Art of the Title

Art of the TitleThe Sopranos:The Sopranos is based on infamous mob boss Tony Soprano and his family, connoting both the name of the series and the genre of my movie, as Tony is heavily involved with then mafia. This title sequence at the beginning of every episode denotes our main antagonist, Tony, as he rides around New York in his car. There are many codes and conventions during this title sequence. The serif names of our characters which are demoted during the sequence connote Tony’s masculinity as a powerful man and his dominance as a leader. This text is also denoted on the series’ logo, as this is written in large, bold text. The r in the word ‘Sopranos’ is exchanged with a downwards-pointing firearm, connoting a common convention of this genre, as guns and other weapons can be seen throughout it. The Italian mafia consists of Italian Americans who have immigrated to the country and started a better life for themselves. New York is heavily associated with Italian Americans, as this is where many of them live, subsequently resulting in a high amount mafia members inhabiting New York. This results in much of their activity happening there. The opening sequence connotes this very well, as throughout the whole of the sequence, numerous shots of New York are shown. Notable landmarks, such as the Statue of Liberty and The Twin Towers, are denoted during these shots in the city, however there is also more rural areas denoted, where trees are shown. The jewellery in which Mr Soprano is denoted to be wearing (rings, bracelet & watch) connote the luxury lifestyle he lives as a highly wealthy and respected figure in the ranks of the mafia. Tony is also denoted smoking a cigar, connoting another common convention of the genre, as many mafia gangsters are seen regular smoking either cigarettes or cigars in movies and television. Although Tony and his actions are similar to many other gangsters and he signifies many codes and conventions of the genre, he does not always confirm to these stereotypes. Tony actually subverts the common codes and conventions also. This is because gangsters are usually seen in suits, however Tony is not wearing this attire. Tony is dressed more casual than other mob bosses, wearing a grey polo shirt with the top button undone. The music of this title sequence, Alabama 3’s ‘Woke Up This Morning’, both signifies the common conventions and subverts them at the same time. The non-diegetic, asynchronous sound track conforms, as it is not modern, just as many other soundtracks for this genre aren’t. However it subverts, as it is happy and upbeat. The soundtracks used in this genre are usually slow and eerie, building suspense during certain scenes, whilst also connoting the dark themes of the pictures on screen, such as murder. The seemingly dull and boring title sequence is a contrast to Tony’s exciting lifestyle filled with crime. This connotes his family life, as he is not the same man with his real biological family as he is with his mafia ‘family’, as they are commonly referred to as.

Snatch:Snatch is a 2000 film directed by Guy Ritchie set in London involving gangsters, boxing and a diamond. Guy Ritchie is notoriously known for either crime

and/or gangster films, such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Sherlock Holmes, as well as Snatch. As a result of his status within this genre and the film industry, we see Ritchie's name in large, bold letters as the film begins. This not only connotes Guy Ritchie’s status as a director, it also attracts fans of his work and this genre, as they will be aware of the high quality of his work. The genre of the film is not the only thing that links to my opening sequence. My gangster/crime film is also set in England's capital city of London. This title sequence is unique from not only other films in this genre, but throughout the whole film industry. This is because the film incorporates the titles into the first main action of the movie: a diamond heist. The audience are first introduced to one of our many protagonists, Turkish (Jason Statham), an English boxing promoter named after the plane crash in which his parents met on. We are also introduced to his friend Tommy, who is of the same profession. We learn that the origin of his name is from a famous ballerina, and not the nickname of the Thompson Submachine Gun; the Tommy Gun. However Turkish does not only explain the origins of his and his accomplices names during this non-diegetic voiceover, he also informs the audience that they have been unfortunately dragged into the business involving the stolen diamond after being happy with their occupations. The next part of this opening sequence reveals the origin of the diamond that Turkish previously mentioned. The scene now denoted to the audience 4 stereotypical Jewish men with large beards and side burns, dressed in traditional Rabi outfits, consisting of a large formal hat and a suit. Although the traditional Jewish outfits and the men sporting them are not usually seen in gangster films, these suits conform to the common codes and conventions of the genre as the male protagonists are very wealthy and high up in society. However these characters create an enigma, as the audience winder why heavily religious men are seen in a film, which contains many actions that the religion these men practice would see, as sinful. This enigma is later eliminated, as the audience now discover this was simply a disguise used to discombobulate the security guards of a building, allowing the men to pass despite setting off a metal detector. As a result of this, the 4 men bypass security, now able to execute a heist to steal the previously mentioned diamond. This signifies the pure intelligence of the gangster in this movie, as they are successfully able to pull off such a well thought out but risky operation. The diamond, as well as several other but smaller diamonds, is denoted through an extreme close up. The title of the film is denoted over the diamond in bold, underlined, san-serif text. This connotes the masculinity of the characters played by the male dominated cast, as well as the fact that the diamond has been ‘snatched’. This leads to a montage of different characters in the movie being introduced. These are Cousin Avi, Sol, Mickey, Vinny, Avi, Franky Four Fingers, Boris the Blade, Bullet-Tooth Tony, and Brick Top. This compilation then ends with another close up of the large diamond, further connoting the importance of this to the movies plot.

Casino:

Casino begins with gangster/mafia member and casino owner Ace Rothstein (Robert De Niro) leaving the casino in which he owns, entering his car, turning on the ignition and the car blowing up as soon as he does this. This creates an immediate enigma amongst the audience, as they are left wondering who De Niro’s character is, why he has been killed and how the car was blown up. After this extremely unexpected turn of events occurs, the title sequence of the film begins. During the explosion, it is revealed that the film is a Martin Scorsese directed picture. This will attract more customers and audience members as this is a very good director known for producing high quality films when it comes to the gangster genre, such as Goodfellas. As De Niro slowly strolls to the vehicle, we are introduced to a protagonist who conforms to the common codes and conventions of the genre in multiple ways. One of these conformities would be the outfit in which Ace is wearing. He is dressed in a suit and tie, an outfit worn by many gangsters throughout the genre, just like Frankie Rodgers in my opening sequence. However the colour of the outfit may subvert to the stereotypes of a usual gangster, as he is wearing very bright pink jacket and white trousers. The colour pink is one that is that is commonly and stereotypically associated with women gather than men. This subverts to not only the stereotypes of men in general, but also the stereotypes of gangsters in general, as they are usually very masculine, commonly seen wearing dark coloured suits such as grey, black and blue. The scene then moves on the audience are presented with a compilation of flashing lights, those you would see in casinos, therefore connoting the movies title. This signifies to the audience that this movie may be set in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is because Las Vegas is a very popular and famous location, well known for its casinos and gambling lifestyle. The fact that the shadow of Ace’s now dead body is seen flying through the air and passing these bright, attractive flashing lights. This possibly connotes that his own casino lead to his death, as he might have gotten too carried away with all the money he was making. Rothstein’s body falling from the bright lights into fire further connotes this theory. His death may even have something to do with the mafia that the mobster is involved with, as at the beginning of the scene ace speaks of the how important the love and trust he once had was. However another reason for this could be to show the contrast between his once exciting and bright life, just like the lights we see, and his sudden death, with the lights representing the highs of owning a casino, and the lows of being blown up and killed.