This form research will help our group edit our opening scene and titles for a horror film. It outlines the typical order and elements of opening credits for films. This includes showing the studio name, production company, producer, director, main actors, film title, casting director, music composer, production designer, editor, cinematographer, co-producers, executive producers, author if based on a work, writers, and ending with the director. Understanding common horror film openings will help identify key features to include.

1. This form research will help our
group to edit our opening scene
and make it certain that all of our
opening titles are in the correct
order. It will also help us to
identify what significant features
we need to have in our opening
scene hat are common with horror
film openings.

2. The first thing that we see when we start to watch a film is the name of the studio that is
producing the film. A film studio is a major entertainment company or motion picture that has
its own privately owned studio and sets that production company's use to make films ; below
are a few of the most recognizable studios that people will know instantly when they turn on a
film.

3. The next thing that we will see in
the opening credits is the
production company. The
production companies fund the
making of movies offering the
resources and manpower required
to make it all possible. Here are 5 of
the most famous production
companies that have made some of
the biggest movie franchises to this
day. A lot of the producion
companies will also own their own
studios!
Time Warner is a production company that
owns warner bros and is a large American
multinational media corporation. Warner
Bros. entertainment also owned other
brands and divisions that help with the
production of the film such as; New Line
Cinema, Castle Rock Entertainment, Turner
Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation, and
DC Entertainment. Of the top 50 box office
grossing movies of all time, 13 were created
by time warner and 2 of the top 10 were also
created by time warner and the companies
associated with them. Some of the movies
that made it into the box office top 50 are;
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
(ranked at 23), Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows Part 2 (ranked at 4), The Dark Night
Rises (ranked at 10), and The Hobbit: An
Unexpected Journey (ranked 17).

4. Sony Pictures Entertainment are
independent producers, with its own
division catering for them which is
called Sony Pictures Classics. Sony
doesn't’t just produce high ranking
box office movies but also mid priced
movies through its distribution
subsidiary called screen gems. Sony
Pictures also own other companies
and brands such as; TriStar Pictures,
Sony Pictures Animation, Destination
Films, Triumph Films, Stage 6 Films
and Affirm Films. The Sony production
company have produced some
brilliant movies and some great
franchises which include, Men In
Black, Resident Evil and Spider Man.

5. The Walt Disney Production Company has produced
some brilliant movies in its time, captivating a younger
and older demographic. Walt Disney also own other
brands and divisions which include; Lucas Film, Marvel
Studios, Pixar, Touchstone Pictures, Disney nature. Disney
have started some of the most famous and most popular
franchises of movies such as; The Lion King, The
Chronicles Of Narnia and Pirates of the Caribbean. In the
best top 50 box office movies a lot of films created by
Disney had high ratings; Marvels The Avengers Assemble
(ranked 3), Frozen (ranked 5), Iron Man 3 (ranked 6),
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest (ranked 11),
Toy Story 3 (ranked 12), Pirates of the Caribbean: On
Stranger Tides (ranked 13) , Alice In Wonderland 2010
(ranked 16), The Lion King (ranked 19)< Pirates of the
Caribbean: At Worlds End (ranked 22) and Finding nemo
(ranked 26).

6. Universal have been operating as a
production company since the 1920’s and
have produced many loved films across the
world. Universal have some box office hits
which include Jurassic Park, E.T., and Jaws.
The hit film Despicable Me was also created
by another division owned by Universal
Studios called Illumination Entertainment.
Universal also has other divisions that
include Universal Studios Home
Entertainment, Focus Features and Working
Title Films. Universal have had vast success
because of being part of franchises such as
The Fast And Furious. In the top 50 box
office hits Jurassic park ranked 14,
Despicable Me ranked 21, E.T. The Extra-
Terrestrial ranked 45 and the Fast and
Furious 6 ranked 46.

7. 20th Century Fox has been producing movies 1935
and have had immense success in film industry.
They created the most successful movie of all time
by making a worldwide gross of over $2 billion
from the film Avatar. They have also created some
of the most successful franchises known to the
whole world such as Star Wars, Ice Age, and X-
men. 20TH Century Fox also own other divisions
which include 20th Century Fox Animation, Fox
Searchlight Pictures, 20TH Century Fox Home
Entertainment and Fox Star Studios. Of the top 50
grossing movies of all time Fox bagged number
one 1 with their production of Avatar, three of
their Star Wars films also made the top 50 at 15,
37 and 49!

