The Importance of Being Titled*

I am a big fan of title sequences, in which the credits have their own little "short film" to name the top billed contributors of the project, while using visually engaging images to draw in the audience. Although it has virtually nothing to do with the plot itself, the design of the opening credits are incredibly important as they are the first opportunity a film has to capture attention. When a film chooses to make a title sequence, it's meant to summarize the mood of the film before things get rolling. With a carefully selected soundtrack, whether it be music, ambiance, foley or actual plot driven dialogue, the opening credits set the standard for the rest of the film. One of the most obvious examples of a title sequence are the James Bond films, which have a signature song and abstract imagery with silhouettes of naked women (except for Casino Royale). TV shows have more of a tendency to create well designed title sequences, as it's the trademark and cue of the show every week.

Some films start the plot and lay credits over the opening scenes, which in my opinion ignores the potential for a great and fairly unrestricted piece of art and design. On the other hand some filmmakers opt out of opening credits altogether, such as Christopher Nolan's films, which allow the audience to delve right into the plot itself without thinking about credits until the end of the film. If a film chooses to have opening credits at all and acknowledges their importance, they can only help to serve the film itself by creating a distinct and gripping ambience.

What inspired me to talk about title sequences was when I sat down last night and watched the Polish film Katyń (2007) by director Andrzej Wajda of the Polish Film School, none of which I knew anything about beforehand. I'd only skimmed the back of the case when I chose to rent it. I've been watching a bunch of foreign films lately and assumed it would be simple, quiet, shot on digital as opposed to film, with a decent story. However when the title sequence opened the movie, I was surprised. It was going to be an amazing film that I'd somehow missed. It's a simple title sequence, but clearly thought out and with a fantastic piece of music composed by Krzysztof Penderecki to set the unsettling, melancholy mood of the film (another of his songs shared in both Katyń and Scorcese's Shutter Island is the ominous Symphony No. 3). If you haven't seen Katyń, watch it.

Here's a collection of films which I think have title sequences with good hooks. I know I'm forgetting some good ones, but my all time favourites are The Fall, Watchmen and although it's not a film, the opening to HBO's Dexter is the best. Name off some awesome ones I missed!

*Special high five points for anyone who can guess what the background image of my title card is from