RESEARCH - Film opening structures

Film openings will have one of the 3 main structures to title sequences

• Discrete title sequence
• Stand alone titles
• Narrative openings

Discrete title sequences are precisely and seperately edited sequences that stand apart from the film opening. Some elements that consistently occur are fast paced editing, jump cuts, non-diegetic sound and sound that hints the genre. Some elements of the film may be used to indicate the plot but this is not part of the narrative
Stand alone titles are when the opening titles flash over a black screen before the film begins.
Narrative openings are when the titles run through the opening of the film - they are usually either super imposed or inter cut.

Seven displays an example of a discrete title sequence as it is heavily edited and contains visuals put together in a fast pace that relate to the contents/occurances in the film (for example the razor blading off finger prints).

      

The shining is an example of a narrative opening as the titles run across the screen throughout the beginning of the movie.

Dead calm is an example of stand alone titles as the titles appear over a black screen and there is a visual illusion of the writing moving towards the audience. This and the music combine to reflect uon the thriller genre.

We also considered stylized editing which is when the editing is very sophisticated and cannot be specifically cateorized into any of the avobe. The taking of Pelham 123 is an example of this as the title sequence contains a combination of a narrative opening and a discrete title sequence.