Analysing Camera Angles in TV Opening Titles

Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones is a fantasy drama about several families fighting for control of the mystical Westeros. In its opening sequence, the camera swoops around a 3D map of Westeros, introducing the wide scope of the series and the various settings. The background music is a sweeping orchestral piece, which builds up throughout the sequence, with drums being added to make it more epic. It starts with a close-up tracking shot, before moving to an overhead crane shot, and then a zoom into King's Landing. A long shot moves into a mid-shot and then the camera zooms out to pan further across the map. The camera tilts down into Winterfell, a new setting, and pans through it. There's an extreme close-up of fallen leaves to introduce the notion that 'winter is coming'. We pan out to a wide shot and pan across the map. There's a long shot of the Wall, and a zoom in from wide to long to mid-shot of the Night's Watch patrolling and climbing the Wall, then we move back from mid to long to wide shot and back on the map. There's a dutch tilt and zoom as we complete our journey across the map, and then an extreme close-up of a sword in a furnace (introducing the medieval element of the story) and a close-up of the series title before we fade out.

Covert Affairs

Covert Affairs is a stylish spy show about operatives working for DPD (Domestic Protection Division). The title sequence opens with a wide track, followed by a zoom to close-up, a tracking mid, an arc to mid-shot, a tracking shot and ends on a close-up, so we know full well who the main protagonist is.