True  Detective  –  Opening  TitlesPromotional  Video  Analysis

Hayley  McCarthy

http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/true-­‐detective/

As  I  do  not  watch  the  show,  much  of  the  imagery  will  

not  be  read  in  the  intended  manner,  

so  I  researched  further  into  this  title  sequence.  

The  image  below  is  taken  from  

Elastic’s  Opening  Title  Sequence  Concept  book.

Created  in  it’s  various  stages  at  Elastic,  Antibody,  and  Studio  Breeder  (those  behind  ADBNE  title  sequence),  this  technically  executed  opening  sequence  really  pushes  the  boundaries  of  double  exposure.  Portraying  the  relationships  between  characters  and  locations,  each  shot  demonstrates  internal  struggles  that  each  character  faces,  which  is  made  increasingly  obvious  as  the  shows  narrative  progresses.  Fiercely  symbolic  with  religious  iconography  really  draws  the  viewer  in,  despite  only  being  1:32  minutes  long.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxXRkqXfhYM

Shot  Length:  0:00-­‐0:04  (4  sec) Shot  Type:  Establishing  Shot  -­‐  Petrochemical  plant,  physical  location  of  the  show,  connotes  pollution. Shot  Angle:  Low  Angle  with  central  focus  point  to  ground  viewer  Mise  En  Scene:The  colour  grading  of  this  shot  immediately  grabs  my  attention,  with  a  muted  but  contrasting  palette  complimenting  the  intentions  of  the  establishing  shot;  portraying  the  atmosphere  of  this  location,  with  the  slightly  wet  grass  offering  connotations  in  itself.  I  also  love  how  the  double  exposure  gradually  appears,  framing  the  sky  perfectly.  This  could  be  achieved  in  After  Effects  using  key  frames  to  transform  the  opacity  layer,  and  perhaps  setting  the  layer  type  to  ‘Add’  to  retain  the  definition  of  the  face.  

Shot  Length:  0:12-­‐0:16  (4  sec) Shot  Type:  Close  Up Shot  Angle:  Eye  level-­‐  adds  a  simplicity  to  this  shot  which  is  beautifully  complimented  by  the  overlaid  footage.  Mise  En  Scene:One  thing  I  have  noticed  with  the  majority  of  the  background  footage  in  this  sequence  is  the  tracking  or  panning  motion  which  offers  movement  to  the  scene  which  I  really  like.  My  previous  experiments  have  been  static  time  lapses,  but  this  has  definitely  inspired  me  to  push  this  footage  further,  perhaps  through  the  use  of  pans.  I  also  love  how  the  upwards  towers  of  the  Petrochemical  plant  (a  reoccurring  location)  frame  half  of  his  face,  which  is  later  revealed  though  the  slight  title  of  his  head.  This  creates  a  really  interesting  outline  which  is  visually  appealing,  with  the  revealing  elements  adding  that  extra  visual  appeal.

Shot  Length:  0:16-­‐0:19  (3  sec) Shot  Type:  Medium  shot  –  Zooms  into  CU,  retaining  focus  on  face. Shot  Angle:  Low  Angle  –  Slight  low  angle  most  likely  used  to  add  interest  which  is  met  by  the  zoom.  Mise  En  Scene:Movement  is  once  again  used  here  through  the  use  of  a  track  in  the  background  scene  in  a  left  to  right  motion,  which  is  mimicked  by  the  turning  of  the  figures’  head  from  left  to  right,  emphasising  this  progression.  The  overall  colour  grading  of  this  is  also  really  appealing,  with  the  muted  tones  matching  perfectly  with  the  off-­‐white  solid  background.  In  this  clip  the  camera  slightly  zooms  in,  drawing  the  viewer  into  the  frame.  Zooms  were  common  in  Dmitri  Basil’s  60/70s  inspired  work,  and  could  be  useful  in  my  final  video.

Shot  Length:  0:29-­‐0:31  (3  sec) Shot  Type:  Close  Up  -­‐  Face  fills  frame,  emotive,  engages  audience  (purpose  of  opening  titles)Shot  Angle:  Eye  level  -­‐  Focus  on  eyes  which  open  Mise  En  Scene:The  change  in  colour  with  the  action  on  screen  is  very  subtle  but  also  very  effective.  Starting  with  the  lovely  overlaid  footage  of  jellyfish  on  the  person’s  cheek,  the  dark  navy  colours  shift  into  brighter  turquoise  when  their  eyes  open,  connoting  revelation  and  ‘shedding  light  on  the  dark’;  fitting  with  the  original  concept  of  documenting  the  “internal  division”  of  each  character.

Shot  Length:  0:51-­‐0:53  (2  sec) Shot  Type:  Close  Up Shot  Angle:  Low  Angle  –  adds  to  intensity  (overly  dark,  black  grading)  low  angle  connotes  power  and  dominance  Mise  En  Scene:A  really  clever  shot,  here  the  double  exposure  is  used  to  re-­‐contour  the  face,  creating  an  almost  skull-­‐like  image  which  parallels  his  menacing  stare.  The  green  screen  footage  is  also  slowed  down,  really  savouring  this  graphic  match.  The  definition  and  depth  retained  in  the  original  face  is  also  really  inspiring,  and  is  something  that  I  would  quite  like  to  achieve  to  really  emphasise  the  lip-­‐syncing.

Shot  Length:  0:29-­‐0:31  (3  sec) Shot  Type:  Long  Shot  -­‐  Focus  on  what  would  normally  be  the  background  footageShot  Angle:  High  Angle  -­‐  slight  high  angle  used  to  show  spherical  nature  of  object,  giving  the  impression  of  3D  on  a  2D  surface.  Mise  En  Scene:Interestingly,  the  background  footage  immediately  takes  focus  here,  with  what  would  be  the  green  screen  footage  projected  onto  it,  suggesting  that  this  can  be  achieved  without  the  use  of  green  screen  should  the  surface  be  flat  enough.  The  flipped  footage  also  sparks  interest,  connoting  a  discordant  landscape  and  adding  visual  interest.  The  blur  of  this  clip  is  also  very  interesting,  and  I  love  the  idea  of  the  blur  used  almost  to  soften  the  cuts  between  shots.