Film Trailers: TitlesTypography is an important part of any film trailer, used for credits and

captions they capture the audiences attention in order to inform them about the films positive reviews or informing us about the plot. Many stick to

conventions linked with the genre because the audience needs to understand straight away what genre of film they are being shown, these trends are used to connote feelings or emotion through letter design or colour connotations. 

The film title is in every trailer, usually at the end so that the audience are more likely to remember it. The font, colouring and back drop are also usually

a good clue as to the genre of the film. The genre is generally conveyed through different conventions of fonts, colours and effects. Here I have

researched into the lettering and looking and comparing different genres.

Horror

Here are two well known horror film titles, they both clearly follow the conventions of the horror genre as they both appear to use similar font type and colour pallet. The use of red on a black background implies danger, as red is has a connotation of blood, black also suggests death. Which is essentially what the film makers what to portray, to increase the dark tone of these titles, the font used makes the lettering seem like it has been smeared with blood which creates a sense of danger which entices the target audience who seek to be thrilled and freighted but left in suspense about the ending and plot twists.

Social Realism

These two titles vary completely, however most social realism films do show a lot of individuality so therefore that is typical for social realism films. Firstly Juno; this title shows the main protagonist which is different from all the other film titles, and immediately gives the audience an idea about the films characters and perhaps plot. The image, which includes the title, is hand drawn. This gives a creative and arty sense to the film which indie audiences will appreciate because they like something different from the mainstream blockbusters. The orange and blue colours of the title screen connote a youth appeal, the orange suggests the main protagonists characteristics are fiery and exciting. Whereas Submarine is shown to be more simplistic, the background image connotes calmness and suggests the setting for the film is near the seaside. The layout of the title is different from others as 3 letters are shown in 3 rows, this makes the title cover the middle third of the screen and as a result captures the audiences attention immediately.  

Action

These two title screens show similarities which are typical features of the action genre, The use of bold font is the first thing that stands out to an audience as the title fills the screen and immediately grabs the attentions of the audience. Both are placed in the middle of the screen to achieve the same effect; the colours vary The A-team being a metal gold which implies strength and power, whereas ANTMAN in a dark red which matched the main characters costume. Therefore the colour is promoting the films contence, whilst also suggesting danger and excitement. The Marvel logo is shown in small print above the title ANTMAN to promote brand awareness and suggest what to expect from the film because marvel is so well known and admired by many due to the international fanbase of superhero comics. The A team font has multiple bullet holes in which suggests action scenes of violence and possibly death.

DramaThe layout for this genre can vary however these examples are of recent drama films and share some similarities, both don't give too much away and keep to a simple but effective layout which matches the style of the film. The age of Adeline uses Photoshop to layer the female protagonist under the main title and through a light source to add a dramatic effect as she appears magical, like something of a dream ( which fits the tone of the film ). The font highlights the key words AGE and ADALINE as these words appear larger due to their importance in contrast to the connecting words of 'The' and 'of' which are smaller and italic. The Imitation Game uses a simple font and layout, the black and white contrast well and draws the audiences attention to the smaller title, however the spacing between letters also creates an effect as this spreads the title across the screen in order to become more eye catching. There are also faint circles around the individual letters to give the idea of a typewriter which is a key era element to the films plot and style therefore i think it is successful.

Overall...

Overall my research has highlighted general codes and conventions of any title screen regardless of genre, all use capital letters throughout the title as this signifies importance's and grabs the audiences attention as capitals are clear and easy to read quickly. Also a key feature to consider when creating my own title screen is the use of thirds and how the title is mostly in the center of the screen. The title  itself is also important and must be memorable to the audience so that they can generate hype through word of mouth and online, therefore short quick titles which link to the film in some way are often chosen.