Research Task 4 - Purpose and common features of title sequences

The purpose of a title sequence is to entice the audience and to give them a brief understanding of what genre the film is going to explore and elements they should expect in the movie itself. They can do this through their choice of music and the location they've chosen to film, for example; a setting with numerous police cars indicate that the film is crime related. They also set the tone and the atmosphere through diagetic a non-diagetic sounds. For instance, the use of suspense building music creates a tense atmosphere possibly exemplifying the genre of horror or thriller. Title sequences also introduce the characters who participate in the film to ensure their audience knows who are the actors. Additionally, they represent visual logos for the production and distribution companies as they want to ensure the audience is aware of who owns the movie and who exactly was involved in making the movie.

Personally, the most effective opening for me was Hostage as it clearly explored the theme of horror/crime through the use of setting and music which emphasised that this is most certainly a film with horror and crime elements inputed into it.