What a good title sequence should include...

Introduction to characters;

A successful film opening will establish characters and what their positions may be within the film and will do this very quickly to keep the audience engaged and engrossed in the action. Characters in film openings tend to have their introductions based around their mood, career/job, thoughts, feelings, personality, interests and habits etc. This so that the audience can have an understanding of what is to be expected for the duration of the film.
Bridget Jones’s Diary does this very well for example and within minutes institutes that Englishness and the stereotypical properness with which England can be associated with is a key ingredient for the film. Also, in this opening, the audience can learn merely from Bridget’s appearance that she feels out of place and is in fact single and seeking a partner. The fact that she is overweight and red in the face creates sympathy toward her and means that the film will appeal to women as she is not a promiscuous beautiful woman, meaning she is not a threat to the target audience and is likeable.
Continually, a Romantic Comedy may present two characters, generally a man and a woman living separate lives and feeling as though they want to settle down. More often than not, the directors choose to run these scenes one after the other to show the audience that the characters will have some sort of contact or interaction as the film beings to unfold. This technique is very successful as it makes the audience anticipate who, what, when where and how these characters will meet and under what circumstances.
The way characters relate with other characters is an important aspect in establishing roles. For example, in The Notebook, which is a romantic film, teenagers Allie and Noah are the protagonists and the first time they meet, the audience are made aware of Allie’s heritage and that she is a wealthy girl of high-class, whereas Noah on the other hand is a poor simple boy with a strong sense of adventure. This is shown through the way these characters are dressed and the way they speak. Noah and Allie’s first meeting is at a fairground and Noah asks the beautiful high-class Allie if she would like to dance with him and her response is no thank you, I don’t want to, she then skips off and he gazes after her. This opening scene enforces the character’s backgrounds, values and gives Allie a sense of status, in that she is above Noah due to her wealthy upbringing.
These two elements are so important in making a film successful because the opening is what makes or breaks the film, if an audience is bored by the beginning- which is supposed to be the most exciting and engaging part of the movie- then the film is not going to be a hit. Gripping and seizing audience attention right from the beginning is the most effective way to make a film a success.

CAST;
Who will be cast in a film is so important. Very renowned actors can sometimes be the selling point of films, and some audiences will not be concerned with the genre/theme as long as their favourite actor will be present in the film.
Most people, if they enjoy watching films, will have their personal preferences when it comes to actors or who has produced or even edited the movie and will only want to see certain films because of this.
Another reason why the cast is so important is because very mainstream A-list actors are extremely expensive, and the film company using them will advertise and flaunt the actors they are using as much as possible to make it clear that popular stars have contributed to the making of the film.
For example, in Mr & Mrs Smith, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt where the focal point of the film, and their names were shown in the opening of the film as soon as possible. Without them being involved, it is almost certain that the film would not have gained anywhere near as much publicity or viewings and sales would not have sky rocketed and the directors would have probably lost money paying for stunt doubles etc.
In films that are of a much smaller budget and do not use popular mainstream actors, the cast will be shown/mentioned via credits at the very end because who they are is not important as most people will not have heard of them thus meaning the plot in smaller budget films overrides the importance of the actors. This does mean that sometimes, larger budget films can get away with a poor plot so long as big actors are involved.

LOCATION;
The location of the film is of high importance also as the directors do not want to confuse the audience, the location must connect in some form with the characters and plot. If this fails to happen, the audience can feel very out of place. The location must be suitable so that the audience can have an understanding of under what circumstances the action is taking place and they can really get a feel for the atmosphere of the movie.
For example, in the Horror film, ‘The Hills Have Eyes’ the setting is cross-country and very sparse in terms of civilisation. This evokes danger because the audience will already know the film is a horror through advertising and the setting will mean should the characters meet with any monsters, there will be nowhere for them to run to. If this film were set in the hustle and bustle of New York City for example, the same fear and desperation could not be conjured and the film would surely fail.
HISTORICAL PERIOD;
The title sequence of the film will also need to establish in what time period the film is set. For example, the film I-robot is a futuristic science-fiction/action movie set in the future, in a world in which robots are commonly seen and used as servants. Del Spooner (Will Smith) is a Chicago police detective who dislikes the rapid advancement of technology, including robots. Clearly the futuristic element of this film is key in making the film believable- currently robots do not exist, but they could in the future. The film makes sure advanced technology is almost everywhere you look; everything appears to be futuristic from Will Smith’s digital police badge to amazing and intricate appearance of the robots. This is exactly what the audience has paid to see and was one of the reasons why I-Robot was successful. This historical period is important as it more often than not acts as the tying link between the action, characters, sound, costume, props and all the other elements within the making them all fit together and work in perfect sequential rhythm.

MOOD;
The mood of the film is very key in establishing the theme, but is not always immediately noticed as it is not visually present like all the other aspects, this is why the mood is one of the most difficult tasks for the directors to create successfully without being too subtle or too obvious.
For the mood to be logical and accepted, it must appeal to its target audience. For example, the film ‘Girl, interrupted’ which is about a young woman’s experience inside a psychiatric hospital has a very melancholic dark yet inspirational mood and if this film took on the mood of the romantic comedy ‘50 First Dates’ it would remove the serious and sombre mood.
It is important to establish the mood as soon as possible because this is what will keep the audience wanting more.
The fact that ‘Girl, interrupted’ is serious and sombre and about a young woman who is 18 is what reels the target audience in, as this age for woman is notably a time of confusion and rebellion thus meaning the target audience will feel they can empathise with Susanna played by Winona Ryder- the protagonist.

Overall, a title sequence must involve all of these to be very auccessful. Most films do follow the conventions but there are some which are unconventional and continue to be major hits because of this.
What i can learn from this is that our film opening must follow these guidlines to make is as professional and appealing as possible.