I began as a graphic designer and as part of my work I created many film symbols for ad campaigns. During that period I happened to be working on the symbols for ‘Carmen Jones’ and ‘The man with the golden arm’ for Otto Preminger. At one point in our work Otto and I just looked at each other and said: “why not make it move?”
It was really as simple as that.” — Saul Bass, “Bass on titles”
When Saul Bass started making credits, the credits themselves were part of the film and they had a clarity of a modern sensibility that took you to another decade, another two decades ahead. Saul Bass really was the first to inflict that and would destroy once and for all that old concept of opening credits.— Martin Scorsese, in the documentary “Saul Bass, title champ”
“Bass fashioned title sequences into an art, creating in some cases, like Vertigo, a mini-film within a film. His graphic compositions in movement function as a prologue to the movie – setting the tone, providing the mood and foreshadowing the action.”
The main-on-end title sequence Saul Bass created for Around the world in eighty days were the longest and most expensive credits ever made, at the time. They cost $65,000.
A peek behind the scenes – click on the image for a larger version
Title sequence
The End
Title sequence
The End + credits
Opening credits
Title sequences of both versions of Psycho compared
Title sequence
Main-on-end title sequence
Title sequence
Title sequence
