Film: Title sequence & Opening credits

Hey there! In my last post I mentioned that I was going to find some information of title sequences and guess what... I did! Not only did I search information on title sequences, but I also searched "where should titles go in film openings." I wasn't too sure if it would get me anywhere since I know that there is no specific set of rules, but luckily it did.

The first thing I found was a Wikipedia page on Title sequences. This page was very brief, but under its movie subheading it mentioned a movie called Se7en. Knowing that I need all of the information I can get, I watched the opening for Se7en and I really enjoyed it. Right from the beginning, it had a creepy and intriguing tone (since it's a horror film). Even though there wasn't too much going on, the effects, how everything transitioned and was put together kept my attention and kept me curious. I noticed that this film opening included the title in an interesting way and kept the opening going gracefully. The title was not intrusive and followed the same theme the rest of the opening followed. This is going to be a good thing to keep in mind to help my partner and I decide where the title for our film opening should go.

The next thing I found while I was was researching was a short documentary called The Film before Film. In this documentary the narrator talks about how film credits have transitioned from "early film credits to the inclusion of digital techniques, a resurgence of old-school style, and typography in space." It helped show me various ways and techniques that I could use to include both the film title and the credits within my film opening. The narrator also mentioned that film titles could be included in a way that grabs the audience's attention and sparks their curiosity. One of the things that caught my attention was when he said that there are times when film titles share common elements with the film's upcoming setting. It got me thinking and including the title in that way would allow Stephanie and I include our title without interrupting the flow of the scene. Through this video I also found out about Saul Bass, who was best known for his title sequences and is the one who made the title sequences for many films some being Hitcock's Psycho and Vertigo.

I know I've written about lots of information already, but there's one last thing that I know will help my film, the order of the opening credits. I started this blog post out by focusing solely on figuring out my title sequence and how to present it, but I also learned a whole lot about the opening credits. Of course there are numerous ways to put together the opening credits, but I just found out that there is a common order to presenting the basics.