were involved in the production e.g. cast members, crew members, etc. These are used in:

TV programmes

Cinematic films

This is most often presented at the beginning, or end of the film.

The title sequence I will be analysing is ‘Catch Me If You Can’, directed by Parkes/MacDonald.

This is the relativity media company that had produced the film in which I am currently analysing.

The majority of films will present the production company logo at the beginning of the opening credits. A production company provide the physical basis for all works, and play a huge role in funding the project. Having their logo at the start allows the audience to immediately be informed of who has essentially created the film, and allows easy recognition, so long as their logo is widely known.

The majority of opening titles/credits can be plain and simplistic however, this one has animation and relates to the idea of the production as we can see an animated male in a suit which is likely to play the one of the characters therefore giving away an idea of the plot, keeping the audience interested.

This print screen of the title clearly alerts the audience of who produced/directed the film – Steven Spielberg. Spielberg is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and business magnate. He also produced other films such as ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and ‘Schlinder’s List’, and this will allow viewers to instantly recognise that a successful director has produced the film; encouraging them to continue watching.

The directors role is to ensure all cast members as well as crew members are fulfilling their roles – they direct the making of the film. They generally control a films artistic and dramatic aspects.

Others involved in the production are there to fulfil the directors needs and wants.

The both of these screenshots from the opening credits are of the main actors; who the production is starring.

They are recognised as the main characters as they both play large roles throughout the film. Also, they attract all types of audiences as they are both well known in terms of their attractiveness and also, their acting - Leonardo DiCaprio is extremely well known for largely popular films e.g. Titanic, Shutter Island, Django Unchained etc, as is Tom Hanks, known for Forrest Gump, Cast Away, Toy Story and Sleepless in Seattle.

This allows the production to bring in a huge income.

The actual title of the film plays after the previous credits. There are more credits succeeding this; this emphasises the importance of those mentioned before the title ‘Catch Me If You Can’ appears. After this frame, the rest of the credits feature those involved in the creation of the film, though they may have not been as recognisable.

The title features a plane icon, suggesting that there is a chase across nations, along with the blue background. The plane symbolises flight, supporting the idea of a chase. This gives viewers a brief idea of the plot to mull over whilst the rest of the credits play.

The rest of the cast are then shown. These usually don’t portray as large characters as the first few actors, though they appear in the film regularly. This is more so to inform the audience of these lesser known actors, as they are most likely becoming more well known to the film industry.

This allows these actors recognition, and permits their own fan base’s to be aware of their feature.

When actors are grouped in

credits, as presented here, it

is more often than not that

they are playing more minor

characters, though they are

not extras.

The casting director (and associate) is often credited directly after the cast to depict the relation, and of course, give credit for those casted in the film.

It is common during the opening credit of a film, for the author of the book that the film is based on (if it is an adaptation) to be mentioned. This informs filmgoers of the origins of the story if not already known, and is also readily recognised by the film’s niche audience; fans of the book.

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Often when the opening credits

of a film is as animated as those

for ‘Catch Me If You Can’, the

creator of the titles is credited for

those interested.

The musician is most likely to be credited, as in this case, John Williams produced the music for the film; he is extremely well known as a talented musician and is most recognised for his work for Jaws, the Harry Potter, Star Wars and Indiana Jones series, and many more blockbuster films.

The film editor is responsible for putting together the film in a coherent narrative. Editors tend to change all the time and are not as well known or recognisable for their work as directors, or musicians, therefore they are usually not one of the first credited, despite the importance of their job.

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The director of photography, like

the editor, is credited later on,

though the final responsibility of

these jobs is the director, which is

why they are credited first and are

considered most important.

The executive producers are the last to be mentioned; they are responsible for the management accounting and legal issues, and are inevitably responsibly for the distribution of the film.

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