Saul Bass Essay
As a designer Saul Bass set a new standard for graphics in the film industry. Through his career he participated in many areas of motion graphics and film making, however he was known best for two things. Movie titles and posters because something new and magical because of him. He reinvented the main title in movie sequences and his unique style made his movie posters became one of the most recognizable in the industry. His new approach for both of theses were what created his legacy.
The modern and clean style that Saul Bass brought to movie posters was unlike anything that was being done in the movie industry at the time. Before Saul bass movie posters looked the same as a average news paper ad and lacked clarity. He designed His first movie poster in 1954 for Otto Premingers, Carmen Jones. His distinctive style included bright solid backgrounds overlaid with a illustration and large type. Some of his most famous posters include Vertigo, The Man with a Golden Arm, and The Anatomy of …show more content…
Murder. The bright orange and red background draw the eye in, and his simple hand rendered type style allow the view to easily gather information for the movie. Anatomy of murder poster by Saul bass (Art of the Title)
He would find a symbol that represented the movie and take it down to the most basic layers, he had a very distinct style when creating the posters for movies. “Like the polish artist, he sought a single, iconic image to summarize a film, rather than relying on stars’ portraits or scenes” (The Art of the Movie Poster) These awkward yet simple shapes are often referred to as the cut paper style. His ability to carry this style in to the move sequences that his did are a also a big contribution to his fame in the film and design industry.
Saul Bass was involved in many areas of filmmaking throughout his career.
He took on the role of director, producer and even helped with the storyboarding process. “During his 40-year career Bass worked for some of Hollywood’s greatest filmmakers, including Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Otto Preminger, Billy Wilder, and Martin Scorsese.” (Art of the Title) However, the part of the movie he was most known for was the title sequence of the movie. The modern movie title sets up the story and mood of the movie as well as create a initial interest in the move for the audience, this was something that came from Saul Bass’s work. Previous to his debut in the film industry the introduction to a movie included a screen of type that rolled over the screen with no relation or set up for the film. The title sequence for the 1998 Psycho created a dynamic intro with line work that seemed to come from unpredictably from up and down, and music that furthers the dramatic mood for the
movie.
The title sequence of Psycho (Art of The Title)
Saul Bass did just stop at the title sequence though, he often found himself in the role of director or producer. In 1968 he won an Academy Award for his partially animated short film Why Man Creates and in 1965 he won the Lion of San Marco in best film about adolescence for The Searching eye. He had his hands in every part of film making that he could, which seemed to bring a new experience as a whole to the viewers. From the poster to the title sequence and the scene in the movie itself, he was able to create dynamic and eye catching work that completely drew the audience in.
Saul Bass continued to work in the film industry up until his death on April 25, 1996. He left a large and remarkable body of work that still impacts filmmakers. Contemporary films like Catch Me as you Can and shows like Dexter whose style pays homage to Saul Bass’s style show the influence of his work. Even today his posters stand out compared to what is typically done, which seems to almost have fall back into the same routine of just using pictures of actors and scene. However, because of him the title sequence of a movie is forever changed. No longer is it just moving text on a screen, now it has evolved into something more, it’s a mysterious setting with shady characters who’s names dart across the screen. Title sequences now set a tone for the whole movie and get the watcher excited for how it will all play out. This is one of Saul Bass’s biggest accomplishments.
The modern and clean style that Saul Bass brought to movie posters was unlike anything that was being done in the movie industry at the time. Before Saul bass movie posters looked the same as a average news paper ad and lacked clarity. He designed His first movie poster in 1954 for Otto Premingers, Carmen Jones. His distinctive style included bright solid backgrounds overlaid with a illustration and large type. Some of his most famous posters include Vertigo, The Man with a Golden Arm, and The Anatomy of …show more content…
Murder. The bright orange and red background draw the eye in, and his simple hand rendered type style allow the view to easily gather information for the movie. Anatomy of murder poster by Saul bass (Art of the Title)
He would find a symbol that represented the movie and take it down to the most basic layers, he had a very distinct style when creating the posters for movies. “Like the polish artist, he sought a single, iconic image to summarize a film, rather than relying on stars’ portraits or scenes” (The Art of the Movie Poster) These awkward yet simple shapes are often referred to as the cut paper style. His ability to carry this style in to the move sequences that his did are a also a big contribution to his fame in the film and design industry.
Saul Bass was involved in many areas of filmmaking throughout his career.
He took on the role of director, producer and even helped with the storyboarding process. “During his 40-year career Bass worked for some of Hollywood’s greatest filmmakers, including Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Otto Preminger, Billy Wilder, and Martin Scorsese.” (Art of the Title) However, the part of the movie he was most known for was the title sequence of the movie. The modern movie title sets up the story and mood of the movie as well as create a initial interest in the move for the audience, this was something that came from Saul Bass’s work. Previous to his debut in the film industry the introduction to a movie included a screen of type that rolled over the screen with no relation or set up for the film. The title sequence for the 1998 Psycho created a dynamic intro with line work that seemed to come from unpredictably from up and down, and music that furthers the dramatic mood for the
movie.
The title sequence of Psycho (Art of The Title)
Saul Bass did just stop at the title sequence though, he often found himself in the role of director or producer. In 1968 he won an Academy Award for his partially animated short film Why Man Creates and in 1965 he won the Lion of San Marco in best film about adolescence for The Searching eye. He had his hands in every part of film making that he could, which seemed to bring a new experience as a whole to the viewers. From the poster to the title sequence and the scene in the movie itself, he was able to create dynamic and eye catching work that completely drew the audience in.
Saul Bass continued to work in the film industry up until his death on April 25, 1996. He left a large and remarkable body of work that still impacts filmmakers. Contemporary films like Catch Me as you Can and shows like Dexter whose style pays homage to Saul Bass’s style show the influence of his work. Even today his posters stand out compared to what is typically done, which seems to almost have fall back into the same routine of just using pictures of actors and scene. However, because of him the title sequence of a movie is forever changed. No longer is it just moving text on a screen, now it has evolved into something more, it’s a mysterious setting with shady characters who’s names dart across the screen. Title sequences now set a tone for the whole movie and get the watcher excited for how it will all play out. This is one of Saul Bass’s biggest accomplishments.