Structure of film openings

Structure of film openings

Within thriller films there are 3 main openings:

- Narrative

- Discrete

- Stand alone

Narrative: In narrative title sequences the first part of the film is seen with titles which are either superimposed or inter cut.

This is the opening to The Shinning (1980 - Psychological Thriller) which has a narrative opening.

 

Discrete: In discrete title sequences the sequence is edited separately and stands out from the opening scene, the font is edited and assist nearly all of the opening.

 This is the opening to Se7en (1995 - Thriller) which has a discrete opening.

Stand alone: In stand alone title sequences there is no imagery or videos with the opening titles (the movie begins with the titles running over a blank screen). This is usually shown with a soundtrack. It leads directly into narrative.

This is the opening to Donnie Darko (2001 - Sci-Fi)