ANALYSING OPENING TITLES - London to Brighton

London to Brighton (2006) - Paul Andrew Williams

•      London to Brighton is a 2006 award-winning British film. The film was written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams. The film opens with a woman and child, Kelly and Joanne, bursting into a London toilet. Joanne is crying and Kelly has a black eye. Eventually Kelly gets them on a train to Brighton, and it is clear they are running from someone. Funded by the UK Film Council (now the B.F.I - British Film Institute). 
•       London to Brighton is an impressively focused and direct film, with a frantic opening scene which sets both a style and mood that is maintained throughout. It soon transpires that we are witnessing the fall-out from some horrific, but as-yet-unknown event, and from here the story unfurls smartly to throw the scene into its full, harrowing context.
•      The use of an enigmatic narrative immediately raised and asks questions. (What has happened to them? What is their relationship? Who is Derek? Why are they in a public toilet at 3:07am?)
•      The audience gains sympathy for the young girl whereas the older woman seems threatening however the seemingly maternal relationship between them both makes her appear a little more emotive. 
•      The opening is meant to engage you, simply by showing you a scene from midway in the film. The structure of the film is non-linear.Thus intriguing the audience and making them want to carry on watching the rest of the film. 
•       The titles themselves don't actually give anything away about the film, just give you distribution and production company titles followed by a time and a place. They are just simple, black and white, nothing special; it is what happens after the titles that begins the sudden element of confusion and mystery to the film. The immediate, loud action of the beginning scene cuts into the audience, contrasting with the silent and simple titles. 
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ANALYSING OPENING TITLES - Alien

Alien (1979) - Ridley Scott

•      Alien is a 1979 science fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto.
•      The sequence beings with a panning shot of space, the slow subdued pace creates tension and the use of dark colors add to the mystery.
•      Adding to this, the beginning of Jerry Goldstein's eerie score subtlety sets the tone of the film, creating tension.
•      The title appears letter by letter which again adds to the mystery and keeps the audience attentive, trying to guess what its relevance is. But the genius is the slow reveal of the title, not even one letter at a time, but one element of each letter at a time, the long, disquieting lines taking eventual shape, much as the titular creature reveals itself one stage of its life cycle at a time before finally emerging as the Alien later in the film.
•      Overall the titles are small and simplistic, so the audience is not deferred away from the main title (‘ALIEN’) 

Does it set up particular genre expectations?

The setting of the opening sequence of space immediately sets the scene. Not only that the film title, ‘ALIEN’ instantly notifies the audience about the theme of the film and adds to the sci-fi genre.

Does it introduce particular characters to the audience? If so, what does it tell the audience about the character?

The titles just present the main actors of the film. The opening titles don’t actually give away anything about the film, which does add to the subtle mystery that complements the film.

Does it introduce the setting of the movie? If so, what does it tell the audience about the setting?

The use of an interstellar expanse backdrop,  again slowly adds to the tension. Plus the use of the infinite black of space makes us wonder what is lurking within it. The overall effect is of this very slow paced, minimalist title sequence is the tension created is almost haunting to some degree and certainly leaves a lasting impression on the audience. 

ANALYSING OPENING TITLES - Kill Bill Vol.1

Kill Bill Vol.1 (2003) - Quentin Tarantino

 

• First thing shown on screen - "Revenge is a dish best served cold" - Old Klingon Proverb 
• Automatically, the audience gets an inkling the film will feature revenge of some sort. (Revenge - sub-genre of horror). Also Tarantino appeals to his fan base mostly because of his quirky inside joke references to geeky sub-cultures of film and television (i.e. using a Shakespearean quote and saying its from Starwars). 
• "A 4th Quentin Tarantino film" - comes across as slightly pretentious? However it is an interesting way of introducing the director, and not one that many would choose (yet another thing that sets him apart from the rest) 
• Sound of breathing during the distribution/production company title begins to build suspense as you hear the sound before you see anything. 
• Beginning scene in black and white, not only complimenting the plain black and white title but also highlighting the fact that this part may be in the past, or not exactly what it seems. 
• The first shot is a high angle shot of a woman, who has been beaten and is bleeding. She is breathing heavily, which shows she feels threatened and frightened. 
• During this shot, footsteps can be heard behind the breathing, seeming to be getting closer. This heightens the anticipation of the scene as the audience is unaware of who the person is, but assumes that they are a threat. Also, the footsteps are quite rhythmical, almost mimicking an increasing heartbeat.
• The extreme close up from the beginning along with no establishing shot begins tension immediately from the beginning - using an enigmatic narrative device. 
• The second shot is a low angle tracking shot of someone's feet walking across floorboards. This connotes him as a threatening character, as we are not shown this character's face. In fact, in this film, Tarantino creates an enigma, as the audience is not shown Bill's face throughout the whole film.
• Narrative automatically comes across as non-linear. Quentin Tarantino is infamous for using non-linear narratives in his films; a great example being 'Pulp Fiction' 
• There are two different types of font seen. One large and interesting and one rather small and incredibly plain. However the smaller font is used for the main actors.
• Interestingly, the four main characters are listed with numbers, again a feature for the geeky community following Tarantino as they are listed in the order they are eventually killed in, seen later in the film.

OPENING TITLES - INITIAL RESEARCH

TITLE SEQUENCES

The opening title sequence of a film is that film’s opportunity to make a good first impression on you, the viewer. A well-crafted title sequence introduces the audience to the tone and theme of the film as well as the cast and crew. Opening credits since the early 1980s, if present at all, identify the major actors and crew, while the closing credits list an extensive cast and production crew. Historically, however, opening credits have been the only source of crew credits and, largely, the cast, although over time the tendency to repeat the cast, and perhaps add a few players, with their roles identified (as was not always the case in the opening credits), evolved. 

USUAL ORDER IN A TITLE SEQUENCE

DISTRIBUTION COMPANY - A film distributor is a company or individual responsible for the marketing of a film. The distributor may set the release date of a film and the method by which a film is to be exhibited or made available for viewing.
PRODUCTION COMPANY - A production company essentially helps to create the film- its assists in the budgeting, scheduling, scripting, casting and more. The company usually looks over the film from when it’s just an idea to completion.

INTRODUCTION TO DIRECTOR - Many films include "A (insert directors name) film." at the beginning of the title sequence as the director's first credit. The name is then repeated again at the end. Directors do this to promote themselves as the creator of the film, so it isn't as easily forgotten.
FILM TITLE

ACTORS

CASTING DIRECTOR

MUSIC

EDITOR 

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS/PRODUCERS 
BASED ON THE BOOK...
WRITERS 
DIRECTOR

While there are numerous variations, most opening credits use this basic order. Over the years, the order may have been to either coincide with the theme of the film or perhaps even just mix it up a little. 

EXAMPLES OF TITLE SEQUENCES

• All three of these opening sequences have used the same order, an order which is commonly used within films. I don't think there has been any special reason the order has been used apart from it is just a standard way of presenting a title sequence. 
• They are all from the same genre - Indie Comedy  
• Predominantly there is a mixed gender cast and crew, however both directors are male which does follow the general stereotype of men being dominant members within the crew. (i.e. D.O.P's, director's). 

1. Gentlemen Broncos (2009) - Jared Hess
2. Juno (2007) - Gareth Smith & Jenny Lee
3. Napoleon Dynamite (2004) - Jared Hess