The History of the Opening Sequence

Opening sequences in silent film

In the silent era of film, opening sequences were purely made up of titles and these titles played an important role in the films in that era. The titles gave a way for filmmakers to convey information about their films to the audience. This is how title sequences, which are still used at the beginning of films today, were born.

As film developed, film studios began to use typecasts to form their title sequences and animated titles came into pass which resulted in more elaborate and complex sequences made by ambitious animators.

The Birth of Opening Sequences

Eventually filmmakers began to use title sequences in correlation with the introductory scene to films. The titles' purpose was to provide information about the production and cast of the film, while the opening sequence itself revolved around establishing key characters and events in the film, and this is the state of opening sequences today.