Title sequences serve to introduce a film and set its tone. They have become an art form that attract viewers through motion graphics and visuals. Effective title sequences for films like Psycho, Star Wars, and TRON use visuals and music to quickly establish genre, characters, and setting for the audience. Modern sequences make artistic use of animation and graphics to capture attention and prepare viewers for the story.

2.  While title sequences have always served a functional role in
introducing cast, crew and film to an audience, in more recent years
the title sequence of a feature has become a staple part of a feature‟s
formation and have even contributed to many films and TV show‟s
success.
 Titles sequences may be used to set the tone of the film and establish
it‟s genre and style (Psycho, Se7en). Title sequences may also
introduce plot elements and characters early to the audience (Star
Wars series, James Bond series) , and are particularly effective for
establishing setting (Twin Peaks, TRON).

3.  Modern title sequences make extensive use of motion graphics and
compositing to create a visually compelling beginning to a film or TV show
that will attract viewers.
 Motion graphics in particular allow great artistic freedom and can be
incorporated into a film‟s aesthetic simply and effectively. Animation can
expand this further and allow a title sequence to stand alone as an artistic
contribution to the main film or TV show it precedes.
 The simplicity and „blockyness‟ of animated motion graphics can still be
visually appealing and are useful for making a title sequence stand out.
Even simple animated symbols and icons relevant to the work can capture
an audience‟s interest and prepare them for the feature to follow.

4.  “Bass fashioned title sequences into an art, creating in some cases, a mini-film
within a film. His graphic compositions in movement function as a prologue to the
movie – setting the tone, providing the mood and foreshadowing the action.” —
Martin Scorsese
 The title sequence for Hitchcock‟s 1955 film „The Man with the Golden Arm was
unique for it‟s time and represented a huge shift in the art of title-making.
Unconventional for the time, the sequence does not allude to the narrative or story
of the film but excels at setting a mood and introducing the audience to story
through symbolism and music.
 The sequence also uses simple graphics and repeated symbols to introduce the
star‟s crippling heroin addiction; this technique was relatively unseen before the
film, the image of a the crooked arm in particular was seen as extremely
controversial at the time.
 Bass‟ use of black and white, despite being unavoidable due to the technology
available at the time, is masterful as the title sequence manages to be striking and
sophisticated, and amazing modern even now.

5.  For the title sequence in Se7en, designer David Fincher designed the titles to
expose the audience to the film‟s antagonist early; the serial killer in the film is
not seen for the majority of it‟s runtime, only appearing slightly in the title
sequence and in the films final moments. For most of the film, he is a
presence more felt than seen, and Cooper‟s title sequence was constructed to
reflect and compound this.
 Cooper built his title sequence to be as deeply unsettling as possible,
combining unused assets created for the main feature with other items and a
deeply disturbing soundtrack to create an unseen, obsessive force and to
convey that “somewhere across town, somebody is working on some really
evil shit”.
 The sequence goes beyond the material on screen and the soundtrack to be
unsettling; the notebooks were filmed in an degraded, gritty film under soft,
almost surgical light, and the superimposed titles are just as noisy and broken.
The typeface used for the titles is similarly manic to the handwriting used in
the notebooks, creating a visual link between the world of the film and the
titles, which are in their nature separate.

6.  Much the same as in the main feature of a film or TV
show, colour is used in title sequences to „prepare‟ the
audience for what they are about to watch. Certain
colours are strongly associated with genres or emotions,
and the vibrance or dreariness of the colour in a title
sequence may be used to support or in some cases
contrast the mood of the main feature.

7.  Similar to colour, typography establishes the genre and
mood of a piece for the audience. If typography is used it
will typically link to the context of the film or TV show and
may even contain clear links such as use of character
design or integration into the setting. Typography is largely
used to make functional titles more appealing but can also
be seen enhancing the artistic merit of a work as a whole.

8.  Graphics are used to add variety, much like typography, to an
otherwise conventional title sequence. Graphics are often designed
to interact in some way with the live action plate they are
composited onto, whether simply tracking with a scene or reacting
to action within the live-action itself.
 Graphics are mostly used to provide titles text, but man also be
used to add artistic merit to a title sequence that is lacking in action
or interesting content. Animated graphics moving in and out of
frame accompanied by titles on a live-action plate have become a
popular formula for title sequences in recent years.

9.  Movement can have different effects, depending on the way it is
used, the type of titles involved and the context of the film it is
associated with.
 Movement is typically used to show progression or a journey,
especially if the title sequence prefaces the main feature with a
character travelling to their destination.
 Movement is also used to introduce a film full of high action and
intense, fast sequences. In this case, an opening sequence that
includes movement in it‟s titles and graphics would be very
effective.