Parallel Action



During the rolling of the credits parallel action is use constantly to portray both main actors as children. One of the things I like about the way the shots are set up is unlike in a normal situation when using parallel action both the children would have been on the screen simultaneously but it switched between them. One reason for this was to allow room for the credits but it also allows the  viewer to focus on one thing at a time. Having Parallel action of the two characters switching like this gives of a fun playful feeling which would not have been felt had the scenes been played one after the other or at the same time. This is because the images where filmed to counteract one another which gives them that playful feel.  



Music

The song 'US' by Regina Spektor plays during the introduction to the movie. The song is a bit quirky with its lyrics but i believe it fits the movie really well. The song 'US' (in my opinion) is about two people trying to do great things but getting caught up in life. This mirrors the relationship between Tom and Summer. They look like a great pair but life sweeps them up and they have to move on with there life's and find someone new.
One thing the music dose at the beginning of the title sequence is it keeps in time with the changes in credits and in the images. This gives more impact to the movement that each  credit and shot creates bringing focus to the characters.

FONT!!!!

One of my favorite effects is used  in the title sequence. During the naming of the actors, writer and other credits, the font is displayed across the screen as a mirror image. This effect is used to make it seem as though the characters are reading the credits. By using this technique the film is made more personal. This effect also makes you feel the characters are looking at you instead of the other way around. This changes the way you relate to the characters later on and makes their actions seem more personal.
The white font was also made to contrast with the black background. This made the font stand out next to the colourful video and dark background which made it easier to read.

Its not anything like the what i wanted but its the best i could get :D

Hand-held CAMERA!!!

One of the main techniques used during the title sequence is the hand-held camera effect. This is used during the credits while playing a film of the children growing up. Using the hand-held camera gives the effect of a homemade movie. This helps create the happy family-feel which I was talking about earlier. I think this was used because it makes you feel more like you are involved in the movie. The shot makes you feel as though you are looking through the camera at the actors instead of looking  at a movie screen. This effect is made more prominant by having negative space around the two shots and making the focus drawn to the characters. It also separates them with a small gap to show the difference in their characters and roles.

Using a hand-held camera makes the videos of the children look shaky and also slightly blurred. This makes the introduction look unprofessional. By making the begining look unprofessional it sets up the opinion that the movie will be down to earth, which it is. 

Genre/atmosphere

The introduction to the movie '500 days of Summer'  has a very happy family-feel with a mixture of fairytale story at the end of the title sequence. This links into the movie by setting up the characters' opinions of love. The girl Summer believies that there is no fairytale love but only the chance to have a happy life with someone you like. The boy Tom believes that the only way to have a happy life is to find your one true love. The mood of the happy family is created by the use of tinting during the title sequence when the film is shot with parallel action. The video is given a slightly yellow tint while the children are playing it makes everything seem happy, while adding the family feel with them being children. The fairy tale mood is introduced when the narrator starts talking.The fairy tale mood is brought across by the familiarity of this style of introduction which is so much like the beginning of  many childhood fairy tales.

I think the director Mark Webb was trying to bring across the romantic comedy theme when he introduces the main characters with his 'once upon a time' narration . This is brought across by the way in which the music, with its cheerful up-beat tone, contrasts with the serious the voice of the narrator. This technique is not out-rightly funny but it hints at the reaccuring theme of comedy which the narrator  reinforces through his dialogue as the film evolves.