Inspiration for the opening title sequence

 Key ideas from A2 opening title sequences I've watched

Watching A2 opening title sequences, I, first, noticed that the majority of them set the horror/thriller genre. In my opinion, sequences that are done in the genre of comedy, romance or drama were not as successful as the scary ones. I assume that is because in a short 2 minute scene it is easier to create an ambiance of suspense, fear rather than of joy and happiness. One of the main goals of opening title sequences is to interest the viewers, make them pay attention to the visual and it can easily be achieved if the audience is terrified. Thus, horror sequences tend to be more intriguing and eye-catching than scenes of other genres.

Moreover, I noticed that students used numerous close-ups (and extreme close-ups) when introducing the viewers to the narrative. This type of shot, in my opinion, looks more professional and high quality that other types of shots. Due to the fact that we don't have a huge budget, super expensive equipment and most importantly a lot of time, it is reasonable to present the narrative through small details (that can be set up relatively easily). Not only it tends to be easier to shoot, but it sets this intimate relation between the viewer and the film actors from the very beginning. Finally, close-ups help to establish the genre better: in horror sequences students captured blood drops, knives, evil smiles ("Polly") , which made it clear what genre the movie will be. 

I also realised, no dialogue sequences seem to look better than those that have dialogues in them. I would assume that's because the audio should be properly recorded (separately from the video) in order to sound clear and high quality. Otherwise, it brings the level of the sequence down, because the audience can easily realise it wasn't shot professionally, there was no necessary equipment for audio recording. Furthermore, I think, no dialogue opening titles are more intriguing, because no voices get exposed, the viewers are curious to be introduced to the narrative better later in the movie (thus, draws the viewers' attention to the visual).

Finally, I enjoyed the sequences shot in a studio more than those shot outside. In my opinion, the horror scenes set up in a studio with various lighting, numerous ambiguous objects, dark atmosphere are the best ones out of all. They tend to be more exciting, obscure, mysterious and engaging. It is easier to shot the majority of footage just outside on the street, but the sequences, created in the studio are outstanding, from my point of view. I would also add, that I preferred sequences, that didn't have a lot of action going on from the start, but were more atmospheric and mysterious, with just the location and various objects being captured. The scenes with linear action (like "Exposed") were quite simple and not as exciting as others.