Opening credits, in a television program, motion picture or videogame, are shown at the beginning of a show and list the most important members of the production. They are usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or static pictures, or sometimes on top of action in the show. Some opening credits are built around animation or production number of some sort (such as the James Bond films). Opening credits usually mention the major actors, guest stars, producers and director, as opposed to closing credits which lists the entire production crew. In television, the opening credits may be preceded by a cold open, or teaser, that helps to set the stage for the episode. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A cold open (also referred to as a teaser) in a television program or movie is the technique of jumping directly into a story at the beginning or opening of the show, before the title sequence or opening credits are shown. ...

History

Up until the 1970s, closing credits for films usually listed only the major cast members or even simply just said "The End", requiring opening credits to contain more detail. For instance, the title sequence of the 1968 film Oliver! runs for about three-and-a-half minutes, and while not listing the complete cast, does list all of its technical credits at the beginning of the film. The only credit at film's end is a listing of most of the cast. This example of a title sequence, from long-running serial drama Another World, was seen from 1966 to 1981, making it one of the longest-running continuous title sequences on television. ... 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Oliver! is a 1968 musical film directed by Carol Reed and based on the stage musical Oliver!. Both the film and play are based on the famous Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. ...

The opening credits for the 1968 western Will Penny ran for a full seven minutes into the film. 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... Will Penny is a 1968 western film starring Charlton Heston as an aging cow hand who at the end of a long trail hires on to ride the boundary of a ranch over the winter. ...

The first sound film to begin without any opening credits, other than the display of the title and the credit "Color by Technicolor", was Walt Disney's Fantasia, released in 1940. The next film to begin with only a title credit was Orson Welles' Citizen Kane. This practice was extremely uncommon during that era. 1902 poster advertising Gaumonts sound films, depicting an optimistically vast auditorium A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. ... For the company founded by Disney, see The Walt Disney Company. ... Fantasia is a 1940 motion picture produced by Walt Disney. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ... George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American theater and film producer and director, and a theater, radio and film actor. ... Citizen Kane is a 1941 mystery/drama film released by RKO Pictures, the first feature film directed by Orson Welles. ...

Recent trends

In recent years, many major American motion pictures have done away with opening credits, with many films, such as Van Helsing, Batman Begins, and The Mummy Returns not even displaying the film title until the closing credits begin. George Lucas is credited (or blamed) with popularizing this with his Star Wars films which display only the film's title at the start. His decision to omit opening credits in his films Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977) and Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back led him to resign from the Directors Guild of America. However, Hollywood had been releasing films without opening credits for many years before Lucas came along, most notably Citizen Kane and The Godfather. Clint Eastwood has done away with opening credits (except for the title) in every film that he has directed since approximately 1982. In Europe, films without opening credits are also commonplace. For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... Van Helsing is a 2004 American action/horror film about vampire-hunter Gabriel Van Helsing, directed by Stephen Sommers. ... Batman Begins is a 2005 superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman. ... The Mummy Returns is a 2001 movie starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, and is directed by Stephen Sommers. ... George Walton Lucas, Jr. ... -1... This movie poster for Star Wars depicts many of the films important elements, such as Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, X-Wing and Y-Wing fighters Star Wars, retitled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in 1981 (see note at Title,) is the original (and in chronological... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Movie poster Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is the sequel to the first released Star Wars movie, and the second film released in the original trilogy. ... DGA Headquarters in Hollywood, California Directors Guild of America (DGA) is the labor union which represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry. ... ... Citizen Kane is a 1941 mystery/drama film released by RKO Pictures, the first feature film directed by Orson Welles. ... The Godfather is a 1972 crime film directed and co-written by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the novel of the same name authored by the screenplays co-writer Mario Puzo. ... Clint Eastwood (born Clinton Eastwood, Jr. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Movies With No Title
• Closing credits
• Title sequence
• Billing (film)

While many films omit any opening credits such as The Godfather, Star Wars, and The Lord of the Rings, a couple of notable films have gone so far as to not even include a title at the start of the film. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This example of a title sequence, from long-running serial drama Another World, was seen from 1966 to 1981, making it one of the longest-running continuous title sequences on television. ... Billing is a film term denoting the amount and order in which film credits information is presented in advertising and on the film itself. ...

External links

• Article: The Art of Retro Title Sequences
• Novelty Title Sequences in Classical Hollywood Cinema
• Original Doctor Who opening credits
• A collection of title sequences and interviews with designers