The differences between independant and mainstream film openings

Because mainstream films have a significantly higher budget than the independent, they have more money and resources to be creative and take a stylistic approach with a film opening's design. This is important and seen in a lot of mainstream films so that they become more memorable, even if it's just from a visual perspective, regardless of the narrative. By contrast, independent films usually have very simplistic and more refined openings because of the lack of funding, and most likely mirror the simplicity within the narrative's structure.

An example of a mainstream film opening being very stylised can be seen in 'Goldeneye.' The Bond franchise is well known for it's opening credits, partly because they're very vibrant and unique but mostly because they use symbolism to give the audience a glimpse into the narrative, while also identifying the specific themes of that film. This helps to entice audiences because there are limitless ways to interperate the applications of symbolism within these sequences, with an example from this particular film being the gun coming out of the woman's mouth. This could suggest an element of betrayal, sexual innuendo, patriotism or even just that the main female character has a dangerous persona.









In comparison, an example of an independent film opening being refined and simple can be seen in the film 'Memento.' A majority of this sequence is just one shot of a man holding a picture, linking back to the simplistic aspect of independent films. Also, a lot of the cast and crew are relatively unknown in the film industry, appealing more to a niche audience. This simplicity focusing on the picture implies it has contributions to the narrative or possibly sentimental value towards the character who's holding it. Despite this films independence, it does reveal itself as gradually moving backwards in time, setting up the rest of the film's narrative as a flashback.



To conclude, independent and mainstream film openings are very contrasting, in regards to complexity and visual detail on screen. This contrast in style is also reflected in the rest of the films, making independents rely more heavily on dialogue to carry the film and still make it distinctive, while on the other hand a stereotype has now surrounded mainstream films just being a montage of action sequences. Because we are a mainstream company, we can use this information of how the two types are differentiated and show that we recognise that contrast within our opening as well as the production logos.