Titles

Abstract

Abstract Chapter 7 goes into fine detail on the ways in which title cards can convey important information about the structure of the film and the hierarchy of the characters it contains, as well as providing tonal and textural information and manipulating the audience’s attention in subtle ways. Every documentary director makes considered decisions about which characters receive lower-third title cards and which do not; this is a cue to the audience about which individuals are more important than others to follow. The professional title given to the characters is also an important piece of information; documentaries may imply a more or less formal voice depending on whether the characters are introduced with or without their last names, and with or without their professional titles (e.g., “Director, University of Arizona School of Dance”). Documentaries may also choose to either reinforce or disrupt social hierarchies by giving or withholding professional titles. Subtitles play an important role in telling the audience if a certain passage is especially important to hear and may alter the experience of the scene in important ways by simplifying the translation of words spoken in another language. Visually busy lower-third title animations may also be employed at strategic moments when the logic of a scene is not particularly strong and the filmmaker wishes to intentionally distract the audience.