Form Research This form research will help our group to edit our opening scene and make it certain that all of our opening titles are in the correct order. It will also help us to identify what significant features we need to have in our opening scene hat are common with horror film openings.

The first thing that we see when we start to watch a film is the name of the studio that is producing the film. A film studio is a major entertainment company or motion picture that has its own privately owned studio and sets that production company's use to make films ; below are a few of the most recognizable studios that people will know instantly when they turn on a film.

The next thing that we will see in the opening credits is the production company. The production companies fund the making of movies offering the resources and manpower required to make it all possible. Here are 5 of the most famous production companies that have made some of the biggest movie franchises to this day. A lot of the producion companies will also own their own studios!

1. Time Warner Time Warner is a production company that owns warner bros and is a large American multinational media corporation. Warner Bros. entertainment also owned other brands and divisions that help with the production of the film such as; New Line Cinema, Castle Rock Entertainment, Turner Entertainment, Warner Bros. Animation, and DC Entertainment. Of the top 50 box office grossing movies of all time, 13 were created by time warner and 2 of the top 10 were also created by time warner and the companies associated with them. Some of the movies that made it into the box office top 50 are; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (ranked at 23), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (ranked at 4), The Dark Night Rises (ranked at 10), and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (ranked 17).

2. Sony Pictures Entertainment Sony Pictures Entertainment are independent producers, with its own division catering for them which is called Sony Pictures Classics. Sony doesn't’t just produce high ranking box office movies but also mid priced movies through its distribution subsidiary called screen gems. Sony Pictures also own other companies and brands such as; TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Destination Films, Triumph Films, Stage 6 Films and Affirm Films. The Sony production company have produced some brilliant movies and some great franchises which include, Men In Black, Resident Evil and Spider Man.

3. The Walt DisneyCompany

The Walt Disney Production Company has produced some brilliant movies in its time, captivating a younger and older demographic. Walt Disney also own other brands and divisions which include; Lucas Film, Marvel Studios, Pixar, Touchstone Pictures, Disney nature. Disney have started some of the most famous and most popular franchises of movies such as; The Lion King, The Chronicles Of Narnia and Pirates of the Caribbean. In the best top 50 box office movies a lot of films created by Disney had high ratings; Marvels The Avengers Assemble (ranked 3), Frozen (ranked 5), Iron Man 3 (ranked 6), Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest (ranked 11), Toy Story 3 (ranked 12), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (ranked 13) , Alice In Wonderland 2010 (ranked 16), The Lion King (ranked 19)< Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End (ranked 22) and Finding nemo (ranked 26).

4. NBCUniversal Universal have been operating as a

production company since the 1920’s and have produced many loved films across the world. Universal have some box office hits which include Jurassic Park, E.T., and Jaws.

The hit film Despicable Me was also created by another division owned by Universal

Studios called Illumination Entertainment. Universal also has other divisions that

include Universal Studios Home Entertainment, Focus Features and Working Title Films. Universal have had vast success because of being part of franchises such as

The Fast And Furious. In the top 50 box office hits Jurassic park ranked 14, Despicable Me ranked 21, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial ranked 45 and the Fast and Furious 6 ranked 46.

5.21st Century Fox 20th Century Fox has been producing movies 1935

and have had immense success in film industry. They created the most successful movie of all time

by making a worldwide gross of over $2 billion from the film Avatar. They have also created some

of the most successful franchises known to the whole world such as Star Wars, Ice Age, and X-men. 20TH Century Fox also own other divisions which include 20th Century Fox Animation, Fox Searchlight Pictures, 20TH Century Fox Home

Entertainment and Fox Star Studios. Of the top 50 grossing movies of all time Fox bagged number one 1 with their production of Avatar, three of

their Star Wars films also made the top 50 at 15, 37 and 49!

After we have seen the name of the studio and the production company the name of the producer will come up. After the producers name has appeared the directors name will come up with ‘directed by….” The director is one of the most important people in the film making process. You need to put the director before the the actors in the opening credits, because of how important he/she is. It is a hierarchy of people and the director is first. On this film it is a piece of text with a plain background but you can put it anywhere, even on a moving picture, as long as you can read it. ’

The next credit will show the main character/characters in the film. This tells the audience who is going to be playing the main character but also gets them excited about the star who is acting in the film! Normally before the main actor/ actresses name comes up it will say ‘starring’ before. This will probably be followed by the names of all principal actors in the film.

The main shot of any opening scene is the title of the film. The title should stand out from the rest if the opening credits. A lot of films do not have a background

to their credits until the title to make the audiences tension build. The title needs to be eye-catching an is usually in bold colors as you can see above, the

background is a boring brown color but the flames around the title make it stand out.

The next in the sequence of opening credits is the casting directors name. This usually appears after ‘casting by’, like

you can see above. The Casting director organises and facilitates casting for all the roles in a film and which

actors are going to be playing them.

The next name we see is the name of the music composer. This person has written and directed all the original music for the film. The scores need to be technically correct in order to

work perfectly and create a flawless piece of music.

After we see the name of the musical director we then see the name of the production designer like you can see above. The production designer is

responsible for the visuals in a film production. They find design styles for different sets, they discover and research the locations that the film will be shot

in, they help with graphics, props and lighting, they work closely with the director and producer and may also help with the camera angles and costumes

used in the film.

What we see next in the opening credits may start to vary depending on what type of film it is. For example if it is a high budget sci-fi movie then we are

more likely to see the names of the visual effects artist or VFX team, or if it is a movie based in a historical era we may see a mention of the costume and

make up team. At this point in the credits it should be what is most important during the film that we see mentioned.

The Editor is the next name we see in the film, most often after ‘edited by’. The editor is the first of the people who are part of making the movie that gets to put their ‘thumbprint’ on the movie creatively; the other two are the writer and director. The film

editor uses the art, technique, and practice of assembling shots into a coherent sequence, to

create a vision that they share with the rest of the crew.

The next name we see is the director of photography. Another name used for director of photography is cinematographer. The director of

photography is the chief of the camera crews working on the film. They are responsible for making artistic, but also technical decisions related

to the image they are trying to produce.

The next opening title is a tricky one. There is most likely to be a change in order here when naming the producers, co-producers and executive producers. In my example

you just have the co-producers and then after the executive producers. Co-Producers are two or more functioning producers who perform jointly or cumulatively all of the

producer functions as a team or group. The role of the Executive Producer is to oversee the work of the producer on behalf of the studio, the financiers or the

distributors. They will ensure the film is completed on time, within budget, and to agreed artistic and technical standards.

If the movie is based on already existing work, e.g. a book, or play then the credit needs to

go to the author or director of that work. Like you see above it will have ‘based on the novel by’. This screenshot is from the hunger games

a book written by Suzanne Collins that was turned in to a series of films.

Towards the end of the credits we will see who the script is written by. A maximum of three writers can be in the

opening credits. Teams of two can count as one on some occasions. However if the script has been worked on

separately, they will be separated by the word and. Like editors, writers are have said to have put their ‘thumbprint’

on the production. A writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media such

as films are based.

The last credit we see always goes to the director. There is only ever one director

named in the opening credits, unless their was a death during the production.

When their name appears before it, it will say ‘directed by’. a film director

controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, and visualizes the script while

guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of that vision. The

director has a key role in choosing the cast members, production design, and

the creative aspects of filmmaking.

Thank you for watching

By Annabelle Peck

Website used ; what when how.com