TEXTUAL ANALYSIS:CORALINE

BY LAURA KNOWLES

SHOTS USED AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THEMIn the opening credits to Coraline there are many

extreme close-ups used such as these two of the dolls face and

the button eye. This shows that the button eyes are an

important part in the movie, which is why it probably focuses

on them .Here is another shot used to express the importance of the buttons in the film, however this is more of a close up or mid shot.

Here is a close up of a doll that is being made which is also used as is it an important part in the film.

In the opening titles they have also used a Low shot to show more variation and make the titles more interesting for the viewer, this picture also links with the overall theme.

MORE ON DIFFERENT SHOTS USEDTwo of the mid shots used in the opening titles to Coraline are really important as they show the doll coming in through the window and then it being transformed into another and leaving the window as another person.

This is significant as the viewers will later understand the importance of the dolls in the movie and how they foreshadow what is later going to be found out by them and the main character, it happens that the doll leaving the window is a doll of the main character Coraline except she just doesn’t know it yet.

THE TYPOGRAPHYBefore the clip in the opening titles starts

there are a few titles that are shown on their own for example the name of the film in the centre, which is Coraline.

The style of the writing has been made to look as if it were sewn and a button has been added for the O. These show the importance of the buttons in the overall movie.

The button used as the O in the word Coraline moves in by flipping , as if it were falling onto the screen. This is used to create more tension about the type of movie that it is going to be as it makes it seem more mysterious and more pleasing to watch for the viewers.

MORE ON TYPOGRAPHY..The titles during the short opening clip are a simple yet quite old fashioned font that are used in white to stand out from the darker background. However it also makes the viewer concentrate on both the writing and what is happening in the clip, ensuring that they do not miss anything that is important but at the same time making the titles easily seen. This also works because of how they fade in and out so smoothly.

WHY THIS IS AN EFFECTIVE OPENING?I think that the opening of Coraline is such an effective opening because it already gets the viewer to see a hint of what they think the film may be about overall and it is important to see the opening titles before watching the film. This is because they foreshadow what is later to come in the film when the viewers get to know the importance of what they had have already seen, so as the plot of the film unravels the viewers get to see who is behind making the doll in the titles and what is to later come from it.

I also think that the titles used are so effective because of the way everything fits together and flows, this is shown when the process if the doll being made is happening and the white titles are only shown when the background is dark making them stand out more.Also the different type of shots used together flow because they make sense, for example at one point the frame is focused on a drawer of buttons and then goes to focusing on the button eye of the doll being sewn on, instead of going from one object to a completely different one.

I think the opening of Coraline makes the viewers want to keep on watching as they want to know what is happening and what it is about, also why things are significant to the film, I think that they would be curious about what happens next.

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THE ORDER OF THE TITLES The first titles to be shown are a list of four names of the lead animators.This is important as Coraline is an animation film and the lead animators are therefore the people who are thought to be the most important.

The titles end with the name of the writer and director who obviously play

a very important part in the film, although it is shown at the end it means that the video is less busy, making the audience concentrate

more on the name in the middle of the screen.

THE END