Research: Documentary on "Watching"

What Makes A Good Title Sequence?

Kyle Cooper (Born July 1962) is an American designer of motion picture title sequence.

Cooper went on to study graphic design under Paul Rand at Yale University, receiving his Master of Fine Arts from there in 1988. Early in his professional career, Cooper worked as a creative director at R/GA - an advertising agency with offices in New York and Los Angeles. During this period, Cooper created the title sequence for the 1995 American crime film Seven, a seminal work which received critical acclaim and inspired a number of younger designers.According to Cooper, at the time he made the title sequence for Seven, main title sequences were behind of what was happening in print, music videos and commercials. He wanted to create main titles that were raising the bar creatively.

Cooper is accredited as the man who has single handly revitilised the main title sequence as an art form. 

He thinks that a title sequence should be able to dubtales sequences seamlessly into the film, as it should help set an expectation and initially get you excited to watch the film. 

The film Se7en (1995),  which was known for its important design innovation, their typography was very important as the hanwritten font, reflected the guy who is the serial killer as keeping a journal, developing his own obtacle, scratching emotion into the screens, making it very jumpy to watch. The font is a tool, helping to tell the story, some say a clever pun, which the type also gives an impression of the film.

Some of Cooper's opinion on why he liked certain title sequences:

DEAD ZONE 

 

• The simple typography was very effective, created a sense of mysteriousness, which the music helped support also, creating an eerie atmosphere, reflecting the genre of the movie.
• The title sequence helped create an impression of the film, this may have been because he has an interest in film and graphic design, which created a source of another vocation.

To Kill A Mocking Bird

 

• Cooper said that in To Kill A Mocking Bird, the title sequence helped incapsulate the main characters obsession, which in his film, it is Scout who is presented as an obsession with the treaure box which we see the titles over a moving image. 
• The form of horizontal line, whch the tile doesn't go behind the round objects which are seen in newer film title sequence, this had great effect as it presented the contrast.
• The type was integrated rather tha being an after thought. 

 What is 'Story Based' main title sequence?

This is refered to the specific back story but can also be presented as a clear metaphor or poster like pun, do specifically with what the film is about.

You start with the idea and then back into the execution.

 Problems Studios May face after an audience test screening:

  

There might be a problem with the audience not understanding a particular scene,with the audience not notunderstanding a particular aspect and as a low or no budget, they may not be able to shoot another scene. 

2 1/2 minutes of th title sequence is Important because ...

It initially becomes another scene to help fill in missing gaps or information that got left out, in some sense a prologue. 

An example of an effective title sequence is Dawn of The Dead.Initially it helps advance the plot, sets up the plot and theme

Why does Cooper think titles are so important?

Can help movie, back story, put you where you need in head of the film, infiltrate graphic typographers so there's overlap convergence with typographers and designers tell stories moving to creation of content.