G321 - Independent vs Mainstream Film Openings

Mainstream films are films which are released widely amongst cinemas, sometimes even being shown on two screens in the same cinema. Mainstream films will have much larger audiences and therefore tend to have much more generic narratives.

Mainstream films will usually have much larger budgets than independent films and this is usually evident through equipment use, casting and special effects. This is evident from the film openings themselves as modern mainstream productions tend to have animated openings that give the audience an overview of the film's narrative, such as Casino Royale:

Independent films are films which are usually created for a more niche audience. They usually have much lower budgets than mainstream films and their narratives tend to be more diverse and specialist. Independent films will often be stylised in a way which reflects the films narrative and creators must overcome the restrictions placed upon the film's lower budget. The opening titles for an independent film are more likely to be a part of the first scene rather than a separate sequence, such as in Lost In Translation:

This research will help me when it comes to making my own film opening as it will allow me to determine what style of film opening to create. Due to being an independent institution, we do not have the funding required to create an animated opening and therefore will opt for a live-action style opening instead. Further to this, we will use the opening to reflect the film's diverse narrative as well as indicating the film's genre.