BFI film opening lecture analysis.

1. BFI FILM OPENING
LECTURE

2. Form of opening titles
• 2-5 minutes long
• At the start of end of the pre title sequence
• Stand alone or integrated in to an establishing sequence
Macro convections
• Themes
• Genre
• Atmosphere
• Narrative
• character
Micro conventions
• Colour
• Lighting
• Font
• Costume, props, setting
• Sound design
• Framing

3. Contestant
• When creating an opening title, what I found helpful from the lecture was that it is very important to keep
it simple. It is not a trailer it is a title so the simpler the better as what you are doing is setting up an
atmosphere for the movie and giving a brief glimpse into what the film might be about.
• Some openings are one shot which can be extremely effective in setting up a tone so it is important not
telling an entire story in two minutes as it can either be confusing or not work and hence will not be a
believable opening title that look sophisticated and professional.

4. What to avoid
• Keeping each micro aspect constant is important in creating a successful title sequence, as if you don't it will
look messy and not be as effectives. Having each aspect constant can also really help to set the mood of your
film and also make it useful.