SLASHER GENRE: Titles

Order: 

Through my analysis of general film and genre film openings, I have found the general order of titles to be: 

1. Distribution company

2. Production companies

3. Director

4. Cast

5. Crew

6. Director again

In more detail: 

1. Distribution company- Conventionally the first title, it is usually structured as (distributor) presents...

2. Production companies- Depending on the budget and year of the film, the number of production companies differs. If it is one company it appears as a (producer) production, and if it is multiple it appears as (producer 1) in association with (producer 2) presents...

3. + 6. Director- It is conventional for the first and last appearing name to be the director's. This repetition highlights the important role of the director, and the two named appearances are worded differently. It normally appears as, a (director) film, a film by (director) or directed by (director) 

4. Cast- The cast names appear next and typically start with the most prominent role, to the least. If an actor is unknown or it is their first appearance, the title says introducing (actor), if they are known it says starring (actor), (actor), or (actor) as (role). If the actor is very well known and playing a supporting role, the title says with an appearance from (actor), or with (actor) and they are usually one of the final cast names to appear. 

5. Crew- The crew conventionally appear after the cast names, and highlight the most prominent roles, while the final credits detail the whole crew. These are typically the roles of; director of photography, editor, costume designer, and casting director. The roles are typically presented as costume design by (costume designer), and the name differs in font, font size, or case, to differentiate the role and the name. 

Colours: 

The colour most frequently used to denote horror or slasher was red. The colour red has connotations of danger, blood, and anger. This is seen in examples like Scream (1996) , Eden Lake (2008), and The Cabin In The Woods (2011). 

The colour white was used to connote good, innocence, purity, such as in Cherry Falls (2000). It was also used along with black to accompany red, like in Scream (1996). 

The final colour I saw used was blue. This colour denotes coldness, and is conventionally used to connote science-fiction or the supernatural. This is seen in Bride Of Chucky (1998). 

The background colour is usually dark, to set the tone for the dark atmosphere of the film, and sometimes to create contrast against a white title, and symbolise good vs. evil. 

Fonts: 

The font types varied based on the hybridity of the film and the other genres included along with horror/slasher. It also varied depending on the primary target audience. 

Cursive fonts were used when targeting a primarily female audience. This was also used to target both genders, like in Bride Of Chucky (1998). Examples of cursive are seen in Jennifer's Body (2009) and Heathers (1988). 

The use of a serif, or elongated font, was used in examples presented as serious, such as Eden Lake (2008), and The Cabin In The Woods (2011), which are marketed towards an older audience and tend to be classified as psychological thrillers, rather than slashers. 

A sans-serif or bubble font, was used to denote comedy. This is seen in the examples of Scream (1996), and Bride Of Chucky (1998), and are hybrid films, featuring a comedy element. 

The case of the fonts varies between sentence-case and uppercase. The sentence-case denotes a less serious film, and the uppercase denotes serious horror.