Opening movie credits in the mid
-20th century saw a boost of creativity from graphic designer and filmmaker, Saul Bass.
“For the average audience, the credits tell them there’s only three
minutes left to eat popcorn. I take this ‘dead’ period and try to do
more than simply get rid of names that filmgoers aren’t interested in. I aim to set up the audience for what’s coming; make them expectant.”— Saul Bass
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| It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) Saul Bass/ United Artists |
Although Bass balked at the idea of there being distinctive Bass credits (He was there to enhance the film, not distract the audience by drawing attention to himself.), the "fingerprints" on his works cannot be denied.
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| West Side Story (1961) Saul Bass/ United Artists |
Today, on what would have been his 93rd birthday, Google has made a doodle for him using their own logo with Bass' stylings. They've made a series of Google doodles into
a video, paying tribute to Bass' varied opening credits sequences.
My favorite is the West Side Story one at 00:20-00:32 in the video.
So cool!
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