Eventually we see what it is they are looking at and it is an intricate symbol with ‘£’ signs woven into the design. The lights were making up this symbol all the way through until this point. The symbol has “millionaire” written across it and the camera zooms in to the “o”. As the camera goes through this the studio is revealed from above. The camera zooms down and Chris Tarrant (the presenter) enters.
When the title sequence starts the shot of the woman quickly establishes an enigma for the audience who want to know ‘what is the light?’ and ‘what is she looking at?’ The ‘?’ is a symbol of mystery and intrigue and adds to the audience’s feeling of wonder. The mystery is developed further with more people being shown with lines of light appearing across their faces and the close-up’s which are usually used as very emotive shots break convention and are used instead to show the lack of emotion and expressions on the faces of the, almost zombie-like people. This makes the atmosphere even tenser and re-establishes the question of what they are looking at. The few long shots are used to taunt the audience by revealing quick glimpses of what they are seeing from behind peoples legs or heads whilst the camera pans across.
The light has strong connotations of money and it is almost as if the people are being drawn by affluence and love of money towards this light. When the symbol is revealed this interpretation is supported by the ‘£’ sign woven into the design and by the word “millionaire”.
Up until now the audience has been left with the feeling something strange and supernatural – almost otherworldly is going on. They have been kept interested by the enigma and now that it has been solved the title sequence has to keep their interest while at the same time continuing on the same theme. When the camera goes through the “o” there is a sense that we are being drawn into another world. Also up until now the place where this is being filmed has been very bare providing an eerie feel and connotes an almost alien atmosphere. The mise-en-scene changes in the studio although the atmosphere remains the same. The studio follows the same colour scheme of the lights in the title sequence so far and there is a lot of metal and a technological feel to it. This builds up the connotations of this being in another world.
The other world that the people are being drawn to, to me symbolizes money. If they win the money then they could have a new life in a ‘new world’ that wasn’t open to them before because they didn’t have money.
The music helps to build up the atmosphere and has a very obvious beat. It is especially effective as the camera zooms through the “o” as it speeds up to reflect what is happening with the camera and builds tension. The music stops when Chris Tarrant appears and it connotes that he is in control of what happens in this ‘other world’.
The opening sequence to “Who wants to be a millionaire” has representatives from different ethnic groups. The age range is from 20+ although mainly the elderly and people in their 30’s-40’s. They all appear to be middle class and the clothes and hairstyles are meant to be appropriate to their age, for example someone in their 80’s isn’t wearing jeans and has blue hair. This however stereotypes the people in a way so they can appeal to a wider audience.
I think that the title sequence targets it’s audience in two main ways, one by using the enigma from the beginning and two by trying to get them to identify with the zombie like people in the sequence. They are meant to represent all the audience watching the show and the way that they do this is by stereotyping certain people.
