A great script, well written, painstakingly honed and trimmed, is, of course, an essential foundation and blueprint for a solid film. However, there is another component that needs to be taken into account and that is the opening sequence. This is not something that is normally built into the script, but it is worth considering. Paul Schrader has described the opening sequence as a roller coaster ride that prepares the audience for the ride ahead. The pre-ride sequence should fill the audience with confidence, anticipation, even awe, and generally build excitement. Of course, the writer doesn’t normally have to think about the title sequence, but awareness of the addition of it and how it will relate to the narrative of the story can be beneficial to the confidence and context of the beginning of the film.

Five of my favorite opening sequence devices are as follows:

1) the typewriter hitting some relevant words. It’s been used many times, but my favorite is in ‘All the President’s Men,’ the classic 1976 Watergate break-in film based on the book by Woodward and Bernstein directed by Alan J. Pakula. The camera zooms right in on the keys being struck, emphasizing and drawing you in to the importance of the typewriter to these innovative investigative journalists.

2) The tilt of the blue sky. A bit dated now, and I’m having a hard time naming any movies that have used this device. However, it does serve to create a sense of anticipation.

3) Low and fast tracking plane. In fact, this is French director Luc Besson’s signature shot. Almost all of his films use this device. In ‘Subway’ he appears briefly in the car chase sequence that takes place on the streets of Paris. It is used again on Nikita as we follow the gang of thugs on their way to rob the pharmacy. He appears again at the beginning of Leon as the camera traverses Central Park and the rest of Manhattan to reach the restaurant. Dramatic and shocking. It is an open stylistic device that obviously draws attention to the cinematic process and thus assures us that we are in the hands of someone who knows cinema and is eager to show off his cinematic skills.

4) The slow track on a model or other artifacts. When done right, this can be completely immersive and eye-catching. For models, the best example is ‘Delicatessen’ by Jeunet and Caro. After an establishing sequence that takes us to the isolated eponymous building, the credits roll: slow motion, graceful, but close and efficient as the camera pans over the wonderfully dirty and weathered artifacts of the workshop and kitchen, all carefully inscribed with names and roles. of the film crew. An even more sinister example, which relies on a complex layering of graphic images, is David Fincher’s Se7en. Groundbreaking in its originality, the sequence has been widely copied ever since, appearing frequently in television thrillers and other similar but minor films.

5) Animated title sequences for live action movies. This has always been a staple of the opening sequence. The master practitioner of this style was Saul Bass, whose minimalist animations with their crisp, clear lines and curves achieved much in terms of the setting, mood, and tempo of the following film. Bass covered everything from comedy (‘The Seven Year Itch’) and thrillers (‘The Man with the Golden Arm’) to sports action with the 1966 ‘Grand Prix.’ Scorsese brought him back for a few final films in the years. 90, beginning with ‘Goodfellas’. The flip side of this seriousness is, of course, the equally brilliant Pink Panther sequences that set the stage for Peter Seller’s brilliant comic creation, Inspector Clouseau.

6) Images of James Bond. Like a half-dozen Bakers, I’ll take the liberty of mentioning the Bond title sequences. Cliché, yes, but excellent and a staple in the British film business for many decades. Even in the early days, when in-camera and post-production effects were more basic, they managed to suggest a glamor and stylistic luxury that far exceeded the budget constraints of their time.

So if you, as a writer, want to dive into the designer world, feel free to include a bold and innovative title sequence on your first few pages. Just make sure you don’t spend the entire budget before the end of the first reel.