Concept and creative process
Opening titles for a classic comedy series about the inmates and wardens of HM Prison Slade, starring Ronnie Barker and Richard Beckinsale. The title sequence was composed of live action production shots of the imprisonment of the convicted petty criminal, which included graphic close-up shots of the main prison door slamming shut and gates being unlocked and re-locked, ending finally with the cell door, the inmate’s future home. This was used as backgrounds for the star’s credit, the programme title and the writers’ credits.
The sequence successfully created the atmosphere of being excluded from society and the bleak prospect ahead for the prisoner who is never visible in the shots.