Film Openings- Case Study: Saul Bass

 Iconic Title Sequences-  Saul Bass Case Study:

Who was He and Why was he Famous?

Saul Bass was an American graphic designer and Oscar-winning filmmaker from The Bronx, NYC. 

He was born the 8th of May, 1920, and died the 25th of April 1996 in L.A. age 75. His proliferous career lasted for about 40 years!

His iconic moving image title sequences are what he is most famous for, but he also did film posters, film advertisements and corporate logos. He worked for some of Hollywood’s most renowned filmmakers like Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Billy Wilder and Martin Scorsese. He started working in Hollywood in the 1940s designing print advertisements for films like Death of a Salesman or The Moon Is Blue.

Otto Preminger's The Man With The Golden Arm is the film that arguably made him well-known at the time; then, he continued designing title sequences for the rest 40 years of his career, designing title sequences for many famous films, such as Psycho.

He has gone down in history as one of the creates creators of title sequences, during a time where title sequences were still very important in the world of cinema and the moving image in general. Nowadays, title sequences have less importance than during Hollywood's Golden Age, arguably due to the over-saturation of the media and the film industry. However, a good title has an irreplaceable and unique way of anchoring a message to the film and setting the mood; that is why it is an important part of the opening of a film. Bass's philosophy for making excellent title sequence 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". The secret for his success was based on his meticulous technique and "making the ordinary extraordinary", which was another piece of his philosophy for creating title sequences. He focused on taking familiar details and playing with them until they appeared unfamiliar. 

10 of his Most Famous Works:

Of his many and famous title sequences, it could be argued that these are the top ten ones, in chronological order (source- https://www.indiewire.com/2012/04/10-of-saul-bass-greatest-title-sequences-252339/):

• “The Man With The Golden Arm” (1955)

• “Around The World In Eighty Days” (1956)

• “Vertigo” (1958)

• “Anatomy Of A Murder” (1959)

• “Ocean’s Eleven” (1960)

• “West Side Story” (1961)

• “Seconds” (1966)

• “That’s Entertainment, Part II” (1976)

• “The Age Of Innocence” (1993)

• “Casino” (1995)

Watching and Analysing the Film Opening to Casino:

Apart from watching the film titles of "The Man With The Golden Arm" and "Vertigo", I have decided to watch one of his latest pieces of work in the film "Casino". 

An effective film opening has to complete some requirements such as:

1. Establishing the tone, setting the stage
2. Easing the audience into the world of the film
3. Hooking the audience
4. Establishing the genre, themes and topics
5. Foreshadowing what is yet to come
6. Prepare us for the human landscape: the characters and their relationships
7. Communicating info about the title, cast and crew

This film opening is very effective because it connects the more traditional elements of film titles which only show the cast and crew with a scene that shocks the audience and inevitably hooks them.

First, the title sequence offers information about the production companies and the year the film is set in, which apart from giving technical information to the audience also sets the narrative frame, easing the audience into the film without even showing any image.

Then, there is a scene where, before the title sequence, we are introduced to an important character. Here, the setting is established, as well as many other small details. From the very beginning, the dolly shot that follows the character to his car establishes a sense of rapport between the audience and this character, we are following him. When the car blows up, it is a shock for the audience, who are inevitably hooked through the creation of several enigmas: "who is this man? who wanted to kill him? what kind of person is he for his enemies to want him dead? what dealings is he in? etc. A voiceover of a man speaking in the first person is recorded over the clip, which means that the character himself is using direct address to establish rapport with the audience. Through the use of costume and other elements of mise-en-scène, like the posh car, the audience is eased into the world of the film, and the drama genre, as well as some themes such as a possible mafia and wealth, are introduced. Moreover, this short clip introducing a character prepares the audience for the human landscape of the film.

During the actual title sequence, which comes afterwards, the information about the director, cast and crew is communicated to the audience. This is done with a backdrop of shapes and a neon colour palette that immediately sets the tone for a film about a casino, with the shiny and artificial atmosphere that surrounds it, the little lights and shapes that one can see everywhere and the almost fictional little world are captured incredibly well in this title sequence. This effectively eases the audience into the world of the film and further establishes the themes which are going to be featured. Furthermore, there is a connection with the first theme through the use of the motif of the fire and of the man, which appear at the beginning and end of the title sequence. This acts as a further hook to the audience and also as foreshadowing as if we look at the last 3 images (the last part of the title sequence), the man reappears falling through the casino and then into the fire, which ends up covering the screen. This could foreshadow not only the end of the man (which we have already seen) but the downfall of the casino itself. 

In conclusion, this film opening successfully addresses all 7 objectives of a film opening, which is why it is extremely successful and a great example to set as a goal when it comes to my own film opening production.