Art of the Title

The Inner Workings

Ben Radatz — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:00:01 +0000

While title sequences come in all shapes and sizes, it is of course inevitable that similar topics and themes will emerge from the pile. These don't necessarily have to be genre-specific and in fact, their ability to transcend film genres is part of the lasting appeal. Consider the Saul Bass school of graphic animation and the many genres that particular aesthetic has been applied to, from comedies and romances to thrillers and capers. The detail-oriented montage is another example, where the audience is introduced to themes in a film or information about its players through relevant close-up or overlapping imagery.

Whether by accident or due to a trend, these categories are born from ideas with universal appeal and are often broad in scope: graphic animation, nostalgic influence, situational type (in which the titles are integrated realistically into live-action footage), photomontage, and so on. Microscopic and inner worlds are also...

Read the full The Inner Workings article at Art of the Title.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Will Perkins — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:00:05 +0000

"When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness." —Alexis de Tocqueville

Adam Jensen is dying. The blinding lights of an operating theater melt away in a mechanical fever dream of pleading voices, surgical tools, and rent flesh. Memories of lost love flash between images of a broken and dissected form, while shattered limbs and failing organs – the embodiment of Jensen’s flawed humanity – are replaced with the cold perfection of carbon fiber and silicon. A body restored, a soul fractured – but what remains of the man? A corporate thrall bound to unseen masters or a transcendent being gifted with the power to change everything?

Echoing the central motif of Eidos-Montreal’s video game – the merging of the real and artificial – Goldtooth Creative’s stunning title sequence for Deus Ex: Human Revolution seamlessly blends both live-action and computer-generated imagery to introduce players to a world at the dawn of a cybernetic renaissance.

INTERVIEW

A discussion with Paul Furminger from Goldtooth Creative (director of the sequence) and Jean-François Dugas from Eidos-Montreal (Game Director on Deus Ex: Human Revolution).

Art of the Title: Could you tell us about the original concept for the title sequence and how it was developed?

Jean-François Dugas: It started with us at Eidos-Montreal. We knew we wanted a sequence that would tell the story of Adam Jensen’s life being saved on an operating table. The thing is, we didn’t want anything basic...

Read the full Deus Ex: Human Revolution article at Art of the Title.

Vertigo

Ben Radatz — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:00:58 +0000

“One final thing I have to do… and then I’ll be free of the past. “ —John ‘Scottie’ Ferguson There is a threshold in art and design where a work can become so iconic as to transcend its own scope and become a symbol for its medium. Consider Warhol’s soup cans or Mondrian’s color fields, [...]

Read the full Vertigo article at Art of the Title.

Rubicon

Will Perkins — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:34:54 +0000

"Not every conspiracy is a theory."

An unseen agent trails the truth, circling mysteries and raising questions with every paranoid swipe of the highlighter. Newspapers, bar codes, maps, documents, and photos – otherwise mundane minutiae is checked and rechecked for evidence, a pattern of some kind, or perhaps nothing at all. Every whir and click of the microfilm reader widens the web, as the line between conspiracy theorist and intelligence analyst is blurred in Imaginary Forces’ title sequence for AMC’s Rubicon.

INTERVIEW

A discussion with Creative Director Karin Fong of Imaginary Forces.

Art of the Title: How did you begin this project?

Karin Fong: The initial meeting was in Los Angeles with Rubicon’s EPs, Henry Bromell and Jason Horwitch. Then when they actually shot it, they finished shooting in New York. After the initial meeting, I met mostly with Henry. I'd go visit him in his office when they set up shop here, and then later we would meet at AMC.

...

Read the full Rubicon article at Art of the Title.

BUCK 65 “Superstars Don’t Love” Music Video

Lola Landekic — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 09:00:14 +0000

A steady beat of stadium claps sets the stage for Buck 65’s gravelly voice as he weaves a miscellaneous lyrical list in the first verse of his track, “Superstars Don’t Love.” Simultaneously, Travis Hopkins’ fictional title cards stream forward in a blitz of elegant homage. These 69 individually-crafted title cards salute films like 2001: A [...]

Read the full BUCK 65 “Superstars Don’t Love” Music Video article at Art of the Title.

Mystery Science Theater 3000

Jonathan Dube — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:30:31 +0000

"If you're wondering how he eats and breathes
and other science facts (la la la),
Then repeat to yourself, 'It's just a show,
I should really just relax
For Mystery Science Theater 3000!'"

Drawing on a fascination with home-made props and blending imagery from sources as diverse as Frank Zappa, the Mickey Mouse Club, and 2001: A Space Odyssey, Joel Hodgson and his team created a title sequence with its roots in UHF television broadcasting. Tom Servo, Crow, and the rest of the gang show their seams unabashedly, embracing the spirit of the movies so endearingly skewered aboard the Satellite of Love.

Read the full Mystery Science Theater 3000 article at Art of the Title.

Psycho

Ben Radatz — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:16:02 +0000

"I think I must have one of those faces you can't help believing." - Norman Bates It's safe to say that after half a century of critical writing about Psycho, there are few stones left unturned. The same can also be said of Bass' now infamous opening title sequence. Designed on a $21k budget, it [...]

Read the full Psycho article at Art of the Title.

Enter the Void

Art of the Title — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 09:00:07 +0000

"There'll come a time when all of us must leave here..." - George Harrison, The Art of Dying Like sighs from a scythe in a wheat field of psychosis, the opening title sequence for Gaspar Noé’s Enter the Void is a melting onslaught of typographic design foisted upon the senses. This unrelenting visual overdose hacks [...]

Read the full Enter the Void article at Art of the Title.

SXSW ’12 Title Sequence Submissions Deadline Tomorrow

Ian Albinson — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 20:37:38 +0000

Art of the Title is pleased to announce that Ian Albinson will be returning as a juror for the 2012 SXSW Film Design Awards. A SXSW Announcement As part of the SXSW Film Design Awards, the Excellence in Title Design Competition aims to discover the best in contemporary title sequence design. Eligibility for the Title [...]

Read the full SXSW ’12 Title Sequence Submissions Deadline Tomorrow article at Art of the Title.

The Title Design of Saul Bass (a brief visual history)

Ian Albinson — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 17:53:03 +0000

To celebrate the release of the long-awaited book Saul Bass: A Life In Film & Design, I put together a brief visual history of some of Saul Bass's most celebrated work. Saul Bass: A Life In Film & Design, by Jennifer Bass and Pat Kirkham, is available on Amazon. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) [...]

Read the full The Title Design of Saul Bass (a brief visual history) article at Art of the Title.