Title Sequence Analysis

The title sequence opens with the title of the game in white font against a black background; this is a good introduction for the viewer as it grabs their attention, tells them what they’re viewing, and the lack of colour immediately hints at the game’s rather dark storyline and tone. In context, this is even more important as prior to this sequence the player has to go through an opening sequence in which they witness the start of the infection, and then the death of the protagonist’s child. The title sequence gives the player time to recover from this experience and prepare them for the rest of the game, which is set 20 years afterwards.

The camera then cuts to black and white sped-up scenes of mould growing; this shows the large progression of time since the opening gameplay and hints at the dark turn life has taken. The black-and-white theme continues throughout the entire sequence and this use of neutral colours is joined by a calm introductory theme played on acoustic guitar. The shots are all also extreme close-ups, which creates a very confined-feeling sequence, which hints that there’s no real way to avoid the situation for the people within the events of the game and thus no way for the player to avoid them.

As the sequence continues, names of producers start to grow on screen as well, and voiceover of news broadcasts starts to play; this helps to give the player some more context. Lines such as ‘hundreds of bodies lining the streets’ starts to give the player an idea of exactly what they’re going to encounter; the player now has a primary antagonist, a threat that hangs over the entire storyline.

As more radio broadcasts play, it starts to become apparent that people have tried to cure the infection and failed, and that this has lead to riots and general unrest, of which the mould provides an appropriate metaphor. The music at this point remains quiet, but has slightly sinister tones that match the grim nature of the scenario.

At this point there are recordings of political speeches; at this point serious changes are happening as a result of the infection, and the mould growth intensifies to reflect this; the contrasts between black and white intensify as life becomes less colourful for the inhabitants. The music also intensifies here and reaches a crescendo, which symbolizes the huge changes occurring and how big of an impact this has on the life of the protagonist.

The mould continues to intensify as mentions of cities falling and quarantine zones are heard over the music; this gives the player an idea of what setting the story will begin with and where the protagonist is now potentially living. There’s then mentions of riots and lack of food in these zones; society has completely changed as a result of the disaster and the world our protagonist lives in is far from safe despite these quarantines.

As the music continues, the news reports start to mention a group of rebels known as the Fireflies. This introduces a few important factors: Firstly, there are groups out there that are using violence to achieve their goals. Secondly, this group’s members are considered criminals; there are mentions of riots following executions of several members. And thirdly, it leaves the viewer questioning this; the group’s reasons for their attacks and their plans are left unmentioned, giving the audience enigmas to consider.

The shots also change to reflect this; as rebellions rise, silhouettes of plants begin to grow with the growth of rebellions, continuing the gritty black and white colouration.

In the final few scenes, the music calms as a voice begins to speak, saying that ‘you can still rise with us’ and asking people to ‘believe in the fireflies’. This seems to appeal directly to the audience to some degree; after hearing about executions and riots the voiceover requests that we trust these rebels, further adding to the enigma of who these people are and what they’re after. To conclude the sequence, as the music finishes fungus grows and disperses spores that cover the screen in black.

Materials Used in Production•Slime Mould•Black Ink•Tripe was used for one of the shots•Compressed air sprays•Time-lapse cameras•Extreme close-up lenses•One instance of computer generated footage (the spores in the final shot)

Overall Conclusion This title sequence has a lot of elements that I can make use of; for a post-apocalyptic genre it provides a lot of unique ideas and materials I wouldn’t have otherwise considered such as the mould and ink, and it’s also helped convince me that I could create similar sequences, as the majority of materials used are easily accessible such as ink. Overall, a useful sequence to look at that’ll help me add to my own work in media.