Length of Titles

On our trip to the BFI we were told that titles on a film typically last for 3-5 seconds. For our opening we have tried to ensure that all titles are 4 seconds long, however there are 2 exceptions. 

The title which reads 'Caspar Wright as Milo' is shown on screen for roughly 6 seconds, however we thought this would be a more suitable length of time than 4 seconds. This title is the only which is not left alone in the shot- unlike the others, there is something else happening within the shot the entire time. Also, the title is not placed in shot from the very beginning, and Elliott moves it into a position where it can be easily seen. This could distract the audience from the title as their attention may divert to what Elliott is doing, and therefore we decided to display this title for an extra 2 seconds.

The other title which strays away from the ideal 4 seconds is 'Kate Hide as Suzie' which is displayed for 3.5 seconds. This is still within the media convention of titles being between 3 and 5 seconds, but does not match with the others which are 4. The reasons behind this decision comes from the fact that the title is clear throughout the entire shot, and has very short words. The action happening within the shot is very quick, basic and wouldn't distract the audience from the title. It also broke the continuity to have this title displayed for any longer as the following shot shows Elliott lean over to use his laptop- had the title been on screen for 4 seconds, the time at which Elliott lent over would have looked unrealistic and broken the verisimilitude of this opening.

To ensure these titles were accepted by our audience, we made a feedback form which allowed for them to anonymously evaluate each individual title. Although some forms showed that these titles were too long and too short, the majority agreed that they were appropriate lengths of time.