SAUL BASS ON TITLES:
I thought i would start by looking at Saul Bass because i feel he is the true master of the opening sequence and credits. Firstly i looked at this documentary on Saul Bass, because it includes him speaking and explaining some of his own work.
At the start of this documentary, Saul Bass talks about how he started as a graphic designer, and during that time he made symbals for advertising campaigns for films. When he got the idea to make these symbols move, and tats he got into creating title sequences. "...and it was really as simple as that" .
He talks about how, before he's work started, the film's title sequence was something that was ignored and was just a way of saying who was involved in the film but no one realy watched it. He says they "...was really used for popcorn time" .Bass said that he wanted to change that, and use the title sequence to set the mood for the story.
Saul Bass makes all of his work, whether they are moving or still images, relate to the film. For example he says that when he created th symbol for 'the man with the golden arm' is jagged and distorted because the story is about drug addiction, and the jagged arm is representing the jarred and torn excistence of a drug addict.
After moving from still graphics to moving animation, Bass then moved on to live action, using real actors.
A mellow first few seconds, but that soon changes with a huge explosion which automatically getsthe viewer engaged in what they're watching. It makes the audience look at the screen and pay attention to whats going on. The fact the film hasnt even started and there has already been a car blowing up a possibly a person has died in the explosion, puts the viewer in the mind set that the rest of the film is going to be as hard-hitting and as disruptive as the first 20 seconds. Also the idea of a person dying is anchored by violin music and an image of a man floating around the flame engulfed background.
From the real life action the action covers the screen and then turns into a graphic, amimation type sequence. and from a flames, the background fades into a sort distorted version of the Las Vegas lights. i think this style of distorted lighting and making the viewer feel uneasy, is a type of metaphor for the people involved in the film, thy are gangsters, so they will make you feel uneasy and unsure.
The font is a plain white, 50's style. Each name comes up one at a time and not in groups. The overall feel of the title sequence is cool, calm but explosive and un-certain, all at the same time, which is how you would describe the typical gangsters personality and lifestyle.
In conclusion i think its a succesful opening sequence because it sums up the feel and mood of the gangster genre, its glamorous, dirty, slightly distirted and very cool and slea looking.
I thought i would start by looking at Saul Bass because i feel he is the true master of the opening sequence and credits. Firstly i looked at this documentary on Saul Bass, because it includes him speaking and explaining some of his own work.
At the start of this documentary, Saul Bass talks about how he started as a graphic designer, and during that time he made symbals for advertising campaigns for films. When he got the idea to make these symbols move, and tats he got into creating title sequences. "...and it was really as simple as that" .
He talks about how, before he's work started, the film's title sequence was something that was ignored and was just a way of saying who was involved in the film but no one realy watched it. He says they "...was really used for popcorn time" .Bass said that he wanted to change that, and use the title sequence to set the mood for the story.
Saul Bass makes all of his work, whether they are moving or still images, relate to the film. For example he says that when he created th symbol for 'the man with the golden arm' is jagged and distorted because the story is about drug addiction, and the jagged arm is representing the jarred and torn excistence of a drug addict.
After moving from still graphics to moving animation, Bass then moved on to live action, using real actors.
A mellow first few seconds, but that soon changes with a huge explosion which automatically getsthe viewer engaged in what they're watching. It makes the audience look at the screen and pay attention to whats going on. The fact the film hasnt even started and there has already been a car blowing up a possibly a person has died in the explosion, puts the viewer in the mind set that the rest of the film is going to be as hard-hitting and as disruptive as the first 20 seconds. Also the idea of a person dying is anchored by violin music and an image of a man floating around the flame engulfed background.
From the real life action the action covers the screen and then turns into a graphic, amimation type sequence. and from a flames, the background fades into a sort distorted version of the Las Vegas lights. i think this style of distorted lighting and making the viewer feel uneasy, is a type of metaphor for the people involved in the film, thy are gangsters, so they will make you feel uneasy and unsure.
The font is a plain white, 50's style. Each name comes up one at a time and not in groups. The overall feel of the title sequence is cool, calm but explosive and un-certain, all at the same time, which is how you would describe the typical gangsters personality and lifestyle.
In conclusion i think its a succesful opening sequence because it sums up the feel and mood of the gangster genre, its glamorous, dirty, slightly distirted and very cool and slea looking.
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