Research: The Purpose of A Title Sequence

I have just watched a documentary called "Watching" (ironically) about the purpose of title sequences. Here are my findings:

Thomas Sutcliffe says “Films need to seduce their audience into a long term commitment; while there are many types of seduction, the temptation to go for instant arousal is almost irresistible”. By this, he means that while there are many ways to draw people into a film and get them involved in it, the best way to do that is right from the beginning so you hold the audience’s attention throughout the film.

Jean Jacques Beineix believes that while drawing people in straight away is good – he believes that building it up for the audience is better as they’re waiting for something and when they get the satisfaction, it will have a much better effect.

Sutcliffe says “a good beginning must make the audience feel that it doesn’t know nearly enough yet and at the same time make sure that it doesn’t know too little.” By this it means that you’re setting a tone for the film – an idea of how the audience is going to react and establishing themes and ideas. It also, however, should leave the audience in suspense; they need to know what the film is about as well as a want to know what is going to happen next.

Stanley Kauffmann describes the “classic opening” to begin with an establishing shot – showing the place it is set. It then leads up to the specific location (in this case a building) then through a window into that building going past various things into a room with the main protagonists. This allows the audience to see where it is set and the occupation of the main protagonists as well as the perfection of the setting.

The title sequences to the film “Seven” were effective as they had many components to them in such a simple way. Even though they’re discrete title sequences, they still fell very much a part of the film. They told a story, introduced you to the nature of the main character and foreshadowed the film.

Orson Welles, with the title sequence of “A Touch of Evil” wanted the title sequence to be shown without credits and without any title music as to make the audience plunge straight into the film. He also makes the action start right from the beginning as if to set a standard for the film. Universal Studios, however, added the credits and music which created a very different feel and as a result of this – it becomes very difficult to imagine how the film would have been with his original idea.

“A favourite trick of Film Noir” is a trick which makes the opening of the film have an ending to it making the audience question and wonder what’s going to happen.

“The Shining” creates suspense by starting with quite simple shots with nothing and no – one, it then shows a car but from high up and a wide shot as if they were prey. This is successful as it already imposes an idea that they’re going in the wrong direction and something is wrong.