By comparing how these two films Interpret the same source material we can judge how effectively their visual design choices convey the same narrative intent.
Opening title sequences are a key cinematic device for establishing a film's context and tonality
As both films draw from the same source material, we can compare how effectively each uses visual design choices to convey narrative intent.
Since the source material is a children's book, with both films targeting general family audiences (PG), we can infer from the narrative intent that the goal of these sequences would be to establish an appropriately playful, if slightly sardonic tone, and portray Willy Wonka's chocolate and chocolate factory as something magical and desirable to Charlie Bucket, children writ large, and, by extension, to any adult inner child.
Through this lens we can evaluate the effectiveness of visual design choices for shaping the audience experience.
This 2-minute opening sequence to Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory left captures different stages of the chocolate-making process, from beans and powder to variably shaped and textured confectionaries, to colorfully packaged Wonka Bars.
How do the images make you feel about the chocolate? Does it look appealing or enticing?
Do they appear appetizing or tactile, like something you could reach out and eat?
If you could boil this tableau of images down to one central feeling, idea or statement, what would it be?
Notice the visual design choices of each shot in the sequence:
What is the subject, or central beat of information based on the framing and composition? What is excluded from the shot?
How does the lighting affect your perception of and response to the subject? Is it clear? Appealing?
How does the range of shapes, textures and materials resonate with your senses? Are they tactile? Enticing?
What tone or central idea does the color palette evoke or convey to you?
If we presume the narrative intent of this opening sequence is to establish tone and introduce chocolate and/or the chocolate factory as the object of desire that motivates the story's protagonist Charlie, how well do the visual design choices support this intent?
Is the chocolate presented as something desirable, allowing us to relate to Charlie's pursuit of his goal?
Does the portrayal of the chocolate resonate with your own sensory memory, appreciation or affinity for chocolate?
Does the achievement of this goal feel appropriate for the type of honest, innocent youth that Charlie represents?
This 4-minute opening sequence to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory captures the manufacturing process, from frozen smoke stacks to sterile, mechanized equipment, to machine-pressed chocolate bars and lyrically packaged Wonka bars.
How do the images make you feel about the chocolate? Does it look appealing or enticing?
Does the chocolate appear appetizing or tactile, like something you want to reach out and eat?
If you could boil this tableau of images down to one central feeling, idea or statement, what would it be?
Notice the visual design choices of each shot in the sequence:
What is the subject, or central beat of information based on the framing and composition? What is excluded from the shot?
How does the lighting affect your perception of and response to the subject? Is it clear? Appealing?
How does the range of shapes, textures and materials resonate with your senses? Are they tactile? Enticing?
What does the color palette evoke or convey to you?
If we similarly presume the narrative intent of this opening sequence is to establish tone and introduce chocolate and/or the chocolate factory as the object of desire that motivates the story's protagonist Charlie, how well do the visual design choices support this intent?
Is the chocolate or factory presented as something desirable, allowing us to relate to Charlie's pursuit of his goal?
Does the portrayal of the chocolate resonate with your own sensory memory, appreciation or affinity for chocolate?
Does the achievement of this goal feel appropriate for the type of honest, innocent youth that Charlie represents?
How strong do you feel the clarity of intent is between the alignment of narrative intentionality and visual design choices? Which image choices seem associated with the story? Which image choices seem disassociated, distracting or even contradictory to the story? What simple choices could have been made differently to improve the clarity of intent?