Independent research on film openings

For this research I have decided to look at why some film openings don't use titles (or very few titles), and the effect this has on the viewer's experience. This will help me as it lets me analyse a specific area of film openings which I find particularly interesting and I may be able to use in my own film opening.

Valkyrie (2008)

Valkyrie actually has no institutional logos or credits in the opening whatsoever. This is incredibly unusual as usually films will at least have institutional logos (like Sherlock Holmes, 2009). However, it does have a section at the beginning where some German text flips to English, reading "The following is based on a true story", and the Wehrmacht Oath of loyalty (also known as the Hitler Oath), which, although very sudden and harsh, is extremely effective at putting the viewer in a suitable mindset for the film, as well as giving them an idea of what the main character was expected to do (which he later goes back on, as the story shows). This use of titles is extremely effective in my opinion and I admire the selflessness and dedication to the story the institutions associated with it showed.

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

As mentioned previously, the opening of Sherlock Holmes only has three institutional logos, all of which are presented at the immediate start of the film and are inset into part of a cobbled road. The camera briefly pauses at each of these before tilting up to the main attraction, marking the beginning of the film. This very minimal and subtle approach to the titles is very effective in my opinion, and I firmly believe that it really helps to contribute to the story of the film; allowing the audience to focus on the story itself, and not reading who directed and starred in it.

Deadpool (2016)

Deadpool is certainly an oddball when it comes to films, with the opening of this film featuring wedgies, Angel of the Morning (by Juice Newton), and most importantly some rather ridiculous titles. Although this opening has several titles, I believe that these are unique in contributing to the story and setting the film up with a remarkable degree of effectiveness. As the titles move slowly with various items in the frame and regard different crew members by outlandish titles instead of their official titles it perfectly sets up the action genre in an extremely comedic fashion. Some of the titles also help show how the film doesn't really take itself seriously, supported later on with several fourth wall breaks.

Inception (2010)

Inception is another rarity in films as it features no titles whatsoever. This fits in very well with the story due to its reliance on being immersive. I believe that this excellently supports the storyline of the film; giving the audience a much greater viewing experience and thus improves the film as a whole. As the film is riddled with questions of what is real and what is dream the lack of titles also helps in giving the audience no indication of what state the characters are in at the beginning of the film, making it more immersive and keeping the audience questioning and on their toes.

Lord of war (2005)

Lord of War is by far the most stereotypical in how it presents titles in it's opening, however this is for good reason. As the film is a crime drama with an odd documentary-style twist (seen first with the audience being directly addressed in the first lines), it can afford more stereotypical titles as there is less of a story for the viewer to be immersed in. This means that the titles do not detract from the storyline of the film.