Task 3 - Purpose of title sequence and film opening

There are many purposes as to why films have a title sequence, some of which are:

•To set the mood/tone of the film
•To introduce the main characters of the film
•To give the audience a clear vision of what the genre is
•To give credit to the actors and production crews
•Film openings also at times shows the locations of where the most important scenes in the film will take place. This is also used to sometimes foreshadow events of the film.

A typical title sequence will have the directors name, production names, studio names etc. included in it. This may be done so the audience are aware of who and what made/produced it and therefore get credit for their work. In addition to this, we are introduced to the characters in the film as well as the location, and genre/tone.
In many cases, some title sequences don't show the important ingredients; for example in the title sequence for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, the characters are not introduced at first.

A film opener does the same tricks. It captures the audiences attention and then engages them to want to watch further. Film openers can be very effective as they allow the audience to know what the film can be about, but not what it is about. They give clues and hints, but not too many as the audience may get bored and guess what happens next - leading them to not wanting to watch it anymore. However, they can't be vague as again, the audience may get bored and not want to watch it.