If you can read this, either the style sheet didn't load or you have an older browser that doesn't support style sheets. Try clearing your browser cache and refreshing the page.

(Den Of Geek) Interesting The lost art of the movie title sequence, and why they still matter   (denofgeek.com) divider line 80
More: Interesting, title sequences, David Cronenberg, David Fincher, Saul Bass, Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor, existenz, Dust Brothers  
•       •       •

7267 clicks; posted to Entertainment » on 20 Dec 2011 at 4:43 AM   |  Favorite    |   share:  Share on Twitter share via Email Share on Facebook   more»   |    Get this fabulous T-Shirt and impress the methane out of your friends! shirt it!



80 Comments   (+0 »)
   

First | « | 1 | 2 | » | Last | Show all
 
Nuclear Pancake
2011-12-20 02:58:32 AM
tl;dr
 
alienated
2011-12-20 03:29:08 AM
im mostly known for drunken snarky stuff or posting old usenet performance arts stuff, music links or drunkenly trying to take pics of cop cars that have the number 13 on them at fark parties, but. I do like this article, a lot.
It does not go as far as i would hope- but hey film majors- there is a great thesis base-
the title and sequencing of same.
imho- opening a film is an artform in itself.
you set the tone.,

just a thought-thanks , submitter- +1
 
moothemagiccow
2011-12-20 05:02:20 AM
I usually fast forward past credit sequences. Get to the story.
 
skodabunny
2011-12-20 05:56:06 AM
I like Soylent Green's opening - it doesn't have to be anything uber-flashy to be good.

I know it's only tangentially related but have any of you played the new version of Golden Eye on the Wii? The James Bond title sequence for that once you've played the first level is flippin' brilliant.
 
stoli n coke
2011-12-20 05:57:18 AM
Interesting piece, and I don't disagree with it.

Oddly enough, in the last 20 years, only 5 Best Picture Oscar winners even had opening title sequences, and 3 of those winners (Forrest Gump, English Patient, and Crash) arguably should not have won.

Credit where credit's due, though. Fincher's sequence for this one looks pretty badass. Like he's put away the Benjamin Button crap and gone back into Se7en territory.
 
dekko
2011-12-20 09:47:12 AM
I love a good title sequence -- it really sets up the tone for a film when done correctly. The Watchmen film has a number of problems, but the title sequence sets it up perfectly.
 
rcantley
2011-12-20 09:47:29 AM
FTA: His next, for the director's remake of Cape Fear, used typography, colour and imagery to extraordinary effect - it may, in fact, be one of the most disturbingly understated title sequences ever made.

Thus marking the first time in history anyone has described anything about Cape Fear as understated.
 
homarjr
2011-12-20 09:47:53 AM
The Watchmen.

/that is all
 
rhino33 [TotalFark]
2011-12-20 09:48:23 AM
the only opening sequence worth watching is the one from the aqua teen hunger force movie with the heavy metal candy.
 
Boxcutta
2011-12-20 09:55:15 AM
How is it a lost art? Some of the best title sequences are from relatively recent movies. Catch me if you can, Snatch, Lord of War, Watchmen, all excellent and unforgettable opens.
 
Apos [TotalFark]
2011-12-20 09:56:58 AM
The Alien title sequence was minimalism at its best.
 
Carth
2011-12-20 09:57:12 AM
Napoleon Dynamite and Watchmen stick out in my mind as movies with great title sequences.
 
Crewmannumber6
2011-12-20 10:03:09 AM
Se7en. The opening sequence was vital to the story and visually impressive. Same with Zodiac.

/Hey, wait, those are both David Fincher movies!
//Coincidence?
 
Crewmannumber6
2011-12-20 10:05:15 AM
Christopher Nolan films also to a great job of setting things up in the beginning too
 
Boxcutta
2011-12-20 10:11:45 AM
Crewmannumber6: Christopher Nolan films also to a great job of setting things up in the beginning too

BWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMM
 
T.rex
2011-12-20 10:18:05 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIlqatMQSgI
 
CarnySaur
2011-12-20 10:23:41 AM
Boxcutta: How is it a lost art? Some of the best title sequences are from relatively recent movies. Catch me if you can, Snatch, Lord of War, Watchmen, all excellent and unforgettable opens.

I didn't understand the "lost art" comment either. In addition to Watchmen, another Snyder film that had a great title sequence was the Dawn of the Dead remake.
 
GavinTheAlmighty
2011-12-20 10:28:51 AM
The Art of the Title Sequence (new window)

A friend of mine is an editor at this site. Some very neat title sequences.
 
