Opening Credits

Objective: to be able to identify the purpose of credits within a thriller film.

In films the opening credits are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are now usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or static pictures, or sometimes on top of action in the show. There may or may not be accompanying music. Where opening credits are built into a separate sequence of their own, the correct term is title sequence.

The purpose of opening credits are to introduce the actors, directos, producers and production companies. Also showing how the font and colour is it helps set the genre for example pink bold could be seen as a romance.

I will analyse the film opening of ‘Natural born Killers’ and SAW VI then identify the points-

• The colours used
• The style of the credits
• The use of generic conventions of a thriller film
• The order of appearance

Natural born Killers,

The writing is bold white which stands out in the natural surrounding of the desert also amongst the greyscale and red highlighted effect. The writing being in capital letters and bold makes sure that the audience see the text making the film look important as they audience will fully see how the characters are portrayed in the film. The colours of the grey scale in the surroundings makes the scene look old and dark as it is based in the past, also the red highlighting creates an effect of danger and death.

The generic conventions show suspense as we see the characters play as sick game with two innocent people lifes by who should die by singing rhyme, this creates tension and builds a climax to the scene.

The order of appearance of the film shows ‘Regency’ productions and its logo from the start also ‘Regency Enterprises and Alcor Films present..’ pausing whilst showing a wolf and snake, ‘An Ixtlan/ New Regency production’ showing a truck in the highlighted red wide shot driving making it look like two devious beings are aboard as the scene shows two predators who are dangerous to the animal world. As then the scene shows a TV being changed showing past president Richard Nixon who was in office in the 60s this telling the audience that the film is based in this area. The scene then shows the first two actors of Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis as their names are shown as they speak making them stand out as the main characters. We can understand that it is they who are the predactors in this film as straight from the of we see nothing but violence and murder.


Saw VI, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-MmmlV5eek

The opening credits of Saw 6 firstly shows LIONSGATE productions then fades into Twisted pictures production, the text is blurry and sharp making it look like a thriller. The Twister pictures shows barbed wire around it making the audience think that the production company is based on danger as the audience see the barbed wire squeeze the name tight until it pops, this making the audience feel that the film is dangerous and has suffering and killing in it making the film stand out as a thriller/horror from the very start.


As soon after the production companies are shown it fades to 'Lionsgate release' and 'Twisted Pictures presents'. The writing is shown in a dark background while the writing is pale white and is shown over in-larged writing, the off-screen sound of barbed wire in the background moving makes the credits look and feel dangerous. The scene then uses quick fade ins and outs in the opening of the film of people who look estranged while the film swiching between fades in to 'A Hurg/Koules/Hoffman Production' and 'A Film by Kevin Greutert' showing a fellow production company and director.


The generic convenstions show suspense and worry as the audience hear a on-screen voice coming from the tv infront of two people (female and male) seen in some sort of cages with devices on their heads and knifes next to them. A devious looking man wearing a mask tells them to cut the biggest piece of meat off themselves and put it on the scales and which others weighs the less dies by the device on their head. This creating a lot of suspense and tension as the characters have no choice but to cut themselves and cut off limbs as one of them will die. The woman cuts off her arm while the man cuts of a limp off his stomach, as the womans limp weighs more she is speared but the man dies, the audience can slowly hear the suffering as they cut themselves as it is mind aching leaving the audience shocked as they did'nt want neither to die, making feel more as a thriller.