Structures of Film Openings

Looking at structures of films i learnt that there are four main ways in which we are introduced to a film, for films such as thrillers we see they tend to have a huge influence on there target audience, who tend to always have the first view and thoughts of what they think of the film. Whist seeing different types of structures used in film openings we see that all openings do not give the audience much detail, only a hint in what they may see in the film itself such as the characters, setting etc. The four different types of film openings are traditional, credits over a blank screen, stylised editing and discrete. All these different types of openings portray different meanings from simple to complex. Although we see there are different types of openings we see that they all tend to last for around 10-25 seconds, although this sounds like a shot timing we always seem to know what kind of film opening it is which also allows the audience see brief information about the film.

A Discrete Title Sequences is shown to give the audience large amounts of information on both the characters and setting of the film. Discrete title sequences are separately edited making them stand apart from other film openings. Looking at this type of title sequence they are heavily edited that clearly represent most opening credits and film titles. Using a discrete title sequence is a good way in getting the audience started before getting introduced to the film this is done through the fast jump cuts which often could be represented unclear in the views mind therefore allowing not to much information
be revealed. Below i have chosen Arlington road which is based on a college professor who suspects that his neighbour is a terrorist. The character is shown to be fanatical in his mission in trying to find out information that could prove his verdict. A discrete title sequence being used in this clip goes really well as we see the fast jump cuts could represent the characters personality as he jumps to conclusion which could also suggest the characters confusion. Whist looking at the clip Arlington road we see we are introduced to the setting. Most frequently we see the name Arlington road being refers to showing us that this is where it is set, the writing in front is shown to be blurred allowing us to see it isn't the main focus.

Most of the colours and images used in this title sequence are identified to be negative as they run into each other and often blurred. Throughout this opening we see a wide range of shots mostly close ups to show detail in objects and places of the film. The sound is also shown to be aggressive building up tension towards the audience. It uses some elements of Mise en scene as we see the sign of Arlington road being referred to continuously making it clear where the film is set (main location). Although we see a lot of information is given, its not clear which makes it more interesting as we haven't got a clear image of what is going on.

Stylised editing is shown to be very sophisticated that will take a long time to do. A stylised title sequence is often split into 2/3 equal parts allowing us to see actions taken place at the same time but through different perspectives. Most stylised title sequences tend to open with blank credits on the screen followed by the 2/3 equal parts of action after. Mezrine 2008 is a key example of stylised editing in the opening of a title sequence. The sound used in stylised editing is shown to be very quiet allowing tension build up to who ever is watching. Using more than one screen represents the sound as in some cases it represents suspicion of what could be behind or in front of the character.

A Traditional Title Sequence has to be the most often sequence used in the openings of most thrillers. This is because they consist of images, places with credits and headings running throughout the images presented. Below i have chosen panic room to analyse. Panic Room is based on a woman and her teenage daughter who gets locked in a panic room by 3 criminals in there own house. The above clip is shown to be the opening of panic room, we see throughout establishing shots are used to give us some idea of the Mise en scene used. The film is based in New York City which is known to be famous for its building and skylines. Looking at the skylines and texts used, they are represented to be big and bold which are resting on certain buildings making it seem like it is apart of the image itself. The font used in this title sequence is very sharp and simple (times of new Romans) this allows us to see that this has some aspects of a thriller as sharp ends could give connotations to murder or weapons such as a knife which could be used in this film. The sound of this title sequence is quiet during the begging but usually high pitched to create some sort of tension.

 

Overall when making the opening for our thriller the traditional title sequence will be something to consider as it is often used. It is shown to be positive in many ways as it sets all the conventions needed when opening a good film.
 

Credits over a blank screen may be simple and effective in some ways but could also be boring to watch. Credits over a blank screen are simple with no images but purely based on text. Having a title sequence based on just credits needs to be thought of carefully as the music will need to be engaging. The music used on title sequences like this should be sharp and should catch the viewers attention fast making them want to continue seeing the credits as well as the title. The background of this type of sequence being black is effective as it allows the font to stand out in the position the text flows in (slides in, fade in/out, jumps in etc).
The thriller Dead Calm 1989 uses credits over a blank screen. Dead calm 1989 is about a mass murderer who kidnaps and seduces a young woman after her husband dies. The credits over a blank screen is effective in this film as we see that the title is shown to over lap one another clearly representing the location of the sea waves passing over each other. Whilst we see the credits fading in and out it allows viewers to build up the mood before the film opens up. The music at this stage is significant as it sets not only the tone but the mood of the film. At this stage the music is calm building up tension when the opening comes to an end. The colours used within dead man is shown to be white and black and the title is shown to be red. The title being the colour read represents the name really well as we see the word 'dead' is shown to give negative associations to blood death etc.