Titles and Credits in Opening Sequences

When analysing existing opening sequences I noticed that titles or credits frequently appeared, either over the images or on black title cards in between shots.

Titles in opening sequences often include one or more of the following:

• the names of production companies
• the title of the film
• the name of the director
• the names of the main actors
• the names of various members of the crew such as editors, composers, directors of photography
• the names of producers/executive producers
• reference to the source material
• the names of locations where the action is taking place
• the date that the action is set in

Alongside production company logos I am going to include a number of titles in my sequence but before I decide which ones to include I am going to analyse the sequences from a number of thriller movies so that I get a better understanding of exactly what to include.

I am also going to look at a website called Art of the Title, which analyses the ways that titles are constructed in a range of film and TV genres. 

Art of the Title

I am going to focus specifically on thriller films to help me come up with some ideas.