I have a short film I have written and plan to shoot within the next 6 months. There is particular goal for this film such as a film festival.

In the script there is one short scene at the start. This cuts into a title screen which is meant to be a simple black screen with white writing. This lasts a few seconds before continuing with the story.

I have two questions:

1. I assume with a film of this type, it would suffice to simply have the film's title and not a 'by insert name here' line.

2. How would I go about making a authentic looking title screen? Bearing in mind it is to be shot in colour 16mm. I have knocked up a few quickies on photoshop but they never look like anything but something produced on a computer. Which I do not want.

How would you go about making a simple title screen like this for 16mm film?

Thanks :D

White lettering on a black card, and shoot it with the camera?

Get some black poster board, and white peel & stick lettering, mount it on a wall, light it, shoot it.

You can get creative while keeping it simple and cheap, for example, if it's a school theme, you could do a blackboard and chalk title. Get it? What's the film about?

I always really liked the opening title sequence of "Almost Famous"... since the film is about a kid who gets a job writing for Rolling Stone, it just totally works that the opening credits are a close shot of his pencil writing out the names, erasing, etc.. it's brilliant, and looks really cool.

Check the credits in "Napolean Dynamite" too... very creative and no optical tricks needed. :)

Can someone give me an example of a 16mm camera? Is that able to get to your computer through firewire cord like an hv30/ xh a1?

Can someone give me an example of a 16mm camera? Is that able to get to your computer through firewire cord like an hv30/ xh a1?

No, 16mm cameras shoot film, not video.

Be careful with your exposure. If you are using a reflected meter (i.e if it is automatic/in the camera), the stark black and white of your subject will throw off your exposure unless you use a gray card (or an incident meter).