Opening Title Sequence – What is expected?
Titles
Narrative and Sound
An opening title sequence is a
sequence of shots or a single shot
(Halloween’s OTS) that that tease plot
points from the film and have titles
declaring the stars of the film, the
production and distribution an the rest
of the important members of the crews
names.
The OTS uses sound and lighting to hint
at the mood and tone of the overall film.
The narrative is also hinted at in some
OTS using conceptual imagery to give
plot points without the audience
knowing.
Characters and Micro details
Characters are usually not introduced
in OTS however their
motivations/actions/characteristics
will be hinted at in the title sequence.
A lot of thought goes into the mise en
scene and micro elements involved.
Legal Information
Producers and copyright. In order to
secure meaningful distribution for a
film, a producer must be able to prove
that he or she owns, or has a license to
use, EVERY piece of intellectual
property in the film. “Intellectual
property” includes many things, such
as the right to use the screenplay, the
right to use the music in the
soundtrack, the right to use the title of
the film, the right to use any brand
names that appear in the film,
ownership of the actors’ performances
and many other issues.