A title sequence is the method by which films or television programs present their title and key production and cast members, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound. It helps establish the setting, theme and tone of the program. It may include still images, live action, graphics, animation or music.
SAUL BASS
Saul Bass is a very well-known American graphic designer and he inspired other filmmakers and title sequence designers to be really creative and experimental with their title sequence. He showed the audience as well as filmmakers that the title sequence of a movie doesn’t have to be plain letters that gives credit, but also a tool to intrigue the audience and help establish tone and create enigmas.
Elaine Makatura and Saul Bass worked together as a team and their ideas complemented each other.
Saul Bass’s trade mark is designing avant-garde title sequences and meaningful, symbolic posters. He used bold visuals, playing with fonts and animation as well as music to foreshadow and provide hints within the narrative to captivate viewers.
“It has been said that once you see the title sequence to a film that Saul Bass has done, you can walk out of the theatre because you know exactly what the film's about: he has shown you the entire thing in the first minute or so.”
-Bass believed that the audience’s involvement and interaction with the film should begin at the very beginning, starting with the first frame. He believed that title sequences were responsible for setting the mental and emotional tone for the narrative plot. “Bass knew how to leverage simplicity---primary colors, basic shapes, playful animations---to create what was ultimately perceived as complex emotions. Less wasn’t more, necessarily. But in Bass's hands, it was always just right.”—Don Saladino
Although he is best known for working on thrillers and thriller crimes, he actually preferred to work on comedies.
During his 40-year career, Bass worked for some of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers, including Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Otto Preminger. He became well-known in the film industry after creating the title sequence for Otto Preminger's The man with the golden arm in 1955. As for Alfred Hitchcock, Bass designed memorable title sequences, inventing a new type of typography, for North by NorthWest, Vertigo and Pyscho
-He also designed logos for businesses such as the Continental Airlines’ 1968 “jetstream” logo and United Airlines’ 1974 “tulip” logo. I put together a montage of Bass & Makatura's works & those they worked with
The title sequence of 'Catch me if you can' was heavily influenced by Saul Bass’s style;
the color and the aesthetics of the animation pays tribute to Saul Bass.
Another great example of a meaningful title sequence is in 'The Game of Thrones', its title
sequences are probably some of the least-skipped in TV history. Because there’s an
actual reason for the viewer to watch them which is more than just setting the atmosphere and tone of the program, it includes foreshadowing about the narrative; it adapts depending on the setting and locations in which the episode is set. image from https://www.sbs.com.au/guide/article/2017/03/09/8-things-we-learnt-about-season-7-game-thrones-incredible-new-poster
The title sequence of the new TV animation show 'Arcane' has very symbolic title sequence as well, the use of statue-like figures creates a very majestic and holy feeling and the color coding is significant: Blue Vs Pink foreshadows the conflict between Vi and Jinx as the colors are established to represent them through their hair color.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/102496439/LEAGUE-OF-LEGENDS-ARCANE-Main-titles-pitch
Se7en
An opening is the beginning of a movie---when the action within the narrative begins, in Se7en, we first see the opening and then we are presented with the title sequence. The opening of the movie doesn’t present the credits of productions, studios, director or the cast. Hence, important to understand the differences between a film opening and a title sequence.
The title sequence of 'Se7en' is directed by Kyle Cooper, it's told in fragments and vignettes. The title sequence uses a variety of insert shots; the hands of an unknown, mysterious man – presumably the antagonist, John Doe. The hands creating montages of news and people as well as their related sins with the assistance of clippings from books, photographs, and found images and objects. This offers an insight to the insidious mind of a serial killer obsessed with religion and views himself as a God on Earth.
The typography itself was hand-etched into black-surface scratchboard and then using special effects to create a smeared feeling. This was then cut up and reconstructed during post production to add a final feeling of chaos. This creates a very creepy feeling as the letters are composed with more straight lines and less smooth curves. Straight lines create a sense of harshness and danger because the edges are pointy and knives, spikes or glass are all pointy and they can e used the hurt a person. This sets the tense and dangerous mood of the film.
The music evokes an eerie feeling highlighting the psychological thriller genre. The amplified screams imply a sense of danger and insecurity, generating the idea of helplessness, additionally giving it a thrilling feeling. This is due to the fact that in a dangerous or scary situation, a person's subconscious first action is to cry out or scream. This is a form of emotion expression. There were also sounds of codes and typing machine typing, also razors and cutters and biconnected radio sounds or the muffling sounds of TV. This feeling of distortion is very affected as it again echoes the unbalanced mood and actions of the serial killer and how his thoughts are all distorted. The sounds of razors and cutters generates a very uncomfortable sound and causes the audience to have goose bumps because right away we recognize the symbolic code of this sound, we know it is used to remove things and they are also sharp and can be used as a weapon to torture people. Which foreshadows the crime scenes that reflect serious torturing of the victim and how painful it must have been.
-Insert shots of different objects suggest that those objects are a focal point in both the external torture and emotional turmoil victims will experience, showing how this is going to be used to manipulate the different characters. Pictures of surgery, proves people in this film are going to have an association with psychological disorders, linking in with the genre of the film being a psychological thriller. Insert shot of hands is used to give a sense of anonymity this is so that the psychological aspect of the plot can become prominent, as it involves having the sinister and mysterious feeling of not knowing who is committing these villainous acts. Pictures seem blurred so things aren't what they are perceived to be, highlighting various ideas of deception - things aren’t what they seem.
-Editing pace starts slow to highlight the equilibrium similar to Todorov's Narrative Theory, but as it progresses, building up to the tension and the rising action within the title sequence, the psychological aspects become more prominent as the editing speeds up. However, ever so often it slows down to emphasise the central points within the film. The filter in the camera is 'sepia' which is made up of grimy and dirty browns, this makes the audience feel nauseous and uneasy, once again highlighting the psychological thriller genre, through the creation of the thrilling feeling. The glitch also makes it seem unstable, therefore harder to control which reflects the killer’s unstable mind and behaviors, how it is difficult to control and capture. The flash makes it seem chaotic and also symbolizes the internal mindset of the killer. The flash also creates an extremely rapid transition to a different position, or change in size highlighting that the Killer’s motion is unexpectable.
Moreover:
-Each shot is very short on average (1.16 seconds) therefore making it hard for the audience to analyze the mise-en-scène, stimulating curiosity and enigma whilst accentuating the unpredictable nature of the murderer.
-The fact that there are many elements presented simultaneously creating a chaotic feeling and a book containing a vast amount of information illustrates the rationality within the chaos and turmoil. Which warns the audience that everything the killer does is intentional and is planned out, although it may seem out of control...
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