Independent research on film openings

Opening credit sequences are a very important part of a film. The first impression of a film prepares the viewer for what is to come. They outline the intentions of the filmmaker and set up the expectations of the audience.

The title sequences are complete narratives that stand in their own right. They set the tone and foreshadow the action.

There are many different approaches, techniques and styles used in opening credits. As technology has improved digitalization and special effects are used extensively.

The titles written on the screen play an important part of the opening sequence. The chosen font is extremely important. Many titles are simply white on a black background. This can give a classic refined look. The high contrast between the background and the foreground makes the text easily legible. In the era of silent films, fonts were tremendously important. The text provided the narrative continuity so that the audience could follow the story. A mixture of font was often used. The title of the film was often in a totally different font to make it stand out. The text can be intertwined with the action as in Catch Me If You Can, where the up strokes and down strokes of the letters become doorways and parts of the scene.

The music score chosen has a lot to add to the title sequence as it is able to set the tone of the film.

In action movies many of the images of the opening sequence directly relate to the movie. This again set the tone and creates the themes around the film.

The opening sequences can take many forms and indeed stand as a creative project of their own, sometimes commanding a substantial budget. They can be realistic, animated or stylised. They can sometimes give the opening of the film or tell the whole story in précis. The opening title sequence is often what sticks in the mind of the audience of a film. For instance, the opening credit of Goldfinger is very memorable. 

There is only a short space of time between the lights going down and the film starting, and this time sets the audience’s expectations.

In some cases, the title sequence is almost as anticipated as the film itself, for instance in the Bond films where the openings have become truly iconic. The opening sequence combines film making and graphic design. Sam Bass has created some wonderful title sequences, some of his most memorable being in conjunction with Alfred Hitchcock, for example North By North West and Vertigo.

He used so many different techniques in his title sequences such as montage, live action, cut out paper animation (as in ,Catch Me If You Can), animation and typography in motion. He used really innovative graphic style titles. Maurice Buder created the famous gun barrel sequence for Dr No which became a signature theme of the Bond movies.  #

Some films have only a very limited budget for the opening credits. This limits them to simple fonts, for instance the opening credits used by Woody Allen in many of his films.

It is important to consider the genre of the film when creating the opening credits. For example the film Se7en has a wonderful creepy title sequence that perfectly sets the scene for the rest of the film.

The major actors and crew are often identified on the opening credits, but an extensive list of cast and production crew are not included till the closing credits. This would be far too long to include at the beginning and the audience’s attention would be lost.