Logo prep - Graphics in Title Sequences

Hello gentlemen,


UPDATE:  Due this FRIDAY-

• storyboard
• script
• concept
• treatment
• callsheets (with suggestions for location / talent)

Original post-
A name you're going to need to know is Saul Bass.  This man was an incredibly gifted designer of opening sequences, and in his day was a pioneer for the craft.  He was a big part of making the purpose and importance of opening & title sequences in films into what it is today.

The Art of the Title has a fantastic entry on his style and contribution.

In and of themselves, logos go deeper than that - remember we said in class that they are a symbol for a given company! - thus unifying an audience's concept of a given company, and the types of stories and values we may expect to be produced from that company.  The graphical representation of that logo may be altered at times, to create a dramatic effect relevant to the movie that is about to play.  (i.e. our discussion of the WB logo and 'Batman Begins', etc)

In the Resources tab you'll find a lot of information on company logos and their histories.  If you'd like to do some further research, this Google search is a great starting point.

It's also important to remember that in today's film industry, the logo display is often thoughtfully integrated into the overall opening sequence and its accompanying credits.  All of it together becomes a unified whole used to position the audience and to symbolise the film's core concerns.

This was not always the case.  In this PDF, which will be our primary research source looking into the evolution of credit sequences, the author states:

"the primary purpose of film credits during [the 1930's - mid 50's] was to display the film’s title, recognize the director, establish the hierarchy of actors, and possibly acknowledge the crewmembers."

The introduction of sound into film began the idea that the titles could be used as a vehicle to transition viewers into a state of readiness to watch the film; this was the early stages of what we now call positioning the audience.

The author also examines the use of titles over a black screen, accompanied by still images or by a montage of moving images.  In one of his final sections he discusses the future of title credits.  Read all this while asking yourself the question of how you are going to use titles meaningfully in your Foundation Portfolio opening sequence.


- T. Marcus