Title sequence
A title sequence, in a television program or film, is shown at the beginning which displays the opening credits.
Television
A montage of clips from the show accompanied by a distinctive piece of music or possibly a theme song are often included to suggest the essential tone of the series.
One notable example of this is Law & Order, with pictures of black and white New York City photos of crimes, murders, trials, etc. The main characters are zoomed out (photo-printing style), with the police characters appearing in blue tint, and the lawyers appearing in red. On Law & Order: SVU, their characters appear in a yellow-gold tint, and on Law & Order: Criminal Intent the characters are blue-grayish.
The BBC science fiction series Doctor Who has used the same basic premise for its title sequence over its 43 year run. The titles feature a time-tunnel effect, and coupled with the famous Doctor Who theme music makes for a strong visual impact.
Some title sequences use dialogue, footage from early episodes, or song lyrics to establish the concept of the series. An often-cited example of this is the title sequence from the 1960s sitcom Gilligan's Island which introduces the situation, the location, and provides a brief primer on the recurring characters.
On some sitcoms and dramas, the ensemble cast is shown together at the end of the titles. Some shows, like Good Times and Family Ties, went one step further and had the main players sit for a painting, which was then shown in the titles.
Soap operas are highly known for their varying title sequences since they're some of the longest running shows on television. As changing with the times is almost necessary, the opening of any given show today is usually dramatically different from the one shown the first airdate.
Some shows have title sequences that are subtly different in every episode (or season). Some famed title sequences with variables include:
- American Dad - where Stan picks up a newspaper with a unique headline.
- Police Squad - each episode there is a different "Special Guest Star" who gets killed off during the title sequence and makes no actual appearance in the episode.
- The Critic - where Jay would answer a different phone call and later be shown reviewing a different movie parody clip each episode.
- The Dick Van Dyke Show - where Rob (Dick Van Dyke) enters through the front door and trips over the ottoman. Three versions were filmed: one in which he trips over the ottoman, one in which he steps around it, and a rarely seen third variation in which he avoids the ottoman but then trips on the carpet. Viewers were kept wondering which version would be used on any particular episode since the episode's editors were instructed to use them randomly.
- The Fairly OddParents - Vicky's head always turns into something different at the end.
- Frasier - the "Frasier" logo changes color every season, and a different animation involving the logo's skyline graphic happens every episode.
- Futurama - where the text below the title and the cartoon clip playing on the big screen changes each episode.
- L.A. Law - where the personalized "LA LAW" license plate has a different validation sticker every season.
- The Rockford Files - where a different message is left on Rockford's answering machine.
- Seinfeld - where the "Seinfeld" logo changes color and style every season.
- The Simpsons has three main variables in its title sequences:
- "Chalkboard gag" - where Bart Simpson writes a different sentence on a blackboard in his classroom.
- "Sax solo" - where Lisa Simpson improvises a different solo on her saxophone as the teacher sends her out of the room.
- "Couch gag" - where the Simpson family sits on the couch in a different, 'wacky' way.
Films
Film title sequences are sometimes considerably shorter than the title sequences of television shows, and are often much simpler as well, focusing mostly on listing the credit names of all the actors and producers. This is because in films, title sequences are often controlled by detailed contractual provisions regarding crediting the major players in the film (actors, directors, producers, casting agents, etc.) In some cases, directors have found their desire to make the title sequence they want interfered with by the technical requirements of these contracts (e.g., that the actor's name be at least as large in font size as the film's title). Sometimes, these requirements can be avoided by negotiating an amendment to the actor's contract, although that can be expensive, if possible at all.
However, title sequences of blockbusters such as Ben-Hur were once quite long and elaborate. The title sequence of Ben-Hur shows the names of all the leading and major supporting actors, plus many of the technical credits, all the while tracking backwards from a huge closeup of the Creation of Adam panel on Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling. This sequence runs a good three-and-a-half to four minutes. Cecil B. DeMille's opening title sequence for his three-and-a-half hour version of The Ten Commandments was also quite long, listing what seemed to be (but was probably not) every single member of the enormous cast.
The title sequences of virtually all roadshow musicals made from the late 1950's through about 1971 would sometimes be rather lengthy, and would be accompanied by a potpourri of the film's songs. However, West Side Story had an unusual variation on this. The film opened with a sketched skyline of New York City which changed colors, backed by a medley of some of the songs, but no credits. After about three minutes, the camera pulled back slowly, and the film's title was seen on the bottom of the screen. The rest of the credits were shown as graffiti at the end of the film.
The last lengthy title sequence in a musical (so far) was the one seen in the 1971 film version of Fiddler On The Roof. It occurs after Tradition, the pre-credits opening number, and lasts nearly a full five minutes. A fiddler is shown playing on the rooftop of Tevye's house, while Isaac Stern is heard on the soundtrack in a violin medley of instrumental music from the show, and the credits appear onscreen next to the fiddler. Because of the unusual length of the film's title sequence, many of the credits appear individually, rather than being grouped together as in other films.
Title sequences using modern graphic design began appearing in Hollywood films of the 50's and 60's, created by designers such as Saul Bass and Maurice Binder.
George Lucas was fined by the Directors Guild of America for refusing to have a standard title sequence in his Star Wars films. After paying the fine, Lucas quit the Guild. By the 1990s, however, it was not uncommon for motion pictures to no longer have opening credits sequences.