Tuesday 12 November 2013

Categorising Credits

Stylistically credits appear differently in different films. Over time the way credits appear has changed and become more complex; this isn't to say that some simple methods do not still appear due to the effect or impact they may have. In this post I will be breaking these styles into different categories. 

Titles upon a blank screen.
This is the most basic way of presenting credis. Titles are simply superimposed onto a blank screen. This method means that font plays an important part as it will be the only hint or link to the film. Furthermore the colour background used will also set the tone. A black background is preferred over a lighted coloured one as it tires the eyes of an audience less keeping their focus; as a result a lighter font tends to take preference to complement the background. 

Titles accompanied by still images.
An ellaboration of this is to use still images as opposed to a plain background. This is still reasonably simple to create yet much more interesting than a blank screen. The importance of a pictured background is that it can help the viewer understand what the film's going to be about as well as giving them an insight to what's happened to the characters previous to the film itself. This can be complicated to match a font colour with as constantly changing images may require a constantly changing font colour. 

Titles accompanied with a series of moving images.
Titles over a series of moving images could ranged from a simple animation to a more intricate sequence that incorporate camera movement. By doing this, titles can appear along the narrative thread. This is a much more complex way of creative a title sequence. It's successful as it's interesting for the viewer as well as more individual and better suited to each individual film. In modern film this type of title sequence is much more common.

Titles bult around motion graphics and animation.
In the late 1990's animating text started to become more and more popular. These type of title sequences tend to be much more complex and difficult to make however they interest the audience and are both iconic and informative. A well renowned title sequence that follows this sequence is that of 'Catch Me If You Can'. The clever imbedding of narrative within the animation has been used over and over by other films and as a defining moment for credits within film. 

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