4 Different Types of Film Openings

Titles using animation -

This use of film opening first started in the late 1990's, deemed as the more attractive and advanced film opening which requires very well developed digital technology to achieve high quality animations. It is perhaps the best way, in my opinion, to create a film opening because it is very eye catching and it gets the audiences interest, the genre and story line can be told through the animations alone. Also as the audience are engaged from the start they are even more likely to enjoy the movie thus leading to success for the institution.

Titles on a blank screen -

Often used in movies with a low budget however if done with high quality and standard then it can be lucrative at getting the audiences attention and getting them excited for the movie. The titles are usually over a blank space with a white typeface which creates contrast. Also with the use of an appropriate soundtrack it all blends together to make a good film opening. A good film opening which uses titles on a blank screen would be Quentin Tarantinos 'Pulp Fiction'. The film opening consists of titles with a black background and a fast paced soundtrack which from personal experience creates excitement and thrill for the audience.

Titles on a still image -

More elaborate than titles on a blank screen. This type of film opening integrates both images and text and is very creative as it usually shows the genre of the movie without having to give too much information, it is a very good use of film opening as it hints the genre but not the story line therefore the audience are left thinking what could happen in the movie generating interest. The film opening also conveys atmosphere and mood.

Titles on a moving image -

Moving images and titles are used to create a narrative thread which sometimes shows a metaphor for the movie, it helps introduce the tone of the movie or the story line to the audience. It can also introduce characters, location and setting too instead of leaving it up to the viewer to guess.