Title Sequence Analysis

Napoleon Dynamite is an American comedy film that was distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures and Paramount Pictures. Napoleon Dynamite was released in 2004, it was co-written and directed by Jared Hess and Jerusha Hess and stars Jon Heder as the main character, Napoleon Dynamite.

The first few scenes begin with close up shots of bright coloured carpet that show a hand, which we can assume belongs to Napoleon, place down plates of food with the individual titles written out in tomato ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, etc. This immediately introduces the audience to some of the basic themes that are later used in the film and the use of many bright colours that are used give the impression that the film is going to have comedic, playful and childlike qualities. The only sounds that can be heard at this point is the sound of the plates being put down and birds whistling in the background, this helps to set a simple and calm atmosphere which adds to the overall themes.

The following shot also has bright red carpet as a background but this time we see Napoleon taking some cards out of his wallet, the first one is titled ‘UFO Abduction Insurance’ and the second one is Napoleons student card, this helps to introduce the main character and give the audience some idea of his personality and his interests. The student card that we see allows the audience to learn the name of the main character, this is also where we are first introduced to what Napoleon looks like. Each of these shots are filmed close up and on a hand-held camera, giving the impression that we are viewing things as though they are being seen through Napoleons point of view. This is the point where the music first begins to play, the song is called 'We're Going To Be Friends' preformed by The White Stripes. The song has simple vocals that are peaceful, cheery and help add to the childlike qualities of this opening sequence. This song fits in well because both the tune of this song and the credits are quite simple but they both introduce a feeling of happiness to the audience.

The shots then go back to being plates of unusual food placed down by Napoleon, once again based on bright coloured carpets and other household surfaces.

Continuing to introduce themes from the film we are shown small handmade constructions that are made by Napoleon, this gives the audience a better idea of what his interests and personality are like. This is then followed by Napoleon opening up some library books 'Bigfoot and Me' and 'Science and Centaurs' this helps to re-enforce the audiences knowledge of what the character is like. All the way through the opening credits the audience is continuously shown different colours and textures to keep their interest.

These next scenes show more themes from the film that are closely related to Napoleon and his personality, including some drawings and school supplies. These opening titles work well because it keeps the audiences attention all the way through and begins to generate ideas about what the main character is like. The colours, music and themes used also give the first impression that the film is going to be a light hearted comedy.

 http://www.artofthetitle.com/2010/08/30/napoleon-dynamite/