Types of film openings

Different types of film openings.

Layla Farrugia.

 

 

There are four different types of film openings, they each create a different affect on the audience and they each follow a certain order, these are:

 

A narrative opening with the titles running throughout:

Is the beginning of the story where you get to meet the main characters and the location of the story. This starts with the film starting normally and the titles come up over the screen in a certain order.

With this type of opening to a film the names that come up can co-inside with the person that is in the shot at the time, this usually happens if the actors are well known big stars or if they are the main character/s in the film, this dose not happen with all the characters in the film. When the two minuets of a narrative opening is done the rest of the film just continues with not disconnection. In this opening the titles are not usually in a bold font or in the middle of the screen, they are usually very plain and at the bottom of the screen or too the sides of the screen this is so that the audience don't get distracted from whats going on in the start of the film.

 

A discrete title sequence:

Is when the first 2minuets of the film is completely spereat too the rest of the film, in this type of opening you don't meet any character's or don't find out the location too the film, however in a discrete opening there are many clues that could lead to the location, character or the main story line but you can never know for sure what the clues are about this is a good way to get your audience wanting to get into the film. In a discrete opening there are usually a lot of transitions to cause confusion with the audience.  

 

Titles over a blank screen, followed by the narrative opening:

In this type of opening there is just a black screen (usually) with a plain font for the type, there isn't any images, or no clues to what what the film is about. This type of opening in my opinion is the worst opening that can be used for a film as it is very boring to look  at therefor there isn't any aspects that keep the audience wanting to continue watching. When this type of opening is used it is usually fairly short as there isn't anything else shown but the text.

 

 

A stylised editing opening:

Stylised openings are similar to discrete opening's as you get to see some clues about the film but as there is so much editing and transitions effects used you cant get a good idea what the film will be about like a narrative opening. Stylised opening's are usually used for action films as there are at a very fast passe involving the quick transitions and and fast effects.