Titles
The credits we use in our opening title sequence will be at the start and will be used to show the most important members of the crew in the production. It is important for the group to create a professional looking opening sequence and to make it as realistic to an actual film as possible.
If we are to make our opening title sequence look professional then we must use the same order of credits. This is because all real films tend to have a standardised way of showing their credits and also tend to have white font on a black background. However in recent years some films have started to take a different approach to their credits by using editing software and computer graphics to create more dynamic visual effects. These can be used to portray the aesthetic of the film however in doing this the order has still been kept the same therefore we will have to use this.
If we are to make our opening title sequence look professional then we must use the same order of credits. This is because all real films tend to have a standardised way of showing their credits and also tend to have white font on a black background. However in recent years some films have started to take a different approach to their credits by using editing software and computer graphics to create more dynamic visual effects. These can be used to portray the aesthetic of the film however in doing this the order has still been kept the same therefore we will have to use this.
Traditionally in the credits the distribution company comes first which is a separate company which does not finance the film therefore it appears on its own. Quite often this clip is listed "Distribution Company presents..." followed by the production company's name. The production company most probably established by those making the film or it may be a proper film producing company name.
Once these scenes have gone past the trend is that the most prominent members of the cast in which case if you have well known celebrities this is the section they are likely to go in. More often than not all of the main actors are listed however as a rule of thumb they tend to keep the list to a maximum of five names. These cast names are then followed by the title of your film. The expectation is for the title to be in another font to the rest of the credits to make sure that it is bold and it stands out to the audience. Another method the producers may use to make the title stand out is to have it appear out of sync to the rest of them so that it seems to be a separate credit.
Once these scenes have gone past the trend is that the most prominent members of the cast in which case if you have well known celebrities this is the section they are likely to go in. More often than not all of the main actors are listed however as a rule of thumb they tend to keep the list to a maximum of five names. These cast names are then followed by the title of your film. The expectation is for the title to be in another font to the rest of the credits to make sure that it is bold and it stands out to the audience. Another method the producers may use to make the title stand out is to have it appear out of sync to the rest of them so that it seems to be a separate credit.
After this the cast is then continued however it does not include the main actors and is essentially everybody who had a relatively big part in the production of the film. This section would also include the smaller actors who did not get into the main actors list in the beginning and the characters they play.
After this the cast is then continued however it does not include the main actors and is essentially everybody who had a relatively big part in the production of the film. This section would also include the smaller actors who did not get into the main actors list in the beginning and the characters they play.
In short the general order of the credits in an opening title sequence tends to be this:
Distribution company- this is the company that makes the film go worldwide by distributing it to the cinemas.
Production company- this is the company that actually makes the film and assists a lot with the funding.
Title- this is the name of the film, this tends to stand out more than the other credits therefore is very noticeable.
Leading cast members- These are the main actors in the film, this sometimes says the character they play in the film as well.
Supporting cast members- these are the members of the cast who do not play the most important characters therefore are seen as less significant.
Casting director- this is the person in charge of deciding which person gets which role in the sequence.
Music composer- they are in charge of the musical elements of the scene. This is an important section of the production as the music can help to determine the tone of a scene. The musical director is partially in charge of making the audience feel a certain way.
Costume designer- this person is the one who determines what each character in a scene will wear.
Associate producer(s)- this is the producers 'right hand man' who is there to assist with the organisation of the film and assists with the decision making.
Editor(s)- these people are extremely important as they have to put the clips together to make the film look professional and to make the audience feel a certain way with each clip. A simple example of this is making a clip darker to add tension and a sense of horror to the scene.
Production designer- this person is responsible for the visuals of a film. For example they are responsible for determining the sets.
Director of photography- they are in charge of those on the cameras in the film and may decide the angles and shots used to film a scene.
Executive producer- they have a very important role as they are in charge of the producers and must make sure that they are producing the correct things and to the best quality possible.
Producer- this person oversees the production of the filming, often providing the funding for the film as well; they also decide on the people making the film as well as being in charge of the marketing for the film.
Writer(s)- this is the person who creates the script for the film and decides on the scenarios between characters within the film.
Director- this is the person who organizes the actors on set and who brings a script into an actual situation.
In short the general order of the credits in an opening title sequence tends to be this:
Distribution company- this is the company that makes the film go worldwide by distributing it to the cinemas.
Production company- this is the company that actually makes the film and assists a lot with the funding.
Title- this is the name of the film, this tends to stand out more than the other credits therefore is very noticeable.
Leading cast members- These are the main actors in the film, this sometimes says the character they play in the film as well.
Supporting cast members- these are the members of the cast who do not play the most important characters therefore are seen as less significant.
Casting director- this is the person in charge of deciding which person gets which role in the sequence.
Music composer- they are in charge of the musical elements of the scene. This is an important section of the production as the music can help to determine the tone of a scene. The musical director is partially in charge of making the audience feel a certain way.
Costume designer- this person is the one who determines what each character in a scene will wear.
Associate producer(s)- this is the producers 'right hand man' who is there to assist with the organisation of the film and assists with the decision making.
Editor(s)- these people are extremely important as they have to put the clips together to make the film look professional and to make the audience feel a certain way with each clip. A simple example of this is making a clip darker to add tension and a sense of horror to the scene.
Production designer- this person is responsible for the visuals of a film. For example they are responsible for determining the sets.
Director of photography- they are in charge of those on the cameras in the film and may decide the angles and shots used to film a scene.
Executive producer- they have a very important role as they are in charge of the producers and must make sure that they are producing the correct things and to the best quality possible.
Producer- this person oversees the production of the filming, often providing the funding for the film as well; they also decide on the people making the film as well as being in charge of the marketing for the film.
Writer(s)- this is the person who creates the script for the film and decides on the scenarios between characters within the film.
Director- this is the person who organizes the actors on set and who brings a script into an actual situation.
The reasoning behind the order of the credits is a group of unions who take care of the well being of those involved in film production, much like trade unions for any other business. These unions are:
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG)
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG)
The Directors Guild of America (DGA)
The Writers Guild of America