Since comedy is the chosen genre for my group and the titles are important to the opening of a film, I have selected two comedy openings and listed the credits and the times they appear. By doing so, I hope to learn the order in which they appear in a comedy film, the effect this has and apply my findings to my own opening.
Superbad (2007)
0.04 - Institution/Distributor Logo/Name (a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY)
0.18 - Production Company Logo/Name (Columbia Pictures)
0.24 - Production Company Name (Columbia Pictures Presents)
0.27 - Production Company Name (An Apatow Company Production)
0.29 - Film Title (SUPERBAD)
0.32 - Lead Actor Name (JOHNAH HILL)
0.35 - Lead Actor Name (MICHAEL CERA)
0.38 - Lead Actor Name (SETH ROGEN)
0.40 - Actor Name (BILL HADER)
0.43 - Other (Minor) Actors (KEVIN CORRIGAN, JOE LO TRUGLIO, MARTHA MACISAAC, EMMA STONE)
0.47 - Actor Name (AND INTRODUCING CHRISTOPHER MINTZ-PLASSE)
0.50 - Casting (BY ALLISON JONES)
0.53 - Costume Designer (DEBRA MCGUIRE)
0.55 - Co-producer (DARA WEINTRAUB)
0.58 - Music Supervisor (JONATHON KARP)
1.00 - Music Creator (LYLE WORKMAN)
1.03 - Editor (WILLIAM KERR)
1.06 - Production Designer (CHRIS SPELLMAN)
1.08 - Director of Photography (RUSS ALSOBROOK, asc)
1.11 - Executive Producers (SETH ROGAN, EVAN GOLDBERG)
1.14 - Producers (JUDD APATOW, SHAUNA ROBERTSON)
1.17 - Writers (SETH ROGAN, EVAN GOLDBERG)
1.20 - Director (GREG MOTTOLA)
The opening credits appear regularly with gaps of about 2 - 3 seconds between each one and in time with the non-diegetic music. They also appear in an obvious order, almost hierarchy, from who is in the film to who has helped create it and the film title is within the first 30 seconds of the opening. The font is consistant and the colour fits with the genre and block coloured, background imaging. These opening credits are also simplistic with their transitions and positioning but effective in keeping the audience's focus on the figures dancing.
Step Brothers (2008, embedded unavailable)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sczh_KjjFNU
0.03 - Institution/Distributor Name (COLUMBIA PICTURES presents)
0.06 - Institution/Distributor Name (in associating with RELATIVITY MEDIA)
0.09 - Production Company Name (an APATOW COMPANY/MOSAIC MEDIA GROUP production)
0.12 - Production Company Name (a GARY SANCHEZ production)
0.15 - Screenplay/Writer (a film by ADAM MCKAY)
0.28 - Lead Actory Name (WILL FERRELL)
0.32 - Lead Actor Name (JOHN C. REILLY)
0.38 - Actor Name (RICHARD JENKINS)
0.45 - Actor Name (MARY STEENBURGEN)
0.55 - Actor Name (ADAM SCOTT)
1.00 - Actor Name (KATHRYN HAHN)
1.04 - Actor Names (ANDREA SAVAGE, ROB RIGGLE)
1.12 - Casting (by ALLISON JONES)
1.17 - Costume Designer (SUSAN MATHESON)
1.21 - Music Supervisor (by HALL WILLNER)
Though the clip does not show all the opening credits, it's apparent they are in a similar order as Superbad. The font also suits the comedy genre and the colour is plain but helps the text to stand out from the film in the background. The credits also appear at regular intervals and with simple transitions fading them on and off screen.
When creating our own comedy opening, I now know that we should try to include the main actors names and film title early on and I'm aware of the order of the following credits. I have also learned that often less is more and so to be simplistic when creating ideas on how the titles should appear. The titles should also appear regularly throughout the opening and at a suitable pace for the non-diegetic music in the background or for the pace of the editing in the opening.