Crewmannumber6
2011-12-20 10:30:47 AM
Boxcutta: Crewmannumber6: Christopher Nolan films also to a great job of setting things up in the beginning too

BWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMM

I don't know what that means
 
Fish in a Barrel
2011-12-20 10:30:59 AM
Aw fark that. Nine out of ten title sequences suck balls. There are notable exceptions that are very good, but they are exceptions. The rest of the time it's uninteresting crap like the Spiderman sequences. If I want to know who your best boy grip was, I can wait for the end credits.
 
schpanky
2011-12-20 10:31:35 AM
Speaking of Fincher, I think the Fight Club title sequence deserves some love too: Link (new window)

In other news, I think I just discovered an awesome site for movie title sequences.
 
schpanky
2011-12-20 10:38:21 AM
GavinTheAlmighty: The Art of the Title Sequence (new window)

A friend of mine is an editor at this site. Some very neat title sequences.

Thank your friend for me. I remember applying for work once at yu+co (new window), a company that creates a lot of the title sequences and end credits. Alas, I didn't get the job. The link has a lot of title sequence clips here too.
 
Mordo The Black
2011-12-20 10:43:15 AM
Personally, I'm a fan of the opening sequence to DePalma's The Untouchables. I remember that catching me in the theater and drawing me in, already fascinated with what I was seeing on screen.
 
MysticSavage
2011-12-20 10:43:57 AM
GavinTheAlmighty: The Art of the Title Sequence (new window)

A friend of mine is an editor at this site. Some very neat title sequences.

Now this is awesome...thanks a lot!
 
Tyrone Slothrop
2011-12-20 10:49:06 AM
Crewmannumber6: Se7en. The opening sequence was vital to the story and visually impressive. Same with Zodiac.

/Hey, wait, those are both David Fincher movies!
//Coincidence?

There's a series on Fincher's opening credits: Link (new window). Unfortunately it looks like they didn't finish it.
 
PanicMan
2011-12-20 10:54:20 AM
dekko: I love a good title sequence -- it really sets up the tone for a film when done correctly. The Watchmen film has a number of problems, but the title sequence sets it up perfectly.

Came here to say this.
 
laserhan
2011-12-20 10:59:30 AM
As bad as X-Men Origins: Wolverine was, the title sequences spanning multiple wars was stellar
 
airsupport
2011-12-20 11:05:02 AM
Relevant. (new window)
 
Mulchpuppy
2011-12-20 11:06:26 AM
The title sequence of "Star Trek: Generations" was better than the rest of the movie. Same could be argued for Burton's "Batman."

I'm also a huge fan of the end credit sequences in a lot of Pixar films. Wall-E's end credits in particular were just incredible to watch.
 
gunga galunga
2011-12-20 11:08:38 AM
Mulchpuppy: The title sequence of "Star Trek: Generations" was better than the rest of the movie. Same could be argued for Burton's "Batman."

I'm also a huge fan of the end credit sequences in a lot of Pixar films. Wall-E's end credits in particular were just incredible to watch.

Not Pixar, but I liked the end credit sequence for Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.
 
IrateShadow
2011-12-20 11:37:29 AM
Crewmannumber6: /Hey, wait, those are both David Fincher movies!
//Coincidence?

Not really. Fincher got his start as a director of music videos. It would make sense that he's good at short-form film without dialog. I imagine that he also enjoys the brief return to form.
 
nicoffeine
2011-12-20 11:47:54 AM
schpanky: Speaking of Fincher, I think the Fight Club title sequence deserves some love too: Link (new window)

In other news, I think I just discovered an awesome site for movie title sequences.

Very cool site, but missing Casino, of all things.
 
yves0010
2011-12-20 11:49:42 AM
I have always thought that the Bond movies opening titles were excellent. Always giving hints about the movie without spoiling a thing.
 
GungFu
2011-12-20 12:11:36 PM
Not really a title sequence composed of graphics and such, but one of the best intros to a movie is the one for The Warriors.

Just perfection.
 
gunga galunga
2011-12-20 12:12:17 PM
IrateShadow: Crewmannumber6: /Hey, wait, those are both David Fincher movies!
//Coincidence?

Not really. Fincher got his start as a director of music videos. It would make sense that he's good at short-form film without dialog. I imagine that he also enjoys the brief return to form.

Not showy like Se7en or Fight Club, but I really like the long, lonely walk Mark Zuckerberg takes across the Harvard campus after being dumped. The Trent Reznor score adds to the isolation.
 