8. After we have seen the name of the studio and the
production company the name of the producer will
come up. After the producers name has appeared the
directors name will come up with ‘directed by….” The
director is one of the most important people in the
film making process. You need to put the director
before the the actors in the opening credits, because of
how important he/she is. It is a hierarchy of people and
the director is first. On this film it is a piece of text with
a plain background but you can put it anywhere, even
on a moving picture, as long as you can read it. ’

9. The next credit will show the main character/characters in the
film. This tells the audience who is going to be playing the main
character but also gets them excited about the star who is acting
in the film! Normally before the main actor/ actresses name
comes up it will say ‘starring’ before. This will probably be
followed by the names of all principal actors in the film.

10. The main shot of any opening scene is the title of the film. The title should
stand out from the rest if the opening credits. A lot of films do not have a
background to their credits until the title to make the audiences tension build.
The title needs to be eye-catching an is usually in bold colors as you can see
above, the background is a boring brown color but the flames around the title
make it stand out.

11. The next in the sequence of opening credits is the casting
directors name. This usually appears after ‘casting by’, like
you can see above. The Casting director organises and
facilitates casting for all the roles in a film and which
actors are going to be playing them.

12. The next name we see is the name of the music composer.
This person has written and directed all the original music for
the film. The scores need to be technically correct in order to
work perfectly and create a flawless piece of music.

13. After we see the name of the musical director we then see the name of the
production designer like you can see above. The production designer is
responsible for the visuals in a film production. They find design styles for
different sets, they discover and research the locations that the film will be
shot in, they help with graphics, props and lighting, they work closely with the
director and producer and may also help with the camera angles and costumes
used in the film.

14. What we see next in the opening credits may start to vary depending on what
type of film it is. For example if it is a high budget sci-fi movie then we are
more likely to see the names of the visual effects artist or VFX team, or if it is
a movie based in a historical era we may see a mention of the costume and
make up team. At this point in the credits it should be what is most important
during the film that we see mentioned.

15. The Editor is the next name we see in the film, most
often after ‘edited by’. The editor is the first of the
people who are part of making the movie that gets
to put their ‘thumbprint’ on the movie creatively;
the other two are the writer and director. The film
editor uses the art, technique, and practice of
assembling shots into a coherent sequence, to
create a vision that they share with the rest of the
crew.

16. The next name we see is the director of photography. Another name
used for director of photography is cinematographer. The director of
photography is the chief of the camera crews working on the film. They
are responsible for making artistic, but also technical decisions related
to the image they are trying to produce.

17. The next opening title is a tricky one. There is most likely to be a change in order
here when naming the producers, co-producers and executive producers. In my
example you just have the co-producers and then after the executive producers. Co-
Producers are two or more functioning producers who perform jointly or
cumulatively all of the producer functions as a team or group. The role of the
Executive Producer is to oversee the work of the producer on behalf of the studio,
the financiers or the distributors. They will ensure the film is completed on time,
within budget, and to agreed artistic and technical standards.

18. If the movie is based on already existing work,
e.g. a book, or play then the credit needs to
go to the author or director of that work. Like
you see above it will have ‘based on the novel
by’. This screenshot is from the hunger games
a book written by Suzanne Collins that was
turned in to a series of films.

19. Towards the end of the credits we will see who the script is
written by. A maximum of three writers can be in the
opening credits. Teams of two can count as one on some
occasions. However if the script has been worked on
separately, they will be separated by the word and. Like
editors, writers are have said to have put their ‘thumbprint’
on the production. A writer who practices the craft of
screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media
such as films are based.

20. The last credit we see always goes to the
director. There is only ever one director
named in the opening credits, unless
their was a death during the production.
When their name appears before it, it
will say ‘directed by’. a film director
controls a film's artistic and dramatic
aspects, and visualizes the script while
guiding the technical crew and actors in
the fulfillment of that vision. The
director has a key role in choosing the
cast members, production design, and
the creative aspects of filmmaking.

21. Thank you for watching
By Annabelle Peck