Title Analysis #2

Children Of Men

Children Of Men is a 2006 Sci-Fi, Thriller and Drama movie written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón that takes place in 2027, in which nearly every women on the planet has become infertile.

The font of the title itself does not hold many representations or connotations of the movie; the font being very plain and simple struggles to link it to conventions of Sci-Fi or Thriller. However, it could be inferred that by not doing anything flashy or impressive it raises the severity of the film's scenario, almost as if saying: “This is not a story”. By making the title very simple, it almost mimics real life and feels official, like something you would see on an important document. This enhances the movie as by increasing the realism, you also increase the danger, the severity, which in turn raises the suspense and excitement of the movie. The font also being in bold and upper-case links to this idea of raising the severity and realism of the movie. The font style itself shows little link to the film being Sci-Fi, however, the connotations as discussed earlier do show strong links to Drama, and also potentially Thriller.

The sound used in this title sequence is arguably the most important factor in its impact on the movie: a diegetic, sharp, ringing alarm sound that resonates through the duration of the title above. The sound itself is the remnant of the scene before, in which a building explodes and woman's scream fades out into the tile. Alarms are normally associated with the warning of emergency or if something is wrong, often they herald impending danger and this alone helps to develop the film. The fact an alarm sounds during the title already suggests that the world is in crisis, and, if the world were not already in peril, it suggests that something devastating is soon to occur. Not only does this have strong connotations with the theme of the movie, but also the genres: It raises suspense greatly and, again, links back to the severity of the situation, both of which are strong components in Drama and Thriller, demonstrating the effect that diegetic sound has on the title. Also, the fact that the women's scream fade out into the title could suggest that the human race is already doomed and dying out, an over-arching theme of the movie which also links to the bleak tones throughout, showing how sound is used effectively to make a title.

There is little amounts of editing used in the title sequence, the text only appears white against black backgrounds and do not transition in any interesting fashion except cutting into each other. This itself can be dramatic, however, the lack of accompanying music fails to really heighten this effect. However, the lack of distinguishing editing or non-diegetic music could serve to amplify the realism of the movie, again increasing the suspense of the entire film. The other titles are nearly identical to the film's title, if only smaller, which could enhance the film's title, and thus the effects discussed previously.

Another important factor could also be the fact that there are only four titles used throughout the entire opening. One of which being the title: 

 This could have been done to improve the realism of the movie, less text and unrealistic title cards and more harrowing sounds or action. This, again, links to the Drama and Thriller genres as you want the audience to feel within the world to a greater effect, as it will dramatically increase the excitement and suspense.

In conclusion, the titles for this movie are all very standard, there are not crazy fonts or colours, just a bleak depiction of mankind through the use of the simple font and diegetic sounds. It does not need a flashy logo because the connotations of the text, the editing and the sound all serve the purpose of creating an image of hopelessness and crisis, as well as the overall themes of the movie. Demonstrating the effectiveness of titles through the use of media techniques.

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