Film Titles and Credits - Old Boy - Jess D'Alvarez

The titles for 'Old Boy' are really quite strange.

1. There are 40 seconds of beginning credits.

2. 31 seconds of film, two men on a roof, I don't understand what this bit has to do with the rest of the film

• The non-diegetic sound in this part of the titles is very loud and the audience are only slightly able to hear the dialogue between the two characters.
• It is very fast paced and dramatic. This makes the scene very suspenseful and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.

3. Then cuts to some more action, drunk man at police station. Man comes to collect the drunk man and they go to the phonebox.

4. Main credits are superimposed over the shots, when men are in the phonebox

• The first credit that appears is the digital time, it then morphs into more credits, this time showing words.
• The digital time appears and exits the screen similar to a train stations display information board.
• Throughout these credits the digital time is shown, when new names/directors/producers etc appear on the screen.
• Chinese symbols appear and some of the chinese symbols, random ones, move as though they are imitating the action of the second hand on a clock.
• Music starts a minute after the credits begin. I think this music is used to create suspense as, Dae-su, who looks to be the main character, has gone missing.

5. At 5:03 minutes into the titles, a mini narrative is now played.

• Distorted clocks, both digital and analogue time are shown.
• Can hear the ticking of the clocks, the sound of a grandfather clock when it reaches each hour and also the sound of a cuckoo clock. These sounds are also distorted in some parts.
• The shots in this mini narrative fade into each other and graphic matches are used as each clock in each shot morphs into another clock in the next shot.
• A clock, graphic matches with the 'O' from 'Oldboy' and the hands of the clock, graphic matches with the 'Y' from 'Oldboy'.
• The 'D' and the 'Y' from 'Oldboy' resemble the actions of a second hand, ticking on a clock.
• As the main title is shown 'Oldboy' numbers appear underneath.
• Throughout this mini narrative, the time and numbers appear as many times as possible, however there is no indication during the first 5 minutes of the titles, as to why this is.