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Using Movie Title Sequences Effectively
An opening title sequence can set the stage for mood, backstory, transition, character development and more
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Before and After Bass
To appreciate Bass’ contribution, consider typical, pre-Bass sequences.
In the beginning, the function of a film’s opening credits was quite simple: To list, literally, the makers of and contributors to a movie. Thematic links to the movie were achieved by a simple combination of score and typography itself—delicate script for a romance, bold sans serif for a crime picture, etc.
“Artsy” credits might be ripped away one by one by a hand, appear on an antique map or be blown away, but they were still distinct from the movie proper and remained relatively static. Early titles, really a holdover from theatrical playbills, functioned like a book’s title page: When they ended, the movie started.
Today, moviemakers are faced with a dizzying range of choices about sequence. (The breadth of services—concept, design, animation, compositing and live action and editorial services—offered by title design studios hints at the complexity of modern sequences.)
To illustrate the adaptability of a title sequence, consider the following extremes: A sequence can appear as extended, nearly standalone cartoon setting a tone for the movie (see Blake Edwards’ The Pink Panther, Stanley Kramer’s It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World and Spielberg’s Catch Me If You Can), or a film (particularly an action film) may start with a bang, in media res (i.e. mid-explosion) with the opening credits appearing well into the film.
With so many approaches and options, how do title pros first approach a sequence?
Lebeda and Yu make it clear that the best source for an effective sequence is found within the film itself, hence the importance of the title team spending a lot of quality time with the latest available film cut.
“It’s best to look to the film itself,” says Yu, whose company has created sequences for Zack Snyder’s 300 (2007), F. Gary Gray’s The Italian Job (2003), Rob Marshall’s Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) and Davis Guggenheim’s An Inconvenient Truth (2006). “We don’t just want to decorate some other people’s work. The sequence should be picture-driven.”
Of course, the sequence must not overpower a film in terms of production value, tone or style.
“If someone says the title sequence is the best part of the movie, that’s a failure,” says Lebeda, a veteran of many sequences, including memorable pieces for M. Night Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water (2006), Robert Schwentke’s Flightplan (2005) and Bill Condon’s Dreamgirls (2006).
The Fine Print
Of course, it would be too simple if credits were merely a decision between moviemaker and designer.
Enter lawyers with their thick contracts…
As far as film credits are considered, size does matter. The oft-heard professions of cast/crew equality goes out the window when it comes to billing size and, in some case, the duration of credit time on screen. (Yes, someone is watching; credits are physically measured to assure compliance.)
In the end, Lebeda acknowledges that dealing with the fine print of contracts can be a challenge, but “they really constrain you as much as you let them. They are simply part of the process.”
What is the best path to a strong, appropriate sequence and what advice does a title designer offer moviemakers?
Both Yu and Lebeda mention an ideal (but rare) production process, one in which the title designer is involved in a project from the start, a process that can take about 12 months. On 300, Yu worked with Snyder’s team from start to finish, as did Lebeda on Shyamalan’s Lady in the Water. But the more typical process is for the title designer to enter late in a project, with a production period of around 10 to 12 weeks.
So, with the realization that best-case scenarios are all too rare, the following title advice, culled from a conversation with Lebeda, is offered to both moviemakers and designers:
Get to the heart of a film. Designers need access to a lot of time with a cut of the film as early as possible. Remember that “what you need to know for the title sequence is already in the film,” says Lebeda.
Plan for the title sequence from the start. “Allow an appropriate amount of time to achieve the goal.”
Budget for the title sequence from the beginning. It’s less than ideal to need a sequence and have no money left for one.
The title sequence should be a partnership—with the film’s best interest in mind. “Don’t tell the title designers what you want. Help them discover what the movie needs.”
Trust yourself. Ask Lebeda’s key question, “Does the sequence best suit my movie and my movie only?” Rethink it if you cannot answer with an immediate and resounding “yes!”
Finally, for those moviemakers with limited means, one of Lebeda’s favorite sequences offers hope: The decidedly low-tech, over-the-top opening to Alex Cox’s Repo Man (1984). “Those titles that just scream at the top of their lungs and the loud punk rock… One of the greatest titles ever.”
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This story was published in the Summer 2007 MovieMaker Magazine. The headline was:
What's In A Title?
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