ZMugg
2011-12-20 12:20:36 PM
4.bp.blogspot.com


My personal favorite.
 
Donnchadha [TotalFark]
2011-12-20 12:26:10 PM
The great ones are always the simple ones. A dark screen. An audience waiting in anticipation. Then, suddenly --

BA-DA-DAAAAA

www.annyas.com
 
gunga galunga
2011-12-20 12:30:02 PM
ZMugg: [4.bp.blogspot.com image 320x192]


My personal favorite.

A montage of planes farking was a perfect metaphor for a movie about about a general that starts World War III because he couldn't get it up.

/it was a short war
 
The Great Gazoo
2011-12-20 12:42:17 PM
I particularly like Zombieland's opening title sequence.
 
pute kisses like a man [TotalFark]
2011-12-20 12:51:31 PM
Apocalypse Now had the best title sequence in the history of film

none. they offered programs at the theater.

Second Best: Ingmar Bergman. Black background with white text, or red background with black text. Simple font. make it quick and get it over with. no one cares about the credits, the movie is the experience.

/ if you do anything else, you are making a TV show.
// liked the wire, true blood, and treme... of course, these are all still inferior to the two listed above.
 
MayoSlather
2011-12-20 01:12:05 PM
Mostly I'm annoyed by title sequences, especially in theaters. After sitting through 12 minutes of previews and then enduring 3-4 minutes of names I don't care about flashing on the screen it's a bit tiresome. I prefer the way it was done in the 60's. Just 20 seconds or so and start the film.

Prince of Darkness has one of the longest title sequences ever. 13-14 minutes I believe...it makes the beginning of the film disjointed and around 10 minutes in its flat out annoying.
 
Malcolm_Sex
2011-12-20 01:18:45 PM
I think the opening title scenes in the newer James Bond movies are one of the main reasons I remember them fondly.
 
Dwight_Yeast
2011-12-20 01:23:31 PM
MayoSlather: Mostly I'm annoyed by title sequences, especially in theaters. After sitting through 12 minutes of previews and then enduring 3-4 minutes of names I don't care about flashing on the screen it's a bit tiresome. I prefer the way it was done in the 60's. Just 20 seconds or so and start the film.

Early 60s or late 60s? In the early 60s, Hollywood movies still frequently had all the credits up front, so the title sequence lasted several minutes. And there were still some big-budget movies in the early 60s which featured a full, five-minute overture BEFORE the opening credits (though to be fair, movies that had an overture were shown without trailers or cartoons before them, as they were event features).
 
icatcher
2011-12-20 01:35:04 PM
IMHO the best opening sequence is for To Kill A Mockingbird.
 
Dwight_Yeast
2011-12-20 01:42:43 PM
Malcolm_Sex: I think the opening title scenes in the newer James Bond movies are one of the main reasons I remember them fondly.

Ever since they went to CGI, the Bond titles seem to be lacking something. Maurice Binder was a genius, and he often worked as long on the title sequences as the crew did on the rest of the film. In a couple of cases, he delivered the title sequence just in time for it to be attached to the print at the opening.
 
The Audacity Works
2011-12-20 02:16:28 PM
The new Mission Impossible shows scenes from the entire movie during the title sequence. It was maddening. I suggest closing your eyes until it's over.

Otherwise, it was a fun movie.
 
broncoitis
2011-12-20 02:33:57 PM
Raising Arizona
 
Bartleby the Scrivener
2011-12-20 03:23:34 PM
given the attention span of the average american, i think they should also bring back intermissions for these "talking pictures."
 
Snatch Bandergrip
2011-12-20 03:29:10 PM
The Audacity Works: The new Mission Impossible shows scenes from the entire movie during the title sequence. It was maddening. I suggest closing your eyes until it's over.

Otherwise, it was a fun movie.

Concurred. It was fun. Not great, but better than it should have been. I credit Brad Bird for that. A highly disposable story, but great action sequences. You are also correct about the title sequence giving the whole show away. Also,

live.drjays.comi2.listal.com
 
tbriggs
2011-12-20 03:30:57 PM
ZMugg: [4.bp.blogspot.com image 320x192]


My personal favorite.

Done on the cheap with stock footage - after the budget was mostly spent - yet will get laughs as long as humans fark.
 
Displayed 50 of 80 comments

First | « | 1 | 2 | » | Last | Show all

Redisplay/refresh comments

This thread is closed to new comments.

Continue Farking
Submit a Link »
From the Fark Shop:
More from the Fark Shop »