Opening Sequence Text Analysis!

As we are running up to the editing process of our opening sequence, we have started to look into the type of text used in the opening sequences of films in the same sub-genre as ours. Below is 3 different screen captures of different texts used in an opening sequence. We chose to analyse the movies 'One Hour Photo', 'Awake' and 'The Eye'.

This is the text for 'Awake'

Awake is one of the many movies that doesn't actually include the title while action is happening on-screen, this is quite common with most psychological thrillers we have looked at. 
The text used in this opening sequence is quite sophisticated and fairly square. As the movie about medical issues it could  represent the professionalism and high standards medical practise has. The text  was quite fast paced and only had a small gap between  the next set of words. Each credit was on screen for no longer than 3 seconds which could represent the urgency that medical based movies/TV has, especially because this movie is based around the urgency of a man while he is under anesthetic. Usually fast paced text is used mainly in action movies and rarely in psychological thrillers. The text pace was parallel to the music which was quite tense. This opening sequence did not have cast and crew credits which could link again into the professionalism of the theme.
We like this text as a group but think it could stand out as too professional and not match the intentions we want to get across to the audience.

 This is text from 'One Hour Photo'

In the opening credits for One Hour Photo, there is absolutely no cast or crew credits, this could be to draw all of your attention to the story line which is particularly clever especially if some psychological thrillers are confusing. As shown in the screen grab from the opening sequence the writing is rounded and the main focus on the screen this could be again to focus all your attention on the action on screen but also draws your attention closely to the name of the movie, this could be because it links into something important which is layed beneath the narrative. The numbers underneath the main title could represent a technical element to do with cameras or photos and could also be linked to the underlying narrative. Just like Awake the few credits given were fast paced and were also, not on the screen for longer than 3 seconds. The fast paced text could represent the way this movie is also a drama and can be quite fast paced and tense in some areas on the movie.


This is the text from 'The Eye'

The Eye was the only opening sequence we analysed which had cast and crew credits, this may be because the movie started off on a lighter tone when the credits started playing. The text used was very rounded and the first letter of each word put in bold, this may represent the theme of the visually impaired by making sure the letters are seen and standing out. The text is also very rounded which could represent  the rounded shape of braille which is used for visually impaired people to be able to read. The text shape and style was parallel to what was happening on screen as it was quite calm and the music fit in well. Unlike the other two movies we analysed the credits for this movie were very long, there was at least 5 seconds for each set of text to be on screen and about 5-6 seconds between each set of writing. This, again, was parallel to what was happening on screen as  it started off in slow motion and the music was serene. As a group we liked this approach much better as it gave the cast and crew almost an opportunity to be 'Showcased' not just at the end but at the beginning also. It also helps the audience appreciate the effort that has gone into making this movie.


We prefer as a group the long pauses and main cast and crew being credited, however we think that as we see our opening sequence come together it would be better to make a decision about the textual contents that matches our sub-genre, theme and plot but this has given us many ideas to consider using!