Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant
Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant is the film adaptation of the popular book series by Darren Shan. The story follows a teenager called Darren who after a series of events is turned into a vampire to save his friends life. He's forced to leave his normal life and join a circus of 'Freaks'.
The purpose of a title sequence is to introduce the beginning of the film, telling the audience the above the line and below the line talent, as well as the production companies and others involved in the making of the film. It is an important part in setting the mood, tone and pace for the duration of the film. However some title sequences can be created to give clues to certain elements of the plot of the film in a creative and subtle way. After watching the film the audience can go back to the title sequence and see that parts of the film can be reflected or represented in the sequence. Another purpose of a title sequence is to engage the audience, keeping them interested. Like with the opening sequence, if the title sequence is boring and poorly made then it's unlikely you'll want to stay around the watch the film.
In Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, the overall theme is that of a child's nightmare, reflecting the dark horror and fantasy elements of the film. It follows the ominous journey of two boys in a shadow puppet animation, helping to set the ominous tone and mood for the rest of the film.
Creative Director Garson Yu said this in reply to a question about his idea in terms of the narrative of the story in the title sequence:
"You don’t want to reveal too much about the plot of the film in the title sequence. As for Cirque Du Freak, it is a graphic opening that introduces six freak show characters and brings them together through the journey of two puppets. I wanted to let the credits play an important role. They become the main actors throughout the sequence and the story is the backdrop."
Some of the central characters are shown in the title sequence, which helps the audience to recognise them and realise their significance to the plot later on in the film, as well as create a sense of mystery about that character based on their portrayal in the title sequence.
"Film is about storytelling and the title sequence should be driven by that story. If the story doesn’t require those clichéd visual cues, then they shouldn’t be there. We used the shadow puppet idea as a visual metaphor because it fits the story. "
In the film, there is a conflict of control between the two groups of characters; good versus evil. This idea of being controlled is shown by the puppet strings holding up two of the main characters as they travel through the nightmare style setting. The way the puppets are raised from the ground reflects the way the two main characters are raised from the dead in the film, with the puppet strings also representing their loyalty to their masters.
Other key images of the film are shown in the title sequence, one reoccurring image is the various designs of a graveyard setting, which is also a prominent feature in the film. This also helps to set the tone and mood and add to the theme of a nightmare setting and style of the title sequence.
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