Saul Bass and his work with title sequences

Saul Bass and his work with title sequences-

I chose to research into Saul Bass because I wanted to see the design that his title sequences incorporated and wanted to see if I could incorporate his designs into my groups title sequence. Even though some of his title sequences aren't the same genre as mine, I wanted to add some elements of his title sequence into my groups.

Saul Bass was an American graphic designer who was born on May 8 in 1920 and died on April 25 in 1996. He was best known for his design of title sequences and film posters. During his 40 year career he worked for some of Hollywood's most famous filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick who did the title sequence for The Shining. One of his most famous title sequences was The Man with the Golden Arm which was a American drama film that was based on the novel by Nelson Algren. Bass designed some of the most iconic corporate logos in North America which included the Bell System logo in 1969. He also designed the Continental Airlines' 1968 jet stream logo and it became one of the most recognized airline logos during this era. When working with Alfred Hitchcock, Bass provided him with effective and memorable title sequences. This work made Bass a revered graphic designer. Bass described his main goal for title sequences was to 'try to reach for a simple, visual phrase that tells you what the picture is all about and evokes the essence of the story.' Bass also described that another thing that influenced his title sequences was the goal of getting the audience to see familiar parts of their world in an unfamiliar way. Bass designed title sequences for more than 40 years and had diverse film making techniques. He also did live action opening title sequences which were often prologues to their films and then transitioned smoothly into the opening scene of the film.

Towards the end of Bass' career, he was rediscovered by Martin Scorsese and James L. Brooks. With Scorsese, Bass created title sequences for Goodfellas (1990), Cape Fear (1991)and Casino (1995) which was his last title sequence. He then worked with Scorsese again in his career and this work saw him move away from the techniques that he had created and he moved into the use of computerized affects. His new title sequences featured new and innovative methods of production and graphic design. Most modern title sequences that introduce the mood or theme of a film can be seen as a tribute to Saul Bass' innovative work. many title sequences that have a setting during the 1960s have used Bass' graphic style of his animated sequences from that era. Some examples of films that adapt bass' techniques are Catch Me If You Can (2002) and X-Men: First Class (2011).