What has my research told me.

After a month of blogging I have researched multiple title sequences from different genres created using different methods.By doing this I have been able to deduce what makes an 'effective title sequence'. A good way of analyzing what makes an effective title sequence is by breaking it down into micro aspects.

Mise En Scene

The Mise En Scene should directly mirror the film. Costume, location and props need to be relevant; the reasoning for this is people need to be drawn into a film and understand what they're watching. 

For example, in the opening sequence to The Woman In Black three children are dressed in Victorian clothes in an old looking room. This automatically sets the time period for us as the Victorian era; furthermore the fact that three Children are playing alone suggests isolation which a theme mirrored throughout the film.

Sound

Like Mise En Scene sound often mirrors the the film. However, in films such as the Great Gatsby sound actually juxtaposes the movie. Sound is useful for drawing in an audience and adding another level to the film. Music is more useful to mirror the emotion of a film rather than the story line. Sound evokes emotion and can be used before and after incidents; however in an opening sequence it's more likely titles will just be used to introduce a film.

It's evident in this title sequence that the soundtrack illustrates story lines within the movie. The lyrics 'are you ready to die' gives us insight into the genre of the film and further hints at the story.

Editing

In an effective title sequence editing should not be overcomplicated. An audience doesn't want to be confused and hit with too much information at the beginning of a film. Nevertheless, editing can be used as a useful way to keep a viewer interested during a title sequence. 

Pixar often use editing well in their title sequences. For example, in Monsters Inc there titles directly mirror the film. Furthermore they do not stay still for long and there is constant movement. The benefit of this is that a viewer stays entertained and is more likely to take notice of the titles. Contrastingly if white titles appear on a black screen although it is dramatic looking, the viewer can easily become bored and distracted.

Cinematography

Cinematography is the trickiest element to perfect within a title sequence. The main reason for this is camera angles and the way a camera moves is more beneficial to actual film; it doesn't effect titles. If titles are a major part of the film however it could be suggested that the cinematography is kept as minimal as possible. Whereas if the action taking place is more significant the cinematography will be a bigger part of the film.