'Wimbledon' Opening Title Analysis

Coopers choice of music in this sequence is very appropriate. It is light and playful representing how this is not a film to be taken too seriously, being a 'rom-com' after all. However, there is a monotonous tone to the music which could easily relate to the protagonist of the film, an ageing professional tennis player who has fallen out of love with the game. Over the top of this track is a consistent noise of a tennis ball being hit reinforcing how the sport is at the centre of the romance that will soon occur, and actually proves to be the stumbling block in their relationship.

The mise en scene emerges with a simplistic black screen with credits appearing on opposing sides of the screen after one another in time with the noise of the ball. Not only does this maintain the attention of the viewers eye by constantly moving their point of focus but it also relates to the game of tennis and the way in which the ball is hit to opposing sides of the court. We then see various time lapses of clouds moving across the sky. This helps establish the summery atmosphere of Wimbledon as an event, especially when followed by cuts of still images of tennis crowds. The clouds moving constantly could represent the constant flow of the protagonist life, reinforcing how he is getting too old - a prevalent theme in the film.

In terms of camera the sequence largely consists of shots of tennis audience members. Cooper does something interesting by playing footage of a crowd watching the ball fly across the court and then cutting back to the start of the same clip to give the impression that they have watched the ball go back. The cuts are concordant with the soundtrack creating something rather comical. This reinforces that it is a comedy by setting the mood right from the opening sequence. The short length of cut could easily convey the short length of career in professional sport, something that the central character is coming to terms with in the film.

This is not only a very well made and original opening sequence, but also is a fine example of Kyle Cooper's versatility as a filmmaker. There is very little that is similar in this sequence to the previous two analysed. This is the reason why he has and is still have such a successful career, he has the talent to adapt his skills to various different genres and still produce a suitable and effective opening sequence.