My research on Saul Bass

Saul Bass (1920-1996) is a well-known graphic designer of the mid 20th century. He had created over 50 title sequences for Preminger, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, John Frankenheimer and Martin Scorsese.

I have researched three of Saul Bass's title sequences in depth and included my analysis:

1) North by Northwest



In this title sequence, it is fast paced and everything moves constantly. There are loads of people walking quickly in order to get to where they ought to be. It is set in a busy place, possibly during rush hour where everyone has to go work or go home. At the beginning, the title appears quite quickly onto the screen from the top and from the bottom, in different directions which represents the title sequence as being very fast-paced. The music is fast and changes with the titles. As it appears, it disappears with the same pace it came on with. I like the end of the sequence where the viewers see a bus driving off even though there was a man who arrived at the bus stop just in time to catch it but was unfortunate enough to miss it. The door closes and the bus moves off whilst the man is disappointed. There isn't much communication between the people as they are busy rushing to get to their destinations. Despite the number of people in the area, no one cares about anyone else apart from themselves getting to their preferred place.
In my opinion, I don't really like North by Northwest title sequence as I find it rather boring. The music stays the same all throughout the title sequence and not a lot happens during it apart people hurrying. An atmosphere of tension is created.

2) Psycho



The Psycho title sequence immediately builds suspense as soon as it begins. The music is fast which also helps to create tension and suspense. Throughout the sequence, a black background is used which gives the audience an atmosphere and a feeling of dark, evil and mysterious. By the music and background, the audience already know that this title sequence is based on darkness and that something mysterious is going to happen. I like the fact that the titles appear on the screen in pieces as if the words have been put together like a jigsaw puzzle and the words join up so the audience can read the title clearly. This gives the audience a sense of confusion where they can read the title once it has been pieced together. Some titles are 'moving' which gives a feeling of uneasiness. The words are kept in the dark which makes the audience wonder about what it is going to say but eventually can be read as it is in white, contrary to the black background. At the end of the title sequence, a black and white picture appears. This is possibly where the film is going to be set. There are no pictures throughout it until the very end where we see it vagely which makes me wonder where it is and why was it shown. This is one of my favourite title sequences by Saul Bass, it is very inspiring.

3) Vertigo



This title sequence begins with a close up shot of a woman's face in dark background, with the emphasis of her eye moving slowly from side to side looking worried and nervous. After that, the the titles appear. After watching this, it is clear that the theme of this film is going to be based on an eye. The sequence begins with shots of the eye where it moves from side to side, looking anxious about what might be happening around them. This beginning gives the audience sense that something dramatic is going to occur, making them feel tense about what could occur later on in the film. The eye widening gives the audience a clear message that something shocking is going to occur at some moment in the film. The various shapes that are included during the rest of the title sequence are all based around the shape of an eye. Saul Bass has used various shapes which are strange and a bit mysterious.

These are some other opening sequences that I have looked at produced by Saul Bass:

4) The Human Factor



5) It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world



6) Ocean's Eleven



7) Spartacus