Title Sequence

I chose the title sequence to the film “Thank you for Smoking”.  Designed by Gareth Smith, the opening sequence is an entertaining preview for the satirical film about the tobacco industry and lobbyists.  The song is one of the first aspects which appealed to me; it provides a comically entertaining feel, while hundreds of cigarette packs are being cycled through.  This title sequence is very well put together because it inserts information and the actual titles, as labels on the cigarette packages.  Upon doing further research on the title sequence, I learned that one of the main design concepts was the use of ‘gold and red, and bold graphic lines and shapes’, according to a review on Forget the film, watch the titles. Each actor and actress has their own pack of cigarettes in the title sequence, which serve to introduce some sort of background personality.  We notice Katie Holmes’ pack appears to be a vintage royal cigarette fit for a classy woman.  The colors are flat and classic which bring the viewer to the time where cigarettes represented being cool and classy; Rather than today’s bright colored packages which bring about the images of death and cancer.  Gareth uses many lines which travel between each image, and portray a third dimension to the title sequence.   Gareth gives motion to some of the designs on the cigarette packs as if the aspects were able to move about the package.  It would be difficult to change the title sequence because I saw the movie in 2005 and always remembered the originality of the sequence.

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