Conventions of a Title

Introduction

In most films the titles follow a specific order, and the same type of titles are used. This shows the audience the main roles in the production of the film and who it is going to star. This allows the audience to judge the film before it has even begun, due to them being able to recognise a director, actor or production company and remember previous work that they may have done. 

Distribution Company Logo

The distribution company is the company that will advertise and sell the film to the audience.

In these two examples, of "Walt Disney Pictures", and "Universal Studios" they are found at the very beginning at a lot of very popular films. By showing the distribution company at the very beginning makes it very  memorable for the audience and will make  them remember it . Also the two companies  are very well known and have distributed a lot  of popular films. This makes the audience  think that the film is going to be good as they  will immediately compare it to another film  that may have been distributed by the same  company.

Production Company Logo

The production company is the company that is actually in charge of making the film. The production company is conventionally shown as the second title straight after the Distribution company logo. It is shown at the beginning of the film as it is extremely important, and like the distribution company it makes it more memorable for the audience and allows them to compare it to other films that they have made. The two examples that I have shown you are "Dream Works" and "Pixar". These two companies often make animated films and hence will allow the audience to expect a certain quality in the film after seeing there production logo.

"Distribution Company" Presents                                                                              

 

This title simply re shows the audience the distribution company in the form, "Distribution Company Presents". By repeating the companies name it makes it stick into the audiences head more so they are more likely to remember it.

A "Production Company" Production

Similarly to the previous title, the reiteration of the production company makes it stick into the audiences head and shows them who was responsible for the creation of the film.












Lead Role ( Main Actor/Actress)

The name of the lead actor or actress who plays the main character in the film is conventionally shown after the production and distribution company titles. This is the first actor/actress' name that we see due to them being the most important. In most Hollywood films this character is often well known and such is shown before any of the other cast members as the audience will instantly recognise them and their acting abilities. This will then allow the audience to see what other films that they have been in and judge the film off of the main cast member's skill. Actors such as "Bruce Willis" from The Sixth Sense, and "Tom Cruise" from Top Gun, are prime examples of this as they are well known and established actors.







Title of the Film




The name of the film is arguably the most important title in the opening sequence. 
The title of the film is shown at the very beginning of the film, as seen in the two examples of "Star Wars" and "Back to the Future". The title of the film is the part which the audience is most likely to remember as it is what defines the film, so is shown close to the beginning as to make it more memorable. Some main titles also use creative and unique typefaces and logos such as the two examples to make them stand out more.











Cast Member's Names ( Important Actor's/ Actress' Names)

The cast member's names are shown so the audience knows who is starring the film and may recognise some of the actors. Although some of the cast is shown in the title sequence not every single actor or actress that stars in the film gets a title. The titles only show the names of people who are well known are have a considerable part to play in the film. The more important actors or characters are shown first, and the less important are shown afters. The less important cast members even have to share a title screen, whereas the more important such as the lead role get their own personal title. This shows the audience their importance in the film.

Crew Members

From this part of the opening sequence conventionally the crew members are shown. Unlike the previous section where it started at the most important titles being showed at the start such the Production Company and Title of the film, and then leading on to the least important members of the cast, the crew starts at the least important and increases in importance towards the director and writer of the film. For the following examples I will be using the film, "The Sixth Sense". This is done in the following order:

Casting Crew

Costume Design

Music

Editor

Production Designer

Director of Photography

Executive Producer

Producer

Writer/Director - Normally the director and the writer would be on separate titles, where the writer would come first and then finally the director, but in the case of this film the same person both wrote and directed it.