RESEARCH - Film Openings.

A discrete title sequence:

This type of opening consists of fast-paced editing, jump cuts and non-diegetic sound. The location of the film may be implied and clues about the plot or characters may be included. The sequence may include different types of transitions or effects such as fades or layed images. The sequence does not reveal much information about the film itself as the information revealed is 'discrete', so the audience are made to make assumptions about the film by themselves.



A screen grab from Seven (1995).

One example of this is Seven (1995) which includes extreme close ups of various objects , titles over a black screen and non-diegetic music. The sequence itself does not reveal any information about the film but allows the audience to make their our guesses, leaving them intriguied to what will happen throughout the film.



A narrative opening with the titles running throughout:

Roommate (2011)

In a narrative opening, the sequence is part of the film and may be used to introduce the location or main characters.In The Roommate (2011), the opening hints towards the location of the film and introduces the main character.



Titles over a black screen:

Psycho (1960)

This is the simplest film opening, the audience are likely to find this type of opening sequence boring to watch as there is no narrative to accompany the titles. One example of this is Psycho (1960), the titles for this movie are written in a plain white font on a black background. The non-diegetic music is the only hint towards the genre of the film as it creates an unpleasant atmosphere.

Titles of Psycho (1960)

Stylized editing:

These openings are heavily edited (similar to a discrete title sequence). The fast paced sequence of  The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009) is engaging to the audience. The upbeat music and sudden change in the pace of the editing grabs the audiences attention, the titles do not interfere with the shots and some information about the films characters and location are revealed.