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Saul Bass: Great cinema title sequences from Otto Preminger to Martin Scorsese

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Over five decades Saul Bass designed opening title sequences that were sometimes better than the movies they introduced. His ambition he once said was to “make beautiful things even if nobody cares.”
 

 
Bass started out as a graphic designer and was asked by film director Otto Preminger to put together a poster for his movie Carmen Jones. Preminger was so impressed by the result that he asked Bass to design the opening titles. So began his 40-year career in movies. Bass went on to work with Preminger again on The Man with the Golden Arm and Anatomy of a Murder, he also designed titles for Alfred Hitchcock (Vertigo, Psycho), and Martin Scorsese (Cape Fear, The Age of Innocence and Casino).
 

 
Additionally, Bass designed the logos for a whole range of corporations and products and even had time to direct the cult science fiction movie Phase IV. As a designer he set a standard for other to follow, which is evident from this hour-long selection of his title work from 1955-1995.
 

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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03.16.2015
02:47 pm
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‘Game of Thrones’ intro redone retro 60s-style
09.03.2014
11:28 am
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Milan Vuckovic reimagined the Game of Thrones title sequence and theme song as a 60s-era homage to famed movie title designer Saul Bass.

Someone in the YouTube comments asked Vuckovic if the static you hear during the song was done purposefully. Vuckovic said indeed, that it was done on purpose.

 
via World’s Best Ever

Posted by Tara McGinley
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09.03.2014
11:28 am
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James Bond movie posters in the style of Saul Bass
12.06.2013
06:53 pm
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A lot of concept art inspired by a specific artist completely fails to capture the spirit of their work, but I’ve been in love with Saul Bass’ aesthetic ever since I saw the opening credits for the 1963 Audrey Hepburn thriller, Charade, and these James Bond posters are dead-on. From the groovy color palette to the abstractions of geometry and scale, artist Alain Bossuyt really knows his Bass.

For reference, check out the video at the bottom for the opening credits of Charade.
 
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More after the jump…
 

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Posted by Amber Frost
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12.06.2013
06:53 pm
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Not quite ‘Phase IV’: Woman kept awake at night by ants ringing her doorbell
05.31.2013
09:13 am
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A 75-year-old woman from Offenburg in Germany, was kept awake at night by a colony of ants ringing her doorbell.

According to the Metro the woman became so fed-up with the nocturnal bell-ringing that she contacted the police, in the hope of catching the prankster.

After an investigation, local police discovered the culprit was a colony of “prank playing ants.”

They said the insects had built such a big home that the nest pressed the switching elements together, keeping the bell ringing.

In the end, officers removed the nest with a knife, allowing the lady to enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep for the first time in a while.

There was no news on the ants but we wouldn’t be surprised if they’re off playing pranks somewhere else.

It’s a small pity Saul Bass didn’t include such larks when he made Phase IV, his cult film about intelligent ants at war with humanity.
 

 
Via the Metro
 

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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05.31.2013
09:13 am
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Saul Bass poster design ideas for Stanley Kubrick’s ‘The Shining’
12.13.2012
02:26 pm
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Bobby Solomon of The Fox is Black posted a few rough sketches made by Saul Bass before he came up with the winner for Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining.

According to Solomon, “I’ve read online that Kubrick made Bass go through at least 300 versions of the poster until finally ending on the extremely alien looking version we now know.”

You can see larger images over at The Fox is Black website.
 
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Via Nerdcore

Posted by Tara McGinley
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12.13.2012
02:26 pm
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Saul Bass’s visionary sci-fi film ‘Phase IV’ for your viewing pleasure
06.19.2012
04:35 pm
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Saul Bass’s Phase lV is an underrated sci-fi film that has in recent years started to gain a richly deserved cult following. It was released on DVD in 2008 and has subsequently been discovered by fans of cinematic psychedelia. There are segments of Phase lV that are genuinely trippy and have influenced latter day head films like the newly released Beyond The Black Rainbow. Considered by some to be the greatest movie about killer insects ever made (a small but pesky genre), I would add that it is one of the most beautifully photographed films, of any genre, ever made.

Bass is famous for his iconic credit sequences in many of Hitchcock’s films, among others, and for his striking movie posters. Phase lV was his one and only directorial effort and died a quick death at the box office in 1974. But it is a film that, despite some amateurish elements, has a significant wow factor. Ken Middleham’s (The Hellstrom Chronicle) cinematography is absolutely stunning and there are moments in the film that are truly visionary.
 
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Here’s Phase lV in its entirety. I suggest to fully appreciate the film, you pick up the DVD. There are new copies selling for less than $5.

If you’re in the L.A. area, you should get your ass over to Cinefamily this Sunday (the 24th) to see a rare screening of a 35mm print of Phase lV. According to a reliable source, Cinefamily will have a surprise for the folks who attend the screening that will make the event an absolute must-see for film lovers and fans of Saul Bass. Trust me, it will be a historic night for movie freaks.
 

Posted by Marc Campbell
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06.19.2012
04:35 pm
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A montage of movie title sequences designed by Saul Bass: Genius in motion
11.13.2011
03:26 am
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Saul Bass was a genius. His title designs for films have influenced graphic artists and fontists for decades.

Ian Albinson put together this montage of Bass’s indelible creations for films that have become classics and a few that are primarily memorable for their title sequences.
 

Posted by Marc Campbell
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11.13.2011
03:26 am
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A Brief History of the Film Title Sequence

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Simple but highly effective graduation film made by Jurjen Versteeg, who explains the idea behind his project:

Designed as a possible title sequence for a fictitious documentary, this film shows a history of the title sequence in a nutshell. The sequence includes all the names of title designers who had a revolutionary impact on the history and evolution of the title sequence. The names of the title designers all refer to specific characteristics of the revolutionary titles that they designed.

This film refers to elements such as the cut and shifted characters of Saul Bass’ Psycho title, the colored circles of Maurice Binder’s design for Dr. No and the contemporary designs of Kyle Cooper and Danny Yount.

This title sequence refers to the following designers and their titles:
Georges Méliès - Un Voyage Dans La Lune, Saul Bass - Psycho, Maurice Binder - Dr. No, Stephen Frankfurt - To Kill A Mockingbird, Pablo Ferro - Dr. Strangelove, Richard Greenberg - Alien, Kyle Cooper - Seven, Danny Yount - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang / Sherlock Holmes.

 

 

Posted by Paul Gallagher
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09.08.2011
07:06 pm
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