The Art of the Title

The titles for the film ‘Smoking Aces’ provide the first clue about the themes, style and overall genre of the film. The objects in each shot, weapons, guns and smashed glass and the urban landscape settings, convey the genre. The predominant difference between these titles and others in the crime and violence genre is the cartoon style it adopts, which is evocative of films from the 60’s. This could be seen to represent an element of comedy and playfulness within the film- even though the stills show it clearly is a film based on violent crime. The striking colours of the shots are garish and exaggerated. This could be seen to portray the film as dramatic and exciting – but again highlighting a playful or perhaps comedic genre. The dark blues and reds stick to conventions of the crime genre because they connote danger and the unknown, however the lime green, turquoise and bright pinks are unusual.

The first shot shows character X, a man smartly dressed in a long trench coat and trilby. This costume has connotations of crime and hidden identity, there is also a 1960’S Chevrolet car, which suggests the man is quite wealthy, his stance is confident and quite stern portraying power. In the corner of the screen there is a man’s head and shoulders, suggesting he is crouched on the floor. This shows the low status of character and implies he is beneath character x. This also indicates there is confrontation and suggests the idea of gangsters. The scene is set in an urban landscape and in the background a building is shown, suggesting it is set on the streets.  The blue colours could also be seen to portray that it is set at night, blue is typically associated with coldness and harshness, this could reflect the personality of character x. The text ‘written and directed by Joe Carnahan’ is quite central connoting the importance of him.

This shot shows Alicia Keys positioned to the left side of the screen, she is holding a revolver gun high up as if she is ready to shoot and the gun is positioned centrally showing the importance of this object. Furthermore this adds mystery as the shot intrigues the audience to wonder who she is shooting at. Her facial expression is quite sultry and provocative, perhaps indicating she is the sex symbol of the film. She is wearing a lot of eye makeup and her hair looks sleek and styled this also reinforces the idea she is image conscious. Alicia Keys is shown in bright fuchsia pink, this is a bold colour however it has connotations of femininity and this significantly contrasts with her typically masculine actions. This contrast is also reinforced through the continuation of bold masculine font used for the text ‘Alicia Keys’ which has been added as a form of star pull to entice people. The setting is an alleyway, which seems to be quite dingy with strong shadows allowing the audience to wonder ‘what is lurking in the shadows’?

The most dominant thing about this shot is the lime green and black stripes. This could be interpreted as the bar’s of a prison cell, indicating low status and that the character has a lack of power. There is also 3 images of a man’s face taken from different angles; however they have been merged together as to create quite an abstract image. These elements could represent and indicate a split personality portrayed through the stripes showing division of the character and the three sides of his personality. The colour is quite pastel like and subtle compared to the other colours used throughout the stills; which could indicate his personality is more subdued than other character’s. Green also has well known connotations of jealousy, which could indicate he is envious of the outside world.

This still show’s a man with a weapon on his shoulder, cars and what appears to be some kind of industrial fan. The cartoon images appear to be overlays perhaps to represent synchronised storylines running through the plot. The text 'Chris Pine' is in the same typeface as the text in the other stills. however it appears to be blurred, as if it is being sucked in through the fan which also could suggest the character has been sucked into the plot. Although the circular shape looks like an industrial fan there is what appears to be a handle in the bottom right hand corner, this resembles a magnifying glass. A magnifying glass has connotations of the crime and murder genre. The cars have connotations of speed and a fast lifestyle reinforced by the man poised ready for action with the weapon resting on his shoulder which reinforces the theme of violence.

This still is quite simplistic, the grid like cartoon style buildings in the background shows the urban setting in fitting with the previous stills. The man is positioned to the right of the screen to allow the gun to be centre stage showing the importance of the gun, again supporting the theme of violence. The camera angle of the man is also slightly tilted below the character; this portrays power and strength. The zingy green colour could also represent a vibrant and confident character.

In the foreground of the still is a rabbit and a man both central to the picture. The man in the foreground of the picture is looking up in a relaxed way with hid back towards the prisoner; this shows an element of his status and power. The background depicts a man behind bars, his face is hidden by the rabbits ear and all that is revealed of him is his muscular arm as he grabs the bars; this could represent a sense of hidden identity. The rabbit whose eyes are widely opened with dilated pupils has strong connotations of drug references. The rabbit is also a well-known sex symbol, and could represent the sexual ‘playboy’ life that is often apparent in a gangster’s life.

The following stills carry on with the theme depicting violence and action; they also stay consistent in choice of bold, bright colours used to reflect the active, dramatic mood of the film. Overall I like the titles and feel they are effective to entice an audience, the titles are coherent and give an insight and some clues to the storyline of the film.