The 2009 superhero film Watchmen, directed by Zack Snyder, takes place in an alternate version of 1985 in which Nixon has been elected a third term, superheroes have been banned from operating without the consent of the United States government, and the world is on the brink of nuclear destruction. In order to set up this world, and convey a lot of information about the politics and characters of the time, Snyder and co. created a nearly 6-minute long title sequence to the tune of Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin'" that tells us everything we need to know about the two teams of superheroes that defended history, and the way their marginalization and privatization affected the world as we know it now.
This history is told in what is, essentially, a series of moving snapshots - each credit or set of credits is shown in a slow-motion moving tableau of a scene or moment that helps to define just how much "the times" are "a-changin'". Beginning with the corny costume of the first Nite Owl as he punches a fedora-d criminal, many of these tableaus are given verisimilitude by the presence of a photo or video camera, implying that we are seeing the history as the inhabitants of this world are. Following that shot, we see the original Sally Jupiter (Carla Gugino) holding up a newspaper with her headline, supported by cops in front of the press - this shows us, wordlessly, that we now exist in a world in which superheroes are working with the police to take down crime in America. Further photo opportunities are shown with the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) grinning for the camera while capturing a perpetrator - this also shows that the superheroes love the attention they are getting for these deeds, and foreshadows the Comedian's vanity and selfishness. The fact that most of these snapshots occur in the context of a picture being taken or new media being created is indicative of how we shape our culture according to intertextual media (Kolstrup, 2004).
The actual title of the film is shown in front of the group photo of the first group of superheroes - 'Watchmen' is placed in front of the "Minutemen" banner to show that this group of superheroes is NOT who we will be following, but their inspiration. After this shot, we begin to see the bigger effects that the superheroes have on history - the Enola Gay flies by after bombing Hiroshima, a pin-up version of Sally Jupiter painted on the side and the infamous V-J day photo of the sailor kissing his girl is replaced with a lesbian superhero, Silhouette, kissing the same dame.
In addition to this effect on history, we see the effects of this notoriety on the superheroes, and how the public start to rebel against them. The next snapshot is of a dead superhero, his cape caught in the revolving door that caught his demise - again with the camera from the newspapers to catch this disgrace for the public. "The Last Supper" is recreated for a pregnant Sally's retirement party, showing that these superheroes are succumbing to human needs and the complications of reality to put up their capes. Another superhero is dragged kicking and screaming to the mental asylum, further showing the destructive effects of being a superhero on the psyche. Silhouette and her lover are gunned down in a hotel room with "Lesbian Whores" in blood on the wall - the homophobia of the time overriding their previous adoration of their superheroes.
In the first real shot without an iconic or historical significance, a man reads "Russ Have A-Bomb" on a newspaper in a woman's hotel room, with a silent young boy watching as his mother prostitutes herself. This is the young Rorschach, and through his eyes we see the crumbling effect of the world on the public. America moves out of its innocence in World War II with the darkness of the Cold War, and the superheroes come along for the ride: Dr. Manhattan (Billy Crudup) shakes hands with President Kennedy, who is later shot by the Comedian on the grassy knoll. Already, we see the presence of superheroes is changing our known history - this is also evident in the shot of the Kent State riots, where the infamous image of the flower in the rifle is followed by the rifle going off, killing protestors and demolishing the flower. Andy Warhol, instead of painting Marilyn Monroe, paints the new Nite Owl (Patrick Wilson), while Neil Armstrong sees Dr. Manhattan on the moon. Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) brings us into the gay '70s with the opening of Studio 54, and the Watchmen now gather for a group photo op that mirrors the Minutemen we saw at the beginning, showing that these are the people who are now supposed to protect the world. Following that, Synder breaks this tableau style for the final credit - his credit. We see Nixon elected for a third term on a TV, only to pull out to reveal rioters spray-painting "Who Watches the Watchmen?" on the window of the TV shop. Another rioter then throws a Molotov cocktail into that same television and causes an explosion, which throws us into the present day of the film.
This title sequence is elegant and graceful, though long, in its explanation and expression of the interpersonal politics and backstory of the superheroes of the film, as well as demonstrating just how much the "times" have changed as a result of superheroes being celebrated, then feared, then recruited by the government to serve their own political ends. It sets up the rather nihilistic and gritty vision of the film well, all while allowing history to chug along to the Bob Dylan tune that perfectly sets the stage for the film's events.
