The Art of the Title Sequence

By James Gilmore

DiscreteExample: Cosmos – A SpaceTime Odyssey

A discrete opening sequence is like a mini-film before the film starts. It helps to get the audience into the mood of the film without telling you what the film is about. It can give you an idea of the tone and the genre of the movie. A ‘discrete’ opening sequence is also often animated and includes a lot of editing work.

The opening sequence for Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey is animated. The edited sequence relates to the programme but does not reveal the narrative of the piece.

Example: The Usual Suspects

A traditional opening sequence has a slightly stylised element but it is still relatively simple. Titles are usually overlayed filmed footage with sound and font used to create the mood of the film.

The opening sequence for The Usual Suspects is predictable and the genre is immediately recognisable. It seems like it goes straight into the film with the titles overlayed.

Traditional

Example: Natural Born Killers

This type of opening sequence involves going straight into the story without an extra title sequence. A good example of this is Wes Craven’s Scream – there are no titles at all and the film starts directly into the action. This type of opening sequence is far less commonplace nowadays and is more likely to be seen in action or horror.

The opening sequence for Natural Born Killers is almost non-existent. It goes directly into the action, revealing the genre straight away with the narrate and character development starting immediately.

Straight Into Film

Example: Skyfall

A stylised title sequence is a combination of ‘straight into film’ and ‘discrete’. The opening of the film starts straight into the action and then it is followed by a discrete title sequence. The best and most famous examples of this are the James Bond openings.

The opening sequence for Skyfall reveals details about the narrative, quite intricately, but adopts an artistic, discrete way of doing this.

Stylised