Credit Sequence Examples

     In an introduction of a movie, credit sequences are usually shown. That much is known by anyone that watches just about any type of professional video media (not YouTube videos, though some do have this). Now, I need to know how to wrap my own credits into the project. 

    Some examples of credit sequences include; White Oleander, Watchmen, and Raging Bull. Each one is different and gives good examples of certain things. Now, I am slightly perturbed with myself that I could not find any other movie minus White Oleander that fits my drama genre, I think these movies are good for the credit sequences. Now, let's get into this.


    White Oleander is a movie about an orphaned teenager trying find a proper home after her mother was imprisoned for murdering her boyfriend.  Now, I picked this out because it is surprisingly harder for me to find somewhat good, if any at all, opening scenes with a credit sequence in it that I could pull off. My favorite part about this opening sequence was that the movie title was seamlessly introduced. Although, the rest of the introduction's credit sequence could have done better in my opinion, become a bit more creative. Though this gives a good example of what credit sequences can look like in a normal movie. Unfortunately, I am unable to find the opening introduction on any website other than Netflix,

    The Watchmen is a movie that I found I liked for the credit sequence. It is a movie introduction that uses the credits in quirky ways amongst the shots. Even throughout the movie, we were repeatedly reminded of what this movie's name is. The yellow coloring of the text popped out amongst the darker scenes and how the text was shown in most shots were creatively shown. This is an example that I really like, despite the movie not actually being the same genre. While I have no need for the text to be as bold as this because of my opening sequence theme being different, this movie introduction does give me a good idea of what I should do.

Raging Bull is a movie where boxing is the main show, especially in the introduction. Though that credit sequence is what I am after. It fits the background colors, minus the title which was bright red and stood out. We do not see much in the opening sequence for different shots with standout credits, a stark contrast to the Watchmen. However, the background boxer seems to be the main focus, so each accredit to the workers is pushed to the side. The credits fit seamlessly into the shot, in between the openings of the ring and not bright in color with the background. This gives me a very good example of how to space out my credits into my opening sequence, despite there being little happening in the scene.

Now, I have quite the bit of inspiration to learn from these movies. Unfortunately, I have other work (chemistry, just chemistry) to get to, so Duke is out! 


Credits:
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). White Oleander (film). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 30, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Oleander_(film)
Ulloa, A., & Landekic, L. (n.d.). Watchmen (2009). Art of the Title. https://www.artofthetitle.com/title/watchmen/
Ulloa, A., & Landekic, L. (2015, September 29). Raging Bull (1980). Art of the Title. https://www.artofthetitle.com/title/raging-bull/
Kosminsky, P. (Director). (2002). White oleander [Film]. Warner Bros. Pictures. https://www.netflix.com/title/60024913

Drama Film Openings!

    Before I actually start talking about my film openings that I was inspired by, I would like to tell all of you something. That something being the fact that family issues have arose within my life. How fun! (Note the sarcasm). While am not comfortable telling you all exactly what happened, expect the next couple of blogs and the video production updates to be pushed back or submitted early in the morning to fit my current time frame. Anyways, back to the film openings.

    So, I have decided to actually go down the route of drama instead of thriller, leaning more into the teen life type of drama. Currently, I am storyboarding and I need some inspiration, so I watched a couple of openings to a drama with younger adults in it. Specifically younger adults because I want to lean more into the sort of teen like character as a main character. 

    My first movie I picked out was Whiplash. It was first introduced to me at the start of the year during the introductions into the course, which were a bit hazy now that I try to think about it. When I rewatched the intro, it gave me a good grasp of ideas on what to show in my opening introduction. I plan to use some of the ways that the shot were framed. The unusual angles and some frames of the intro are some things I could grab at. The first shot of the movie shows something I could use within my own introduction.

    Another movie introduction that called out to me was The Virgin Suicides. While, it is not a movie that I am all about in the plot, the contrasting of the shots in the opening is something that I could take off the movie. Each shot is either warm and happy on the outside yet on the inside of the house it is cold and dreary. If you do not know what the Virgin Suicides is as a movie, it is about five isolated sisters feeling suffocated in their family. 

    The last movie introduction that I liked was Knives Out. Personally, I watched this when it first came out on Netflix. So it has been roughly seven years now and I barely remember the movie, but I had a fun time with the visuals that I might actually watch the movie over again. That is what called to me about this movie, the visuals. The mise-en-scene was so stunning to me, and still is. I know that within my current situation, I would not be able to do such mise-en-scene with what I wanted to do, but I could definitely lean into more of a style. While this movie is more of a thriller about a death about this well-known man instead of a drama, I thought I would add this movie to the list just because it was beautifully styled.

