Title Sequence Coursework - Designer Analysis 1

Saul Bass

Saul Bass is an American motion-picture designer-director. He is known for his imaginative, animated titles, prologues, and epilogues. He became commonly known after creating the title sequence for Otto Preminger’s film, The Man with the Golden Arm (1955).

Bass was from the Bronx, New York. He graduated James Monroe High School and studied at the Art Students League and attended night classes with György Kepes at Brooklyn College. He began his time in Hollywood in the 1940s, designing print advertisements for films, such as: Champion (1949), Death of a Salesman (1951) and The Moon is Blue (1953). Bass then collaborated with Otto Preminger, who also directed The Moon is Blue. Preminger was impressed with Bass’s work and asked him to produce a title sequence. Bass was one of the first to realise the creative potential of the opening and closing credits to a movie and enhanced the experience of the audience and contributed to the mood and the theme of the movie.

Some of Saul Bass’s work:

• Psycho
• Goodfellas
• Cape Fear
• The Age of Innocence
• Casino

Saul Bass was best known for his use of simple, geometry shapes and their symbolism. His posters had an strange ability to capture the mood of a film with simple shapes and images. This was his preferred method as opposed to using pictures of the film star. Bass often hand drew the images to create a casual appearance.