While much shorter and simpler visually than the Watchmen title sequence, the sequence for Francois Truffaut's 1966 adaptation of Fahrenheit 451 is an exercise in innovation with title credits, trying new things that still speak volumes about the world of the film. The film is set in a dystopian future where reading and books are strictly outlawed and forbidden; Truffaut establishes this in the audience's mind by not having textual credits at all. Instead, the title sequence as a whole conveys its credits through speech; a strict Englishman sternly tells us the credits and names of the people involved in making the film instead of showing us. Already, Truffaut is getting the audience acclimated to a world without words, as we are robbed of the expectation of reading credits to find out who contributed to the making of the film. As the man tells us the names in proper English, the sequence flies by so quickly that it is possible to miss some of the names; it feels wrong, off, incomplete. This has the effect of unsettling the audience just as the people of this world are unsettled and incomplete by having a world without reading - people are used to reading credits in a title sequence as that is what it is ostensibly for (Stanitzek, 2009).
The visuals are just as disturbing as the audio, as Truffaut punctuates every single credit mention with a single-colored shot of different television and radio antennas, zooming in on them oppressively. Each new shot is either monochromatically purple, blue, green, oppressively bright and intense colors that make you uncomfortable to see filling the entire screen. The pastels being used to illustrate such an invasive and cold world is indicative of the attempts of the government to placate you into not thinking you are being watched or listened in on (likely from the antennas Truffaut literally pushes in your face). The effect is grim and unsettling, the perfect way to introduce the audience to a world without privacy or the freedom to speak. You are told in a kind but stern voice what to do and what to think, and that is what this title sequence sets up for the rest of the film.
Finally, we move deep into the macabre with David Fincher's title sequence for his serial killer thriller Se7en (1995). For this title sequence, we get a gritty backdrop of the song "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails to send us into the depths of hell - it's grungy and gritty, showing us that this is not going to be a pretty or clean film. The images are grotesque and disturbing - the whole sequence is a montage of the serial killer John Doe's (Kevin Spacey) routine. In his meticulous rituals, we see nearly-subliminal flashes of him cutting off his fingertips with razor blades, covering the fingers with bandages and setting out to write his insane manifestos in tiny print on hand-bound notebooks. Seeing the extreme closeups of these details show just how obsessed this mysterious figure is with these rituals and patterns - Fincher seeks to put us in the mind of the serial killer. The titles themselves are scribbled onto the film stock itself, scrawled letters jumping around haphazardly every frame to illustrate his disordered and disturbed mind. Everything is off-kilter, broken down and not quite right, as the director puts you in the right mindset to be affected by this serial killer's doings. Random flashes and pulses further disorient us and cover us in grime throughout the sequence, putting us off our guard and vulnerable to this man's insanity. Finally, the "Directed by David Fincher" credit heralds a complete film burnout, as the negative scorches and melts away. It is truly a scary and effective title sequence that restored many people's faith in elaborate title sequences in films (Boxer, 2000).
All of these title sequences have the effect of planting the viewer in the world and the atmosphere of the film, while being aesthetic treats in their own right. The Watchmen title sequence takes us through 40 years of alternate history where superheroes herald the apocalypse and deal with their own personal demons. Fahrenheit 451 orients us to a wordless world wherein we are constantly being watched. Finally, Se7en's titles burrow us into the mind of a psychopath whose thoughts and methods are as unstable and disordered as his actions. All of these title sequences are some of the most effective ways to convey credits ever shown on film, and demonstrate innovation and creativity, adding to the film instead of being a necessary evil of guild rules.
Works Cited
Boxer, Sarah. "Making a Fuss Over Opening Credits: Film Titles Offer a Peek at the Future in
More Ways Than One." The New York Times, April 22, 2000. Print.
Fincher, David. Dir. Se7en. Perf. Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow. 20th Century
Fox, 1995. Film.
Kolstrup, Soren. "The Film Title and its Historical Ancestors." P.O.V. vol. 2, 2004. Print.
Snyder, Zack. Dir. Watchmen. Perf. Patrick Wilson, Billy Crudup, Jackie Earle Haley. Warner
Bros. Pictures, 2009. Film.
Stanitzek, Georg. "Reading the Title Sequence." Cinema Journal vol. 48, no. 4, Summer 2009.
pp. 44-60. Print.
Truffaut, Francois. Dir. Fahrenheit 451. Perf. Oskar Werner, Julie Christie, Cyril Cusack.
Universal Pictures, 1966. Film.
