Extra Film Opening Research

 History

Since the very first films, titles were placed at the start to identify the film and also the production company who created it. The titles started as actual cards, which were shown at the beginning of a film. They then developed into long musical preludes before the film, where all the titles would be shown before he curtain opened and in early films, such as The Wizard of Oz, the opening credits appeared against a basic background. Now, film makers have a huge range of options for the way the titles of a film are shown. There is the opportunity to have the credits integrated within the opening scenes of a film.

What is expected in a title sequence:

• film title
• appropriate sound
• names of main cast and crew
• main characters to be introduced
• genre to be classified
• atmosphere/tone set

Types of Title Sequence

Narrative: follows a short story of events which are related to the rest of the film.

Example: The Shining

Discrete Title Sequence: gives out very little information but relevant to the story and gives a few clues for the audience to figure out themselves.

Example: Se7en

Heavily Stylised Editing: lots of effects used to make it interesting and grab the audiences attention.

Example: The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009)

Credits over screen: titles appearing straight over the image

Example: Arlington Road

I have done this extra research in order to give me abetter understanding of why and how titles can be used and the different possible types of opening I could use for my own.