Analysis Cape Fear

Once again I have chosen to analyse a title sequence by Saul Bass. He excels in this genre and his techniques are something we attempted to interpret in our piece.
The title sequence begins with moving water that seems tranquil yet disturbed as there is waves rippling through the water yet it seems peacefully. There is then an eagle swooping that is blended in, probably with opacity, over the water. The bird of prey contrasts against this still moving water making it seem unsettling. The music works really well with the piece as although the movements are quite simple and dont seem particularly dangerous the audience is aware both can kill you and this is reflected in the music. The deep low tone of the music is combined with harsh striking noises that make the atmosphere more tense. The simplistic white font as is used in many of Saul Bass' pieces works particularly well as the content and footage is dark allowing the text to serve its purpose and stand out without taking over the scene.
The incorporation of the eyes like in Storm Center make the audience anxious as we can only see the eyes, this makes the audience concentrate very deeply on the eye movements and the pupils which are stuttery and dilated. The looking around of the eyes makes the audience feel like they should be expecting something and cautious of what is about to happen, the music adds to this feel. The darkening of the water and contrasting titles takes the audience focus away from the eyes and bird of prey and the change in music seems more calm, however, this allows for the suspense to be built again with the music and the character to be revealed behind the waves of the water.
The movement of the water becomes the most effective part of this piece as it is consistent and seems quite hypnotising but then as you feel settled with the water something appear behind it to knock you off guard. There are many connotations that could be drawn from this, we could question what is distubring the water or is it to connote that all is not as it seems and it is not rippling water there is more to it. The music works well in this piece as there is a consistent rhythm which can convince the audience into thinking there is just rippling water on the screen but with the addition of trumpets and a little high melody added over the top the suspense is built and the audience is prepared to see something, when the character is shown behind the water not much is seen adding mystery and an uneasy feel.
There is a running theme of mystery in Saul Bass title sequences and I think this is the most effective part of it. You never quite know what to expect and are always questioning why things are happening, these questions are more than likely going to make you carry on watching the film which is the main aim. The use of opacity consistently reminds us there is more to what we are seeing and the limited view of the eyes allows for the audience to look more closely into what is going on.