Succession – the beauty of a great intro
Now that the third season of Succession is all wrapped up with backs stabbed, plots foiled, and many a character told to ‘fuck off’, I thought I would take the opportunity to examine the enduringly iconic intro sequence of the show, and how that infamous soundtrack by Nicholas Britell compliments the cinematography.
The intro, much like the rest of the show, uses shaky, out of focus, and otherwise antithetical camera work to what is often seen on screen. The cameraman’s pocketbook of ‘how to film 101’ undoubtedly charts this as a big no no, however, for the this show, it is merely part of the brilliance as it reinforces a sense of unease in a rather delicate manner. Couple this with a retro washed filter comprising of fragmented frames denoting the sibling’s childhood, cutting to pristine footage of New York and the Roy empire, we certainly have ourselves a unique title sequence.
The debut episode of the show briskly reveals Logan’s brutish character, and I think the intro is there to perpetuate this.
The blurriness of certain frames concerning the family is spliced between high quality shots of the Roy Empire. This contrast exists to highlight the disparity in Logan’s attitude to his family, and to his work. It is fair to say Logan has little regard for his family in the traditional fatherly sense, you know actually caring about your kids, and I think the out of focus blurry frames of the children is indicative of this – for Logan, there is no need to focus on this aspect.
Frames in high resolution centre on Logan’s empire, with ATN news featuring on giant city billboards, and printing presses rolling out tabloids at full speed. This is what is distinctly clear – the focus is here and here alone, indicating its significance to Logan. This theme is certainly seen out throughout the show with Logan toying with each of his children, tempting them with carrots on sticks only to pull the rug from their feet, all to extend his time in control. In any great show, everything has its purpose, and for Succession, its title sequence is to indicate the state of the most fundamental family dynamic: between child and parent, and its subordinate position to business.
Further emphasis of this is apparent with blurry shots of Logan being either of his back, or of him walking away. We don’t see him, and it would appear his children did not either. This is almost what unquestionably forged each respective child’s ‘daddy issues’, and what has led them to adopting a false understanding of themselves. Continually, the main characters suffer at the behest of their failure to acknowledge their true identity – Shiv with her insecurities over her mother, Roman with his ‘sexual dispositions’ and Kendal with his failure to define himself. Any recognition of these shortcomings by them is perpetually combatted. The footage of the children in the title sequence is off frame and deliberately blurry in order to convey the unclear image they have of themselves: they cannot grasp who they really are, and neither can we with their eternally shifting views.
Of course, the impact of this work would be severely lessened were it not for the empowering music. As ego lifting and outstandingly re-playable as the soundtrack is, I cannot help but notice the rather nonuniform nature of all the various instruments in play. As Classic FM rightly points out, the use of base alongside the piano, strings and drums makes for a somewhat jangled essence to the soundtrack. I, and along with many others, view this as an emulation of the shows plot and characters – these things should not work together, yet they do. I think this is rather reminiscent of Waystar’s current situation, given where we are at the end of season 3.
I must admit, I do find getting into a new week with the Monday woes a little easier when I start the day with a rendition of the score since I’m briefly under the alure that the world is at my will. In the meantime, I am sure Dexter New Blood will keep me occupied, but boy am I eagerly awaiting season 4.
