Art Of The Title

I have done some research into the forms and functions of opening sequences:

Functions of an Opening Sequence:

• Create enigma
• Introduce Characters
• Introduce setting
• Give an idea of genre
• Stars of the movie

Conventions of an Opening Sequence:

• Graphics
• Titles
• Theme Music
• Introduction of characters
• Establishing Shot

Zombieland, The Walking Dead, and Dawn Of The Dead are all very different opening sequences in the zombie genre.

• They are all very gory and have the emphasison blood with blood splats across the screen etc.
• All of the titles of the films are in red text=blood.
• The title of the film is at the beggining for Dawn Of The Dead and The Walking Dead are at the beggining whereas Zombieland's is in the middle
• Both Zombieland and Dawn Of The Dead use a montage at the beggining to show the effect of the zombies on earth. Zombieland's is a lot more detailed while Dawn Of The Dead uses quick flashing images of fires, zombies, news reports and cells dividing to name a few.
• All of the opening sequences use disorientating or strange effects to achive a disconcerting feel, such as slow-motion, panning 3-D cartoons, or scary and gory images flashing up on the screen. Both Zombieland and The Walking Dead use slow motion but Zombieland does a lot more extensiely.
• Zombieland and The Waking Dead are a lot lighter than Dawn Of The Dead due to the cartoon effect of TWD and the comedy narration of ZL. The zoom out and tilt of the zombie Earth in Zombieland is also quite cartoonish
• The husky voiced and creepy songs used in Dawn Of The Dead and The Waking Dead give an eeiry atmosphere while Zombieland's use of Metallica is more chaotic and gives the sequence an action-packed feel.
• All of the sequences use graphics to introduce the stars, directors, producers etc.

I feel I am now gaining a clearer idea into the forms and functions of opening sequences and what they must include. This will prove useful research when it comes to making our own sequences.