The Art Of Film Title Design Throughtout Cinema History

Titles in silent film –I chose this topic because I really like how it involves a technique which is rarely used in today’s film productions. I find it interesting how the titles would not present the narrative or genre through what they say or the typography used. The limit use of colour – black and white also meant the story, emotion and tone were unidentified. I find this interesting because when comparing these designs to modern ones it seems unbelievable that films attracted so many people; but I appreciate this technique was the first of its kind and would have been quite astonishing when the world didn’t have the constant access to films or the creation of coloured screens. I couldn’t imagine how I would feel about a film if the title sequence consisted of a black screen presenting white words, I don’t feel I would be interested because of the lack of knowledge I would have about the film. Modern title sequences are very important as it consists of the genre, themes, some character and personalities etc. and the typography represents so much detail and impact the film may have within itself E.g. Sharp, vivid edges to a letters would represent anger and violence compared to a curved letter which would show elegance and would set a calm mood.

I found the similarities of The Man With The Golden Arm and Monsters Inc titles sequence very interesting because they were created years apart, one in a classical time period and the other in the recent modern times but they both almost mirrored each other in there visual and audio contributions. I really like this idea because it shows how older designs are being used to inspire the title sequences of today. The use of geometric shapes are simple but effective and this is presented through both sequences. The similarities in the audio was shocking because they both present different genres and themes – The Man With The Golden Arm is an American drama which involves a heroin addict and Monsters Inc a fantasy, adventure film created for young children and families, it is fun filled and humorous.

Another part of the movement in film studies included a breakthrough in which typography interacted with metaphorical imagery to create its own world; the designers of this technique included Saul Bass and Pablo   Ferro. I really like this milestone in the film industry because it not only made me appreciate the design of film titles and the imagination needed to create such dynamic imagery, but it also made me feel as if it is more of an art form because it needs creativity and enthusiasm to present these moving images to an audience in which they had to understand the detail and ideas behind the directors/designers intentions. I also appreciated the creations because of limited technology back then compared to the hi- tech tools we have today; I really found it interesting learning that the designer Maurice Binder worked on the 007 gun- barrel sequence which has now become an iconic aspect to the agent and has been seen by millions. – This shows how the simple design is so effective.

I really enjoyed the power of minimalism because in today’s film industry title sequences often involve many imageries and a dramatic typography which is effective but often not simple. It was interesting to see the simple title sequences such as ‘Alien’ (1979) because I found it truly expressive even though it had little detail. I really like the typography used because it creates and enigma to its audience because we want to know why it is presented with that appearance. The limited colour also creates an effective idea because the black and white form conflict between each other which could foreshadow the conflict in the film.

 

Overall I really enjoyed learning about the developments in the film industry because each one I have previously mentioned has created such a large impact on how title sequences are created today; they include all the movements such as typography – which was a huge leap in title sequences because the typography used back then still inspires modern designs. I find it truly amazing to see how quickly the film industry has developed and wonder how much more the industry will move on.