70s style character intro freeze-framey thingie?

May 16, 2009 1:32 PM

70s style character intro freeze-framey thingie?

I need some examples (ideally on Youtube) of a technique used in film to introduce characters. it's kind of like the intros from Trainspotting, where there's a freezeframe with the character's name printed on it.

Except that there's also colorization on the freezeframe. I'm thinking of this kind of 70s style where the background goes to a solid color, there's a thick, usually white border around the character, who himself stays in normal color (or is maybe colorized too). I want to say it's been used in martial arts films, but I could be off on that.

Does this make sense to anyone? I'm pretty sure this exists and I have not hallucinated it. Any links to video would be fantastic!

thanks!!

posted by drjimmy11 to media & arts (7 comments total)

It wasn't colorized like you want, but a famous example of this, which I think inspired Trainspotting, was the introduction to the characters in Mean Streets. That said, Scorsese may have borrowed it from someone else.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 1:52 PM on May 16

The Wild Bunch does something similar, but with actor names rather than character names and no white border.

City of God and Snatch I think introduce characters in freeze frames, but I'm having trouble finding video.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 2:24 PM on May 16

The Wild Bunch is *very* close, thanks Karlos!

I still think there is a martial arts thing with a bright primary color background and the character bordered in white. It may be that this is only used in posters and such, and I am trying to combine two ideas, but if anyone has any kind of visual of the "primary color/white border" thing I would love to see it!
posted by drjimmy11 at 2:28 PM on May 16

Here's intros from the Snatch trailer, which was maybe what I was thinking of. Actor names again, not characters.
posted by Karlos the Jackal at 2:31 PM on May 16

Perfect, "Snatch" is it!

I'm still interested to see other examples though, esp. from martial arts films, so keep it coming! (what is printed on the screen is not really that relevant, I'm just looking at it stylistically)
posted by drjimmy11 at 2:34 PM on May 16

The style is really common in 60s and 70s Japanese mobster films. Street Mobster has a great intro like the one you're seeking, but I can't find any clips for it.

Once you start going back for source material for this type of style it really destroys modern movies. Guy Ritchie and Tarantino are tremendous rip-off artists. Lucky for them the word "homage" exists...
posted by wfrgms at 2:43 PM on May 16

I think maybe Charlie's Angels?
posted by Sys Rq at 3:28 PM on May 16