Conventions research for media

1. Titles & Credits Convention
Research
Emma Marshall

2. Difference between titles & credits?
TITLES
These are usually shown at the
beginning of a trailer. They only
have brief information such as the
name of the film or the name of
the production company for
example.
CREDITS
These come at the end of a trailer
and have the more important
information, for example, the cast
names and social media sites.

3. What do they say?
• Reviews
Some trailers will include reviews from
other directors, newspapers/magazines or
other respected people within the industry
to attract a wider audience.
• Credits
Some trailers will give credit to the actors or
to the rest of the cast.
• Quotes
There will often be quotes that you will hear
in the film or you would have read in the
book.
Example: Paper Towns

4. • Release date
This is important to let the audience
know when the film is out to watch.
• Social Media
This is shown to let the audience
know how to interact with the
institution. On social media they
would promote the film, have extra
information and maybe even run
competitions.
• Introduction to the story
Titles can be used to briefly introduce
the characters or themes in the story
to the audience.
Example: The Fault In Our Stars
Example: Pulp Fiction
Example: Fantastic 4

5. Who/what are they about? And why?
• Actors:
This is to both, acknowledge and publicize the
film. Big names from the acting industry will
attract larger audiences.
• Name of the production/distribution
company:
It would have been these companies who
funded the film. Some people may be more
likely to see a film depending on a if a
particular company produced it.
• Cast:
The cast who helped to film the movie are
important to mention as some people might
prefer the way a particular director works for
example.
Example: Django Unchained
Example: 12 Years A Slave
Example: Allegiant

6. What is their purpose?
TITLES
The purpose of titles is to give a brief introduction/back story, as well as
mentioning actors/ directors names. They are there to inform the audience
and let them know what is happening.
CREDITS
The purpose of credits is to acknowledge and thank everyone who helped in
some way with the film. They can also allow the audience to find out who
played a particular part.

7. When…?
• Titles normally last about three seconds. They
appear at the beginning/ during the trailer
about four or five times, and at the end about
two or three times.
• The ones at the beginning tend to be about 5
seconds apart from each other. The ones more
towards the end are around 3 seconds apart
and appear about 10 seconds before the end
of the trailer.

8. Where…?
• At the very beginning, usually it’s the name of the
production or distribution companies as they
funded the project, putting most of the money in.
• Then it’s normally the names of the main actors
as they can attract a wider audience and are
generally paid the most.
• Lastly is the credits and that includes all the other
actors and cast who participated in the film as
they must be acknowledged. There are always a
large amount of names in the credits.

9. How do they fit in with the narrative
structure and narrative enigmas?
Titles can fit in with the narrative as they can add to the mystery
and help raise questions through the text used.
For example; Who? What? When? Where? Why?
They are also able to change the way a story is told. They can
give the audience hints as to what is happening in the trailer
(and what will happen in the full movie) to help the audience
understand the story if they were confused.

10. How do they fit in with the genre/
subgenre?
Different genres will use different ways with their titles
to suit the mood and effect they want to create.
For example, the horror genre wants audiences to feel
scared and uneasy, so therefore, they tend to have
their titles quite dark or on a scary looking background.
Example: Mama
The background for this title is very disturbing.
Example: Poltergeist
This title is very dark, yet plain, not giving too
much away.

11. How…? (fonts, colours, animation etc)
The horror genre tends to use mainly black and red
colours, as these are often associated with scariness
and blood. They sometimes have moving or flashing
backgrounds to create more tension.
The comedy genre tends to be a bit brighter, often
having a white background, and the fonts are generally
more colourful.
Comedy example: Ted Horror example: Mama Horror/Comedy example: Shaun Of
The Dead