Elements found in opening credits include:
Production Company name
Distribution Company name
Director of the film
Main actors starring in the film
Title of the film
Examples of opening credits in Drama films:
Titanic (1997)
Love Actually (2003)
[Production company]
[Distribution companies]
Opening credits tend to be quite minimal in terms of the people/companies listed. The opening credits usually consists of important members. The rest of the cast/crew are usually found in the closing credits.
Opening credits are often quite simple in their layout. They tend to have plain fonts and colours, especially if there is action going on behind. For example, in Love Actually there is action been showed behind the credits so they are in a white, simple font, so the audience isn't distracted. It prevents complexity, as there is also a character talking over the top, non-diegetically. If there were different credits it may be too much for the audience. Artless titles tend to be a good choice for opening credits and are an extremely popular choice too. The simplicity is often chosen to reflect the themes of the film, keep as little information from the audience as possible before the film starts or usually not to distract the audiences attention. I think a font similar to Love Actually's would be effective in our film. Because we want to have a flashback in our opening title sequence, and therefore we don't need a vibrant font that would complicate things. I think a simple black or white font colour would be appropriate, as it will keep our credits simple.
Opening credits and title sequences are often incorporated into the action within a film. An example of this is To Kill a Mockingbird. The title is drawn out by the little girl, which brings the title to life. This is a common way to display the title of a film, particular in mystery films, as it gives an extremely chilling atmosphere, as a character is actively involved in the title sequence. It is an extremely effective way get across hidden messages in the film before it starts.In To Kill a Mockingbird title sequence there is frequent use of black and white objects such as black crayons, black and white marbles, which hints at certain themes to be addressed throughout the film. Blending the title sequence and the opening credits with action from out film is something we want to do as it saves time, as we can show information that we want the audience to know quickly and efficiently before the film actually starts. I think we should have subtle credits that do not draw the audiences attention away from the 'flashback' been shown behind. A good idea would be to blend our idea of trickling/falling pennies into an action done by our main character, so a nice transition between the title sequence and the film could be obtained.
An example of a similar title sequence/opening credits to ours is My Sister's Keeper. The main idea of the title sequence is to incorporate background information to the film with the titles, so the audience is informed before the film starts. The film has the main girl, Anna describe to the audience why she's alive through non-diegetic narration. She was born to continue the life of her older sister Kate who suffers from Leukaemia. This use of explaining background information in the title sequence is extremely effective as it conserves time explaining and allows the film to focus on the obstacles the characters have to overcome, in this case, medical emancipation from her parents.
This is something we want to do in our film. We want to have a similar 'flashback' in our opening, with Sarah receiving the lucky penny from her Grandma Dorothy. We feel that having a flashback in the title sequence will conserve us time in the actual film to focus on the effects of the penny and the situations the character has to overcome, rather than needing to somehow fit the coin's importance to the narrative in as well. The idea of a 'flashback' is commonly used, as its convenient and effective in serving two purposes: explaining the film's background and displaying the titles. Having both saves time and keeps the audience intrigued.
Closing Credits
Elements found in the closing credits include:
Director's name
Screenplay/writer's name
The cast (sometimes in order of appearance)
The production crew (ie. camera man, sound operator)
The editing crew (ie. special effects)
The sound crew (ie. music)
Any other members of production
Closing credits often have a very simple layout. They often include fairly small font due to the high quantity of cast and crew, are shown in simplistic colours and fonts, and are quickly displayed on the film (scroll up page, fade on and off.) The sole function of the closing credits is to basically list all of the people who took part in the film.
It is extremely different from when credits first came about, as they were often used just to display 'The End', rather than list all of the people who took part.
It is fairly common for films to include bloopers or post-credits scenes at the end of films along with the closing credits. The post-credit scenes are often used to hint at a possible sequel, or to conclude something left unsaid in the film. A good example is Shrek 2, as the post-credits scenes involved two characters, Donkey and Dragon looking after their children, which consolidates their relationship. Bloopers are often used for comical relief, as they often involve mistakes made by cast and crew during film. A good example of Cheaper by the Dozen, where character's mistakes are shown alongside the closing credits.
One film we've taken inspiration from whilst planning our closing credits is the short film Kid's Might Fly. It is very simplistic in terms of style, colour and motion. It portrays the simple nature of the storyline and characters well and is not too impressive that the audience would only remember the closing credits. We took inspiration from this as we want our simple font to be consistent right until the end, including the end credits. Complex end credits would be ineffective, as it is clear that those film's that successful keep the audience's attention tend to appear simple and let the narrative intrigue the audience, not the fonts.
From researching opening and end credits we have decided that simplistic opening and closing credits would be the most effective method in our short film, with action playing behind. We don't want to spend too much time on them, we want to conserve time, in order to ensure our plot is clear and captivates the audience.
