History and Research into Opening Tittles

Opening Title Sequences - research

When opening credits are built into a separate sequence of their own, the correct term is title sequence (e.g. James Bond). In a film, TV program or video game, the opening titles are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are now usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or sometimes on top of action in the show. There may or may not be accompanying music.

Opening credits since the 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 had been the only source of crew credits and primarily 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) has evolved. 

In movies and television, the title and opening credits may be preceded by a 'cold open' or teaser (a brief scene prior to the main acts) that helps to set the stage for the episode or film. Some opening credits are presented over the opening sequence of a film, rather than in a separate title sequence. For example, the opening credits for the 1993 film 'Th Fugitive' continued over several opening scenes, and didn't finish until 15 minutes into the film.

EXAMPLES:

Many films have employed unusual and fairly elaborate title sequences since the 1930s:

• In several films, the opening credits have appeared against a background of (sometimes moving) clouds. These include 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939), the David Lean 'Oliver Twist' (1948) and the 1961 'King of Kings'.

• In the 1947 Technicolor film 'Sinbad the Sailor', the letters of the opening credits seem to form from colored water gushing into a fountain.

• Since the late 1950s, film title sequences have been a showcase for contemporary design and illustration. The title sequences of Saul Bass and Maurice Binder are among the best examples of this. 

• Kyle Cooper's title sequence for David Fincher's 'Seven' (1995) influenced a whole host of designers in the late 1990s. Its aesthetic has "been co-opted almost wholesale by the horror genre as a house style".

• Kenneth Branagh's 'Hamlet' does not actually have an opening title sequence. The only credits seen at the beginning are the name of the production company, Shakespeare's name, and the title of the film. However, the title is shown by means of the camera slowly panning across the base of the statue of the dead king Hamlet, whose ghost will appear in three scenes of the film, and who will play a crucial role in the story.

HISTORY

A while back, most Soviet films presented all film-related information in the opening credits, rather than at the closing which consist of only a "THE END" title. 

Their basic methods were also followed in most American films from the 1930s through the late 1980s, though in American films, there was no censoring of the director's name, except in cases of blacklisting. American films also tended to list the names of the actors before the names of the directors, screenwriters, and other principal crew members. Exceptions were made in the films of directors such as Frank Capra, whose name was usually billed before the film's title. 

Slowly, title sequences evolved to become more elaborate pieces of film. The advent of television was a pivotal moment for title design because it forced the major film studios to invest in making cinema more attractive in order to win back a diminishing audience. 

Part of cinema's new prestigious and expansive quality were orchestral overtures before the curtains opened and long title sequences - all designed to convey a sense of seriousness that was hoped television would be unable to compete with. 

As cinema's title sequences grew longer and more elaborate, the involvement of graphic design luminaries such as Saul Bass and Maurice Binder became more common. The title sequence for Alfred Hitchcock's 'North by Northwest' is generally cited as the first to feature extended use of kinetic typography. 

There have been several pivotal moments in title design history. The introduction of digital technologies in the late 1980s and early 1990s to film and television changed both industries, and consequently, the 1990s saw a resurgence in title design. 

As of the beginning of the 21st century, title sequences can be found in a variety of media besides film and television including video games, conferences, and even music videos.

TRENDS OF THE 2000s

Many major American motion pictures have disregarded opening credits, with many films, such as 'Van Helsing' in 2004 and 'Batman Begins' in 2005, not even displaying the film title until the closing credits begin.

George Lucas is credited with popularising this with his Star Wars films which display only the film's title at the start. His decision to omit opening credits in his films 'Star Wars' (1977) and 'The Empire Strikes Back' (1980) led him to resign from the Directors Guild of America after being fined $250,000 for not crediting the director during the opening title sequence. However, Hollywood had been releasing films without opening credits for many years before Lucas came along, most notably 'Citizen Kane', 'West Side Story', '2001: A Space Odyssey' and 'The Godfather'... Clint Eastwood had omitted opening credits (except for the title) in every film that he has directed since approximately 1982.

The "title-only" billing became an established form for summer blockbusters in 1989, with 'Ghostbusters II', 'Lethal Weapon 2' and 'The Abyss' following the practice.