Saul Bass was an American graphic designer and filmmaker, born in the 1920's New York and died in 1996. His wife who worked closely alongside Saul is Elaine Bass, she is an American title designer and filmmaker, who married to Saul in 1961 where they developed many projects together. Furthermore, becoming a renowned duo within the film industry.
Together, they worked on endless projects creating alluring and artistically inclined opening title sequences. Together they won awards, such as the 'Academy Award for Best Documentary' and the 'Lion of San Marco for Best Film about Adolescence'. These awards rapidly increased their status within the film industry, as the climbed the ladder of fame with their astonishingly crafted authentic opening title sequences.
During Saul's time working within the film industry, he got to work with some of the best filmmakers of all time including; Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Otto Preminger, Billy Wilder and Martin Scorsese.
I will be analysing the 1959 film North by Northwest, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and produced by the director himself. This film won multiple awards such as; the 'David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor', the 'Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay' and the 'Satellite Award for Best Classic DVD'.
Within the beginning of this opening title sequence, lines form to create the outline of a glass building later conveyed within the sequence. These straight and overlapping lines indicate themes of obstruction, linking to the genre of the film being partly action.
This green colour fades, showing the reflection of a busy highway through the glass building previously mentioned. The titles continue showing, the font is large, bold and in all capitals to amplify the daring nature exhibited throughout action films. The transition between these titles is a fast swipe up and down, the hasty swiping motion can also link to the genre of action and the speed seen within it. The colour of the text is an 'eggshell white' colour.
There's a chaotic and obscure nature embellished within the opening title sequence, possibly hinting at the narrative aspects of the film being turbulent creating an impression on audiences and setting the mood as early as possible. I think this works so well, as artistically the style is defined and profound and also helps communicate the overall themes of the film to audiences without giving too much away.
Having conducted my research, I found similar products within the same genre as 'North by Northwest' that conveyed the sense of genre within the initial opening scene. The film I found was 'Spectre' the 2015 spectacle directed by Sam Mendes and produced by five separate production companies including 'Sony Pictures' and 'Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer'.
The opening scene within this film exhibits large crowds of people walking, as James Bond played by Daniel Craig walks amongst them overhead. This theme of many people walking to convey the genre of action within film, has been established since the 1960's and continues to use this convention in modern-day society.
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