What is an opening title?

An opening title is constructed very specifically in order to keep the attention of the audience who has already started to watch the film but may need persuading to stay. They do this by showing the names of the big name production and distribution companies first as the audience are most likely to know and relate to these names, especially if it is world famous companies such as Disney and Paramount. The names of the production/distribution companies being shown first is consistent in both Hollywood and independent films as the fact remains that they are usually the most well known names (perhaps even more so than independent films). After the names of the distribution and production companies, the order in which titles are shown is dependent on the people involved in the film; if a large name actor is involved in the film (this usually only applies to Hollywood films who can afford to hire big name actors) then their name is usually shown first to attract the attention of the viewer. This same concept applies to if the film has a famous director (such as the likes of Steven Spielberg) as the audience is likely to be able to link this director to other films that they have made and possibly liked, increasing their interest in the film. Those in charge of the technical aspects such as music and cinematography directors are usually shown towards the end of the opening titles as these are stereotypically the least known names meaning that they are likely to have little effect on the viewer.