Title Website Research: First Impressions & Cinematic Signatures

Hello everyone! It has been a while since we last spoke. The New Year has just begun! I had a blissful break and now am ready to keep working on my Final Task. 

My last couple blogs have been focused on researching genres and movies. Now, I will hone on further to the titles within the opening sequence. The titles, otherwise known as opening credits, provide information about the cast, crew, and companies involved in the making and success of the movie. Not only do they provide relevant crediting information, they can set the tone for the movie. The whole point of the opening sequence is to provide context and create audience anticipation. Title design is vital in preparing the audience for what’s to come. 

Since I’m treading on unfamiliar land, I’ve decided to utilize some websites for help. After googling for a bit I found "Watch the Titles!" and "Art of the Title." Both are promising websites made by well-versed individuals with an interest in cinematography. 

The website “Watch the Titles!” is a user-friendly way to access an array of opening sequences. The website has a couple interviews with prominent title designers, illustrators, and other film-related professions which was a cool touch. This could be a helpful tool when I need to refresh my creativity. 

The website “Art of the Title” has the same easy to use nature when sifting through opening sequences. I found it helpful how the website had a feature to sort the films by released, published, or name. This allows me to quickly find a reference amongst so many great cinematic works. 

Despite the practicality and deftness of these websites they have little to no opening sequences recorded from the genre I will be researching within. Therefore, I will have to access these opening sequences in a different way. Luckily, I have access to Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, and Disney+. I know between these platforms there is a bounty of crime documentaries. For this reason I’ll be sourcing my opening sequences from these platforms and reference the website for more information on titling as a whole. 

I am sanguine that I will be able to make the combination of websites and streaming platforms for my quest to find opening sequences to analyze. The only part left is the actual research! stay poised for updates!