April 23, 2008

Forget the Film, Watch the Titles "On SubmarineChannel, we love a good main title. That's why we started this online collection in 1997 of the most stunning and original film title sequences. Some are engaging and wildly entertaining, some are funny, exhilarating or simply deadly beautiful. Some are oozing with visual treats, while others hit you hard with their bold and audacious style."
  • Title sequences really are an art form unto themselves. I think this is one area where cinema trumps home viewing - the titles just aren't as impressive on a small screen and they don't give the same feeling of excitement leading into the movie.
  • Haven't watched any at the linked page yet (later, dahlinks) but made me think of the Channel 4 and BBC2 channel idents back at home, which were often some of the most innovative things on the telly and had quite a fan-base of their own.
  • The first time I thought about film titles was in Fight Club because there was some special story behind them which I can't remember. I do pay more attention since then than I used to.
  • This is good. Thirty Days of Night sequence gave me the creeps. I shamefully admit to loving the different permutations of the Warner Bros Studio shield and studios transforming into something relevant to each particular movie, e.g. the studios turning into green columns of numbers for The Matrix movies.
  • Also, the obligatory "But They Don't Have..." comment: Catch Me If You Can, which I was very impressed by. While searching for the above video, I also stumbled across two other videos, entitled "25 of the best title sequences", Part 1 and Part 2.
  • Another great resource for those of us that arrive early and leave the seat until the usher starts prodding us out: Art of the Title. They have Catch Me If You Can : )
  • Great Binder's Ghost! Nice collection. The titles are like the movie's overture or hors d'oeuvre; they set the mood and build anticipation. I still stay for the end credits, too, although with the sheer numbers of personell required to maka some movies you miss a lot of details. I still find myself going home and visiting IMDB afterward.
  • The titles at the beginning and end of The Incredibles are pretty cool too, sort of similar to Catch Me if You Can.
  • Nice find! I'm hooked... TUM, keep my Great Grandfather out of this!
  • Christophine and I also stay till the very end, originally becuase we wanted to acknowledge the otherwise unsung, but eventurally to check out the wierder names. What's amazed me is that now everyone gets to be acknowledged - accountants, cateres, etc., not just the creatives who were employed on the picture. Maybe the producers get some discount by providing a credit, but I seems extreme to me. Ok, now I'll go watch the link.
  • I also play "Spot the Westmore" when the makeup credits come up.