Best movie title graphics
Recently read the article on Kyle Cooper in Wired magazine about his work.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.06/cooper.html
I've always watched the opening credits in all movies and was wondering if there was a website dedicated to this art form.
Also, love to hear other good movie title graphics.
Just a few spring to my mind right now.
Batman: Not so much the typopgraphy but the tight camera shot of going through a cave/tunnel and finally pulling back to reveal as the Batman crest.
Cape Fear: type in a water-like effect
The Abyss: the letter *y* extends down into the deep water and then fills full screen.
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.06/cooper.html
I've always watched the opening credits in all movies and was wondering if there was a website dedicated to this art form.
Also, love to hear other good movie title graphics.
Just a few spring to my mind right now.
Batman: Not so much the typopgraphy but the tight camera shot of going through a cave/tunnel and finally pulling back to reveal as the Batman crest.
Cape Fear: type in a water-like effect
The Abyss: the letter *y* extends down into the deep water and then fills full screen.
Comments
Originally posted by pfflam
O movie that I thought was terrible for its manipulative violence and sensationalism but did have a great title sequence was the movie 'Seven'.
Yup, that was Kyle Cooper as mentioned in the article. He also did the first and second Spiderman movies.
Originally posted by Placebo
I love the Napoleon Dynamite intro credits, with the producer's and actor's names written on various dishes of food or mundane objects. Truly weird.
I was thinking the same thing
but those mod 60's credits, with animations bumping the credits here and there are my favorite. peter sellers movies seemed to have them all the time, and not just his movies with blake edwards.
ghostbusters was pretty groundbreaking (there weren't any!) they even had to pay the directors guild a fine because of the placement of the director's credit.
digital kitchen
Originally posted by Anders
Monthy Phythons Flying Circus
I'll second that one!
MI was okay, but noteworthy.
Austin Powers, just for fun!
Python rules, but I'd probably call Meaning of Life as one of the best openings... Crimson Permanent Insurance building with scaffolding that then starts sailing off as accounting pirates. Classic.
Animation during the titles can also be nice... the old Pink Panther films were great for this. Reckless People was strangely stylish. Matrix wasn't bad in this regard.
I'd also suggest that for end titles, one of the most interesting that leaps to mind are the Mummy, and to a degree, Mummy Returns. Both feature mock heiroglyphics that morph into names, and the river between text columns is always flowing and subtly detailed instead of stock. A visual and typographical treat.
Python, Airplane and some Mel Brooks films are reknowned for inventing fictional credits ( "Worst Boy: Adolf Hitler", etc ). Jackie Chan movies are always worth watching the credits for because of the inclusion of stunt bloopers.
Most imitated? Perhaps Star Wars scrolling plane of receding text.
IIRC there's a book about opening titles in film that seems to cite Lalo Schifrin as the dude to work with in this area... maybe he's done lots of scores, or the book was mainly about his titles... not sure.
Strange that no-one's mentioned him as really made the opening of a film something worthy in it's own right. I'll be going to the exhibition.
Originally posted by curiousuburb
Crimson Permanent Insurance building with scaffolding that then starts sailing off as accounting pirates. Classic.
Animation during the titles can also be nice... the old Pink Panther films were great for this. Reckless People was strangely stylish. Matrix wasn't bad in this regard.
Python, Airplane and some Mel Brooks films are reknowned for inventing fictional credits ( "Worst Boy: Adolf Hitler", etc ). Jackie Chan movies are always worth watching the credits for because of the inclusion of stunt bloopers.
i remember almost going out to the lobby during "meaning of life" to tell them they had the wrong film on the spool, then i caught a glimpse of eric idle and realized what was going on.
my problem with the out-take end credits is i never notice the credits (this happened with the opening credits of anchorman too)
which leads me to my two favorite credit directors.
woody allen - simple b&w over jazz music
clint eastwood - credits over (usually) an ariel or chopper shot of whatever city the movie takes place in.
i mean i always smile when i see them. like it's their little trademark or something.
Originally posted by His Dudeness
But anyone remember how they did "Panic Room"? How the letters seemed to reflect the color of the buildings and how the were floating in the middle of the streets?
I really liked Panic Room's. Particularily after being bombarded with Kyle Cooper/IF/Ritalin Nation wannabes that are/were around.
Originally posted by His Dudeness
I always did like the opening credits to Se7en, very well done.
My first thought also!