What are the conventions of an opening title?

What is the purpose of titles in a film opening?

 

• Used in TV and film they acknowledge the work of the
  Institution, cast and crew
• Foreshadow a characters personality
• Shows who’s involved in the production team
• Introduces the film and the actor
• Sets the scene of the opening sequence
• Sets the theme and the tone of the plot.

 

Opening titles are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They usually shown as text super imposed on a blank screen or static pictures or sometimes on top of the action in the show.

 

Captain America

What titles do they use?

• Director, screenplay, (co) (executive) producer, editors, costume designer, music supervisor, director of photography (camera operator), Production Company, casting and actors.
• Film title at the end

How are they different?

• World War propaganda
• Match on action

What effect/theme does it create?

• Patriotic, action genre

What type of opening is it?

• super imposed

Domino

What titles do they use?

• (executive)Producer. Film in the middle, title, actors, casting music, editor, production designer

How are they different?

• Colours, boxes, voice clips of characters

What effect/theme does it create?

• Crime genre

What type of opening is it?

• Super imposed, linked dominos

Napoleon Dynamite  

What titles do they use?

• Production Company, actors, casting music editor director of photography, (executive) producer, screenplay, writer, director.

How are they different?

• Each name is a different everyday object (e.g. food, drawing,)

What effect/theme does it create?

• Normal person’s life

What type of opening is it?

• Thematic, used through props, graphic match