3 OTHER AWESOME SOURCES OF INSPIRATION: Credit sequences!

Credit sequences serve as a way to credit all the great minds that have contributed to a production which include, director, cinematographer, starring actors, editors, writers, and a lot more! To better understand how different films approach opening credits, I was tasked to watch and analyze/discuss about some in a chosen genre, that being Western!

                                      CREDIT SEQUENCE 1: A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS

A Fistful of Dollar's credit sequence took a different approach as animation is used throughout! This is pretty unique in credit openers, especially in the sphere of live action as mostly only animation movies do this. In the beginning of the sequence, multiple animations of cowboys riding horses are shown, followed by animations of them being shot, with the main color palette being a really cool red and black. This use of animation provides a way to entertain and engage audiences before the movie even starts! The way the credits are shown is also creatively done, as immediately following a gunshot sound effect, a person's name is shown on screen. 

CREDIT SEQUENCE 2: DAY OF ANGER

The credit sequence of  Day of Anger also utilizes animation, images, as well as colored camera footage. A lot of these images mainly focus on two certain characters which are most likely going to be the ones that the production's story revolves around, already giving us some introduction to them before the opener. As with the coloration, instead of sticking to just one of two colors like the film above, this credit opener switches from green all the way to purple!

A little thing I would like to mention before moving on to the next film: While looking into these credit sequences, I have come to notice that spaghetti westerns (western films created in Italy) usually use animation and rotoscoping technology, which is a tool used to turn live action footage into an animation by tracing over it, in their credit openers! This is probably not the case for classic American Western films, however, as the next film I'm going to discuss (which is an American western) does not include anything that the last two credit openers used.

CREDIT SEQUENCE 3: 3:10 TO YUMA (1957)

This last credit sequence is a lot more different then the previous two I've talked about. Instead of incorporating animation and coloration in its opening titles, 3:10 to Yuma (1957), an American Western film, used black and white camera footage mainly showcasing a dry and arid land with a horse carriage riding through it. A singular shot of the setting is shown panning up towards the sky, not providing much entertainment but already giving us an idea about the film's setting! Another aspect I would like to mention is the font used here, which is bold and classic looking, giving us this old-timey feel while it can also hint at the time period of the film as well. This show of setting successfully establishes a western feel with the desolate area before the movie even begins.

The main thing I learned from researching these credit openers is that spaghetti westerns take on a much more different and unique approach to their credit sequences, often incorporating coloration, animation, and rotoscoping, while American westerns often utilize camera footage and old timey fonts to establish time and especially setting! It was great learning more about the western genre, and I'm definitely looking forward to further research!

REFERENCES:

The Spaghetti Western Data Base. (2023). The best Spaghetti Western opening credits sequences - The Spaghetti Western Database. Spaghetti-Western.net. https://www.spaghetti-western.net/index.php/The_best_Spaghetti_Western_opening_credits_sequences