Art of the Title

The 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 Tonys 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) connotes 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 3s Woke Up This Morning, both signifies
the common conventions and subverts them at the same time. The nondiegetic, asynchronous sound track conforms, as it is not modern, just as
many other soundtracks for this genre arent. 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 Tonys 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 Ritchies 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 Niros 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 Aces 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. Rothsteins
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 fire being the lows of
being blown up and killed. This may even connote that he is going to hell

for all the crimes and sin he has committed throughout his gangster life.