Citations:
AcademyAwardClips. (2016, December 19). Whiplash opening scene | Whiplash (2014) | 1080p HD [Video].YouTube. https://www.blogger.com/u/1/blog/post/edit/6957086467473321234/956738030271921649#
Art of the Title. (n.d.). The Virgin Suicides. https://www.artofthetitle.com/title/the-virgin-suicides/
ENT 4U. (n.d.). Opening scene | Knives Out [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1CW6zMlZaI

Establishing a Timeline

 Before I start any process, I should make a timeline of when things are due (for me as the actual due date is March 17th). I will be splitting this up by weeks before outlining what each section is supposed to have. Dually note that this was planned out after the first week.

Week 1 (1/16 to 1/23) 

Any and all research. (I.E genre and movie ideas.) 

Week 2 (1/26 to 2/1) 

Start and finish any plans. (I.E. storyboard, filming days, story location, and character idea)   

If possible, start film production. 

Week 3 (2/2 to 2/8) 

Officially start filming. 

Record narration, foley or find proper music if needed. 

Week 4 (2/9 to 2/15) 

Continue filming until middle of week. 

Start editing with recording of any foley needed. Try out different editing styles. 

Week 5 (2/16 to 2/22) 

Officially start editing if unable to before. 

Week 6 (2/23 to 3/1) 

Continue editing, if possible, finish this week. 

Week 7 (3/2 to 3/8) 

Finish editing at start of week.  

Start revision and-if needed-redo certain ideas. 

Week 8 (3/9 to 3/17) 

Continue revision if not finished.  

This end week is mostly a fall back week if something goes wrong in my personal life that leaves me unable to do something. 

 For research: 

Analyze movie openings and genre examples. 

Planning: 

Scripting,  

Storyboarding, 

Movie Plot, 

Location(s), 

Filming dates,  

Actors (if needed) 

Creation: 

Filming, 

Voice Recordings, 

Foley Recordings, 

Editing:
        Footage together in one film 

Include titles and credits during duration of film 

Input foley and/or narration 

Revise: 

Go over entire footage, 

Add, subtract or adjust footage 

How will I be able to do all of this in the allotted time?
    I stick to my plan, but honestly, I have horrid time management. I do not plan to get absolutely everything done within each week minus the important stuff. This project will be harsh on my time skills, and I can already feel it. With everything else going on outside of this blog; schoolwork, family issues, my own needed downtime, I will struggle. Struggle, as I always say to motivate myself, is the best (and worse) part of life. That is why I tried to integrate some time that I can fall back on and tried to make deadlines seem longer than they should be.

Portfolio Project #2

I have thought more about what other genres I should delve into. Dear reader, what do you think about the genre called Thriller? Now I would play into the aspects of loneliness and isolation if I used thriller as my genre of project. If I were to go the route of thriller instead of drama, it would be a much quieter opening sequence. A much more eerie and darker type of opening. Maybe I could even mix-up dramas and thrillers together into my own opening? 

 

A general thriller movie audience attracts mostly men the age of thirty to fifty or younger than eighteen years old. The nail-biting excitement does attract younger audiences looking for an adrenaline boost, even if thrillers are marketed to older audiences with suspense or mystery tactics. Thrillers, as in the name, thrill people. So, I thought that I could make some sort of thriller for my opening. Maybe from the idea of the last post about portraying hallucinations, I could make a thriller using such imagery. 

 

Some conventions in making a thriller movie would be the suspense aspects. Thriller is known for any storytelling to have suspense. The main character is usually portrayed alone, isolated from the world around them. Common tropes of obsession, paranoia, and plot twists are some other aspects that thrillers are known for. The actual filming of any thriller movie is how someone would expect. Camera movement often mimicking a person’s gaze is a popular film style for thrillers. Different shots that is supposed to bring fear to the watcher, much like the one below.

 

But some recognizable movies from thriller aspect include The Godfather. Which, if you have not heard of the movie, is a gangster thriller about the don and his reluctant son. While to some it can be a slower paced movie, it is a classic with well framed shots. If I were to use anything from this movie as an inspiration, it would be the overall composition of the movie. 

 

Another very popular movie from the genre of thriller is The Shining. It is more recognizable as a horror film than a thriller, but the phycological deterioration of characters mixed with horror is what some consider a thriller. It is a movie about a family in an isolated hotel which drives the father to madness. From this movie, I like the shots that were used. If I were to take anything from this film as inspiration into my opening sequence, it would be the was the shots are created.

 

Credits:

Filmgrail. (2024, April 1). Cinema audience demographics analysis: Insights & data. FilmGrail. https://filmgrail.com/blog/cinema-audience-demographics-analysis-insights-and-data/ 

AmplifyXL. (n.d.). The target audience for thriller films: Who enjoys thrillers? AmplifyXL. https://amplifyxl.com/target-audience-for-thriller-films/ 

Jennifer. (2026, January 20). Bone Lake marketing: Thriller tactics drive sales success. Accio. https://www.accio.com/blog/bone-lake-marketing-thriller-tactics-drive-sales-success/ 

Hellerman, J. (2023, December 6). Defining the thriller genre in movies and TV. No Film School. https://nofilmschool.com/thriller-genre-definition 

IMDb. (n.d.). The Godfather (tt0068646) — IMDb. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/ 

IMDb. (n.d.). The Shining (tt0081505) — IMDb. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081505/ 

 

Portfolio Project Genre #1

Drama is one of the genres that I have decided to focus on. Now, I am more interested in or teenage drama than medical, sport, or political dramas. Philosophical dramas tend to traverse human condition and/or existential themes while teenage dramas focus on young adults traversing life. Which I can conjure up ideas much better in either of these realms of film.  Dramas in general rely on emotional exploration and/or in-depth conflicts. Technically, the human nature type of act.  

