Analysis of Opening Titles used in 'Teen Comedy' Films

1) Angus, thongs and perfect snogging....
(2008)


Plot: Angus the fluffy cat retains its dignity even in a crazy Eastbourne family, unlike them. Eldest daughter Georgia is completely besotted with 'Stiff Dylans' band hottie Robbie, who just moved in from London and helps run an organic groceries shop with his brother Tom, whom her best friend Jas has the hots for. Peter Dyer calls Georgia his best ever kissing-course pupil, but she ignores him and later the brothers' other classmate Dave the Laugh. Robbie was considering to dump haughty Lindsay, but reconsiders given the immature brat's apparent cruelty. Thus manipulative Georgia keeps changing her mind about a grand birthday party and her father's career opportunities as engineer in New Zealand, while mother seems to flirt with the interior decorator Jem.
Directed by: Gurinder Chadha
Stars: Georgia Groome as Georgia and Aaron Taylor Johnson as Robbie.
Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging has won 3 awards and was nominated for 1 other award.


Paramount Pictures Corporation is the films producer, this tells the audience that the film is quite big budgeted as Paramount pictures are the sixth bigggest film production company in the world. It is an American company, however this film is British. Therefore this grants the film more advertisment around the world, especially in America.

Nickelodeon Movies also helped produce this film, this addresses the audience that the film is targeted at a younger audience as Nickelodeon is most commonly known as being a 'kids Tv' company. Yet the audience know that this film is not aimed at really young children as Paramount add in an older element to the film. Nevertheless the film is targeted at the fairly younger audience of 'teenagers'.

In the opening scene, all the credits came up on the screen. The production company (Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies) first of all, followed by the name of the film (Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging) then the name of the actors.
After the main actors were credited, there was a break from the opening credits and the scene was Georgia running home, dressed like a giant olive. The director perhaps did this to let the audience focus more on the setting and where Georgia was running to and why she was running instead of leading the audience to focus completly on the credits.
When Georgia arrives back at her house, the opening credits appear back on the screen. The continued opening credits tell the audience who the music is by (Joby Talbot), the costume designer (Jill Taylor), followed by the film editors, director of photography and main producers. Then the screenplay writers and finally the director (Gurinder Chadha).

The font of the writing is fairly large and curly. The 'curly' effect on the font gives of a young feeling about the film as its childish and fun. The largeness of the font also directs you to think the film is targeted at a younger audience as it keeps your attention and leads you to keep reading it. This was perhaps done as children rarely read the opening credits so the writing might of been made large to almost force them to read it.
The colour of the font is white, white is a basic colour which is clear to read. This colour was probably used to make the font clear to read. White also stands out well if the background is darker, therefore the ambient lighting used in the opening scene complimented the white font well. White is a colour that represents purity and youth, this could reflect on the characters in the film as they are young, innocent girls.


2) The Kings of Summer
(2013)

Plot: Joe Toy, a fifteen year old boy, who is on the verge of adolescence, finds himself increasingly frustrated by his single father Frank's attempts to manage his life. Declaring his freedom once and for all, he escapes to a clearing in the woods with his best friend, Patrick, and a strange kid named Biaggio that he recently met at an 'end of school party'. He announces that they are going to build a house there, free from responsibility and parents. Once their makeshift abode is finished, the three young men find themselves masters of their own destiny, alone in the woods. A 'coming of age' teenage comedy.
Directed by: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Stars: Nick Robinson as Joe Toy and Nick Offerman as Frank Toy
The Kings of Summer has won 3 awards and had another 6 nominations.

 CBS Film production company was founded in 2007, it is a new production company and is considered a 'mini-major studio'. Therefore this leads the audience to think that this film is not a big production. It is also an all American film company which could lead audiences to think that the film will not be advertised globally as it is not an 'international' film production company.

Low Spark Films is also a fairly new film production company and is not very well known. Low Spark Film company has only produced three films so far, Kings of Summer included and is again only an American production company which could mean the film is not very well globally advertised. This make the audience continue to think that this is a low budget or independant film.


Big Beach is a an American film production company, headquarted in New york City. Its is another new production company as it was founded in 2004. However Big Beach has produced many well known films such as 'Our Idiot Brother' and 'Little Miss Sunshine'. Big Beach also adverstise their films globally therefore this gives The Kings of Summer a more widely ranged audience and attention in the media.



 The opening scene of 'The Kings of Summer' after the production company titles, does not show the opening credits straight away. The opening scene was improvised by the actors. They are set in the woods with a long water pipe surrounded by trees. The three boys improvise a funny opening sequence that draws the audience's attention to them, wondering what they are doing in the middle of a forest. They create a musical sequence using sticks and logs that they found on the floor, banging them on the water pipe making a timed noise that intrigues the audience and makes everyone watch this opening in silence.

The opening credits for 'The kings of Summer' stays the same font all the way through. The font is fine lined but curly, much like the opening credits for 'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging'. Again this curly font could symbolise a fun, crazy story, it is giving the audience a glance at what the film holds through the font. The fine lineing of the writting perhaps reflects the delicate synopsis of the story, as the story does hold a fragile topic of children running away from home because they are not happy with their family lives. The fine, delicate font could mirror this element of the story. Yet the curls in the font contrast that theme with the more comic, fun side of the film.
The first credit that comes up on the screen is written in black. The rest of the credits are in the colour white. Perhaps the reason why the very first credit is black is because it is a solid, bold colour that staright away grabs audiences attention. The bold black colour was put there to guide the audiences eyes onto the opening credits. The second and third credits are written in white. Much like 'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging', the white font could again mirror the youth of the teenage characters, even though the things they do throughout the film are very adult and not so innocent. Perhaps the black font used for the first credit at the beggining represents the more dark side to the story. Another reason why white might of been used for the credit font is becasue the lighting used in this scene is ambient with some natural lighting from outside as Joe rides his bike to school. So the white shows up well on the screen and the audience can clearly read it.

The opening credits do not last for long however. Only three credits come onto the screen in the begginig and the rest are shown in the end credits. The first opening credit addresses the audience to the films main production company (CBS Films), followed by the production company (Low Spark Films and Big Beach Productions) and lastly the name of the film (The Kings of Summer). The name of the actors, director, photographer or screenplay writter do not come up. This was maybe done to keep a short introduction to the film.
When the final opening credit states the name of the film, the Birdhouse that Joe built himself had dropped onto the floor as he was riding to school. Next to the low angle shot of the bird house, came 'The Kings of Summer' credit. This was done to reflect the main focus of the story, as Joe and his two friends build their own house in the woods.