Saul Bass was a graphic designer as well as a film maker, however he is known more widely for his designs of title sequences. Throughout his 40 year career he worked with some of the best film makers in hollywood such as Stanley Kubrick. During this time he invented a new type of kinetic technology for Alfred hitchcock in order to create a memorable sequence for the well known film 'Psycho' and many others.
Before Saul Bass's in the 1950's, all title sequences were generally static and seperate from the movie, it was very common for the curtains to not be raised until the actual film was starting, this meant that title sequences were just projected onto the curtain.
''Try to reach for a simple, visual phrase that tells you what the picture is all about and evokes the essence of the story'' This is how Bass described one of his main aims when making title sequences, another thing he said he aimed to do was ''make the ordinary the extraordinary''.
One of my favourite title sequences by saul bass is 'Grand Prix' This is because i like the way he adds in the text as he links it in with the images, Eg. At the very start when the title appears it first seems to be in a black circle, however it then turns out to an exhaust pipe to the car which links into the film, i think this is an effective way to add in text rather than just placing it along the bottom.
He also uses alot of special effects and repeats images by duplicating them, this makes it aesthetically interesting for the viewer to watch.
It also gives detail of who produced it, the actors involved and then also mentions people who played a part in making it such as costume designers etc. This is something i will be doing when it comes to making my title sequence.
Other title sequences like Spring breakers, The man with the golden arm and the Seven year itch, designed by Saul Bass have all given me inspiration for how i would like to create my opening sequence.
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