Now dramas generally have an audience of women around the age of eighteen to twenty-nine. The traits of any drama film should include believable traits of the character, especially towards young adults. Dramas usually touch a person emotionally, maybe even move the person. Conflicts and struggles are common in any movie, though more relatable or trustable to the audience than the struggle in a sci-fi movie. If the drama movie does not touch the audience, then it is not well made, but for the two minutes that I must create my film opening, I should focus on establishing some sort of struggle. 

 

The techniques I should use to create my drama include many things. Some drama movies start out with some form of narration. Low key lighting or natural lighting is common within most drama movies, but mise-en-scene (surrounding area and character design) is very important to sell any type of drama. Deep focus of any shots is common within the range of any drama movie. Realism takes place in many drama movies, the lighting looks true and makeup is not over the top. Although, the techniques depend on what type of drama movie it is. Philosophical dramas use more narration, and teenage dramas use more general conventions (like the jock or mean girl). My point is that different types of dramas include different types of conventions that should and should not be used. You would not see a teenage drama’s main character starring Jack Nicholson, nor would you market with Nicholson as the main character. 

 

A good example of the drama genre in general is Little Miss Sunshine. Now I have only seen the 2006 version of the movie, and not fully but I remember some of it. t is a harsh yet funny movie that immediately delves into an emotional struggling family matter. Mainly circled around the seven-year-old girl that wishes to be a beauty pageant winner and her family of odd people. Now I want to have this type of emotional connection with some people that this movie shows. I do  plan to incorporate my family into the project, though how much of my family will be featured is still unknown.

Another movie I looked into was A Beautiful Mind. A drama about this mathematical genius with schizophrenia who tries to figure out who he is. Now I particularly like this movie for how it goes by the mental health aspect, which I plan to incorporate into my opening. While I do not plan it to be schizophrenia exactly, I plan there to be some sort of mental issue that is because of the character’s surroundings. 

Straub, J. (2024, January 19). 100+ movie genres. The definitive list, with examples. Boords. https://boords.com/blog/100-movie-genres-the-definitive-list-with-examples 
Vecchi, L. (n.d.). Target Audience [Pre-Production]. Media Coursework Project. WordPress. https://larave.wordpress.com/as-coursework/target-audience-research/ 
Weeks, T. (n.d.). Codes and conventions of drama films. Prezi. Retrieved January 24, 2026, from https://prezi.com/mppsjp8etpmn/codes-and-conventions-of-drama-films/ 
Fiveable Content Team. (2025, September). Cinematography techniques for dramatic films. Fiveable. Retrieved January 24, 2026, from https://fiveable.me/cinematography/unit-12/cinematography-techniques-dramatic-films/study-guide/mCoqaVetIZ0jqKR5 
What Lies Beneath. (2000). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0449059/ 
A Beautiful Mind. (2001). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268978/ 
 

Transition Into Cambridge Project

 Welcome back. It has been a minute since I wrote to you, hasn't it not? Though that is not what I am here to write to you about. This message is to explain my situation, as something new and exciting has come up. I have a new project for my boss, who calls this a Portfolio Project. It is simple really,  film a movie intro for about two minutes. It sounds fun to do, but I have a time limit and my own sanity to balance. At least I have multiple ways to approach this project. Though I am more inclined to go the route of character development or developing conflict, maybe even a mixture of both situations if I could make it work. Here are my notes from the presentation to help give you more detail:

(I apologize for the poor quality so here is a more zoomed in version.)

The reason why I so prefer character development is because I personally have made many fictional  characters before, aspects such as how they would act and dress are fun to create. I find it relatively easy to do and it helps me build up a story based . So to make a character and essentially introduce them under the guise of a film production would be lovely to do. Not because I already have several--around twenty--characters that I could start out with and quite easily create introductions about. 

Although, developing conflict would be a great idea to to push me further out of my comfort zone while having some sort of fun in the process. Yes, yes, struggle can be fun if you do not think about it. Despite my complaining earlier, I will find fun within this project somehow. Back on track, developing conflict can be much more interesting if I do it correctly. After all, everyone wants to know exactly what they are watching and expecting from a movie. Especially me, to whom is very picky about what I watch. This approach takes much more thought about the world and character as well as the story, so there is some degree of respect to directors who try this approach. Especially those who do it well.