Title Sequence Clips

  It's so easy to overlook the opening sequence in a movie. We’re so wrapped up in characters and story lines that we don't even realize how important the few begging minutes really are. After watching multiple opening scenes from several different films I've noticed a variety of techniques used to portray in idea within just a short time frame and the overall effected they had on the movie. 

So much can be gained just by witnessing the title slide across the screen during those first opening credits. Its more than just words on a black screen though. So much goes into the art of title designing. There is music, timing, font, the beauty of mystery and suspense. What will hook the audience in? How much should the audience know immediately, and what knowledge should build as the film progresses? Scream (Wes Craven, 1996), for example, immediately let the audience know what kind of film they were about to view. The movie opens with a black screen and non-diegetic dissonance music and then the title, “Scream”, fades into view in a sinister font, finally you hear the spine-chilling screams of people before being brought into the film leaving you with a pit in your stomach as the first real scenes begin to show. It's obvious from the moment the Erie, dissonance music begins to play that you are about to see a horror film. On the other hand, 2001: Space odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968) forces the audience to dig a little deeper rather than shoving the plot into their faces. There is only darkness to start and very dramatic exciting non-diegetic music. My first impression was confusion, Is this right? Is there something wrong? Then I realize that I am seeing nothing because there is nothing, not yet anyways. Then as were brought further into the film you start to understand that the movie is trying to portray the beginning of time by showing a rising sun and the process of evolution. Other movies use similar techniques like Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994) which begins with the misleading opening scene of a normal couple enjoying a meal at a diner. You quickly begin to realize that this is no normal couple they wildly pull out guns and start to rob the dinner! My initial reaction was pure shock as the peaceful scene morphs into an exciting one with intense non diegetic music as the credit began to roll by. 

The art of the opening credits and scenes is called Film typography. Part of a typographer's job is to find a balance between making the opening credits interesting and appealing while not diminishing the films budget so much as to make the rest of it look cheap. “The best film typography isn't superfluous or incongruous, but fundamentally helps to tell the story.”(Miles Merrill) Which is exactly the case with Disney's, The Lion King (Rob Minkoff, Rodger Allers,1994) which opens with the trademark Disney Castle and fireworks and then you see a serene image of a rising sun with warm colors and non-diegetic harmony music. As the images get more relevant to the story, the volume of the music increases. The Lion King did a good job of making an interesting opening scene without taking away from the film. “Film titles... set up the expectation of an audience.” (Miles Merrill).The difference between a loopy bubble letters versus straight block letters is huge when determining just the font of movie titles and credits. It gives the audience a taste of what there about to view. A perfect example is Dazed and Confused (Richard Linkletter, 1993) It opens with big bubbly letters that go hand and hand with the silly title