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Review: "For
Openers" from American Cinematheque:
The Legacy of the Credit Sequence
Open titles may be one of the few places in the
filmmaking art where commerce and creativity are in harmony, or at least where
commerce yields to creativity, merges with it. An open title sequence in a film
both immerses an audience in a film and promotes the above the line talent. And
if the end credit sequence is the sound of hundreds of paychecks being
written, then perhaps the open titles are the sound of contracts being
signed, and the highest hopes of the producers for success.
Film titles are among my favorite things in the creative
world, and they are the focus of my career in several ways. I love the
structure of music and graphics that lead into a (hopefully) meaningful story.
Open titles are not only a way to make one’s self look good, but also to
enhance the image of an entire film and the people in it. Open titles are the
first impression the audience receives, so they had better be the best they can
be.
The Open Title program held on April
12th and 13th by American
Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles was a special program
showcasing the art of opening credits in films, and over two nights
presented a broad array — or
at least, a healthy sampling —
of some of the most prominent and ingenious credit sequences ever
filmed.
Yes, I said filmed. Unfortunately, the
entire presentation was shown on a video projector, an unfortunate compromise
for an organization that has devoted itself to the art of movies. The good news
is that the video projector used on the first night was replaced on the second
night by a brighter, significantly sharper video projector. But still, the use
of video on a program as important at this one came as a considerable
disappointment. The best way to conduct the screening would have been to have
four projectionists working away in the booth, each team loading the opening
reel of each film on alternating projectors. It is not too hard to understand
the logistical reasons why this was not done, but showing beautiful graphics not
as they were created on their original medium seems like going to the Louvre to
see a Picasso or a Monet only to see copies inferior to the originals, and in
the wrong aspect ratio.
The venue also has it's
shortcomings. While it was said to have been in decline in recent years,
the
remodeling of the Egyptian (I once briefly worked there many years
ago, tearing tickets and greeting patrons) that took place in 1998 seems to have been a good
move. The courtyard entrance has been restored to it's original glory and
impressive scale, making just going there feel like an epic experience. The
lobby also remains deep and expansive. Unfortunately, all this space has come at
the price of the seating comfort of the patrons, an unfortunate tradeoff. The
seating rows, especially in the "stadium" portion of the seating
floor, are way too close together. In fact the entire theater feels too shallow
and less spacious than it used to be. Even with the proliferation of stadium
seating in many theaters around the country, sitting in any theater for two
hours today is still a far more coagulating and uncomfortable experience
than sitting at home, especially for those of us over six feet. The Egyptian's
seating is the worst. And the acoustics of the entire remodel
leave much to be desired, as well.
As for the program itself, presenters David
Peters and Ken Coupland certainly have researched and have a deep understanding
and appreciation of the material, but their overbearing verbal and written
presentation often verged into the pedantic, spoonfeeding the minutae of
aesthetics to the audience, rather than taking a broader historical and
technical perspective. Not that a historical perspective was not taken.
All of the screenings were sold out. The first
evening covered the period from the 1950's to the 1970's; and the next evening
consisted of two programs, the first a delightful panel discussion with some of
the industry's leading title designers, and the second portion was another
series of screenings from the 1960's to the present day, all on video.
The Pink Panther open credits got the most laughs with their ingenious
interplay between the Panther and the titles. Among the speakers was one of my
personal heroes, Pablo Ferro, whose open titles for "Bullitt" I
still consider among the cleanest and most conceptually pure open title
sequences ever designed. Lalo Schifrin, the film's composer, should have
shared the stage with him. The late Saul Bass was also a favorite influence cited
by all, although his animating bars and lines which first appeared in "The
Man with The Golden Arm" and later in "Psycho" seem less dramatic
today than they once did. Kyle Cooper is one of the new breed of title
designers, whose brilliantly unsettling and gritty titles for "Seven"
vaulted him to international recognition.
The proliferation of computer graphics —
most notably from programs such as After Effects (Adobe was a major sponsor of
the program ) — has made the field a paradise for graphic designers, and
brought about ever busier, image-intensive open title sequences in all kinds of
media. No one brought up the issue of some of the modern blockbusters that
dispense with open titles altogether. Sadly
neglected too was any discussion or specific appreciation of the music over the
open title sequences. It was as if open titles are only about graphics.
But how can one discuss the aesthetic pleasures of
music without automatically being pedantic? Such subjects, like the subject of
narcissism, are best left undiscussed and undissected. But hold
that thought.
It just so happens that titles are to a large degree the focus of narcissism
(and let's be fair, self-esteem) in the filmmaking world, a very hush-hush topic
to the wise. It’s a question that could well have been asked at the symposium,
or to which a website could be devoted, or a book. Or maybe even a tabloid news cover. Or maybe not.
Likewise, it is also perilous to analyze imagery to excess, as designers
Peters and Coupland have so aptly demonstrated. The image must serve the
meanings of the word, not the other way around. If words serve only the image, if image comes first before words, then words become only about
style, not about substance. Titles are only the frosting on the cake, but too
much of them might make you ill, especially talking about the
frosting.
And next time, please, do it on film.
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