Planning opening credits-Miss.Georgiou

The purpose of the opening credits is to show all of the production crew and cast members to the audience, it also informs the audience of the title of the films. There is usually a set sequence in which the title and name show, the sequence usually shows the more important members then the least important and back to the most important ending with the name of the director.

We analysed the thriller film se7en as it was a typical thriller film which adhered to many of the common conventions. The first thing that i noticed is that the font was white in colour however it was on a black background, both colours represent different features of a thriller film for example the white represents innocence and serenity whereas the black provides a connotation of death and fear which the makers of the film want the audience to sub consciously notice throughout the opening scene.These two colours could also be seen as the portrayal between the relationship of the victim and the antagonist as innocence and death are both appropriate words to describe each of the characters.There was also hints of red within the writing, this also has a meaning behind it which is blood and danger, this colour will stand out just as much as the white writing which means that the audience will also notice this colour and will hopefully come to the same conclusion to what this represents. The style of writing was also quite jagged in nature and seemed to constantly fade out and appear in different section of the screen and again there is another reason for each element of the font, the jagged writing is most probably supposed to represent the antagonists personality which means they are un-stable and may or may not have some sort of mental condition which makes them behave in this manor. The random placements of the credits also supports this theory and keeps the audience constantly thinking as they cannot anticipate where the credit will appear next. The font was also in a handwritten fashion which again relates back to the antagonist which is barely shown to the audience in the opening credits, as the credits is in written in this style this should make the audience feel that they already know something more personal about the character regardless of whether the identity is concealed or not as the hand writing of an individual is considered to be quite personal.The size of the font is was kept at a relatively pertinent size throughout the scene so the audience could clearly read the titles however they were also able to see the opening scene at the same time where a few of the characteristics of the characters are revealed. The scene opens with the name of the director which is typically quite unconventional however the director of this film is known to mention his name twice in the opening credits which is apparent in this film as it is the last and the first credit. Commonly the opening credits of the film mention crucial members of the production team and cast first which them progresses to the less relevant members of the film and lastly going back to the director which is considered to be the most acknowledged member of the film.

  

I have decided to create my own style of font for my opening sequence however i have decided to make sure that my opening credits will be conventional to a thriller film so i decided to take inspirations from films. The colour scheme is clearly quite similar to se7en as i felt that it reflected the personality of the two characters rather well as my characters also happen to represent innocence and death, this is due to both films being conventional to thriller films in the respect that the victim is always oblivious to the situation around them and the antagonist has a clear motive which is death in both cases. Although i took inspiration from se7en i decided not to add any hint of red as i wanted my design to be unique and i came to a conclusion that the black and white represented enough features about my characters.The font is also quite distorted which adds to the thriller theme as it can be seen as adding more mystery like the identity of our antagonist however it is still readable for the audience, The positioning of the credits is not something i have yet decided on however it is possible that i may decide to put the credits in different sections of the screen where it is most appropriate. The font is relatively simple as i felt that adding anything else to it would make the credits to hard to read as there is already many effects put on this simple font.

 strengths:
This design is quite conventional as it uses the contrast of black and white which both symbolise the same connotations which are serenity and death. The style of writing is also quite rugged which may mean this individual has tried to recreate a similar technique which is used in se7en so they might being trying to indicate that the antagonist in this case is unstable in some sort. So overall it does seem like the sort of font used in an opening scene of a thriller film.

Weaknesses:

It is possible to argue that the combination of the distortion and the font might make it hard for the audience to read continuously throughout the scene so will end up deterring in the audience to read the opening rather then encouraging them. The font of the opening credit is to small for the audience to read so would need to be increased if we decided to use this style.

Strengths:

This opening credit has also used to the black and white contrast of colours which may make it conventional to a thriller as it seems like this is a popular choice to use within the opening credits. The font is spaced out well which will make it easier for the audience to read as the opening scene unfolds.The size of the font is also sufficient in allowing the audience to read the opening credits better.

Weakness:

This opening credit can be argued as quite unconventional as the writing does not relate to any type of font used in thriller films as many elements are more likely to used in other genres of films.The spacing may also be considered a negative as it could take a large proportion of the screen which may not be wanted in certain circumstances. The style also does not relate to any character or to any feature of the film which is often used in thriller films.

We have decided on using my style of opening credit as it is the most conventional and also fits the criteria of film in the most appropriate manor.The appearance of the order of the opening credits will most likely start with name of the creator of the film and then go on to introduce the name of the main characters in the film, the title of the film will then be mentioned with the rest of the production members mentioned after. Lastly the opening credits will finish of the name of the director as he/she is often considered to be the most important in the making of a film.