Movie Title


There is a lot that goes into the making of motion pictures. Some nerds go beyond just calling it day after seeing the final product and try to observe every single little intricacy that goes into creating every single part of a movie. By that we mean, what are all the little clues that a director left throughout a movie to make it come full circle while others are more attracted with how the titles are designed, or how even the opening titles are presented in a way that leaves people intrigued. Even before the movie starts, the way in which a title is presented can make anyone feel that they are already in a different world.

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Art of designing movie titles - A History

Era of Silent Movies ( 1900-1927 )

Artists are enjoyed by everyone but ironically are considered to be a career line which is full of struggle and deprivation. Look at Vincent Van Gogh, Robin Williams and many more, all of these were artists, some successful during their lifetime or posthumously.

There weren't many sources of entertainment during the late 20s or 30s. People sang, danced and watched animals or people fight, these were probably only some activities that people were interested in.

On December 23 1895, Lumiere Brothers created the very first motion picture called ' Arrival Of A Train At A Station ' which showed nothing but a small clipping of a moving train and people ducked down because they thought that it would come out of the screen. That was the time when people never much focused on design as much as it is done now since the discovery of it all was itself something else.

Movie making became a big business in the 1910s which was a growing industry at the time offering cheap means of entertainment to the masses. " With movie theatres being a hub of social and cultural life, audiences became so boisterous that during movies etiquette announcements were displayed as part of the opening film title sequences. Film titles were a very utilitarian affair delivering key information to audiences, such as the movie studio’s name and logo, director, movie title, main characters and actors. They were hand-illustrated by lettering artists and typesetters and then photographed and incorporated into the movie. "

Done with the purpose of Easy Reading

Just for the sake of easy reading, not much thought was put into designs and titles were mainly presented in white or black, illustrators using mono-stroke letterforms or characters with small serifs.

For example, This film title card for The Avenging Conscience (1914) is typical of the era with a black background and white lettering with small serifs. A simple line border frames all the necessary information. or the title art of It's a Wonderful Life ( 1946 ) by Frank Capra, Sabrina ( 1954 ) by Billy Wilder, all these pictures had a black and white background and the lettering was simply done.

Reflection of Art and Design Movements

It is a well-known fact that everything affects everything. So, various design movements were taking places such as Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Expressionism. This clearly left an impact on designs that were incorporated in movie titles. They were no longer just clearly spaced and had simple lettering but many different fonts were used and even flowy, curvy lines of Art Nouveau popular between the 1890s and 1910s were seen. For example, the title card of Our Hospitality ( 1923 ) had sinuous, curvey lines surrounding the title.

Genres and Subject Matter evoked in the film

Many designers tried evoking spooky styles which complimented the movie like Psycho ( 1960 ) by Alfred Hitchcock or The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1923) followed a deranged hypnotist who uses a troubled sleepwalker to commit a series of murders. For the German version of the film, sharp, angular typography is used evoke the disturbing subject matter, also echoing the work of German Expressionist illustrator Josef Fenner.

Golden Age of Cinema ( 1927-1940s )

This was the time when movies were not only a source of entertainment but also an escape for the people who did not like the reality. Yes, it was the time of the great depression. As many have stated that, great art can come through an artist being in a state of depression. This is exactly what happened during those times and hence, came to be called the Golden Age Of Cinema.

How Modernism influenced Cinema

The films were first influenced by Art Nouveau and Expressionism in the 1910s and early 1920s, film title cards of this era reflected modernist design with geometric forms, lines and angles and an overall modern look.

For example, these film titles for King Kong (1933) and Metropolis (1927) use diagonal lines, angular shapes and gradients that play on Art Deco forms associated with modern industry and cosmopolitan cities.

Effects of Lettering

With the different fonts being used to present the title, people added photos and symbols in the background which were important aspects of the movie. This is how advancement took place. At first, people were only concerned with how the movie is presented and not much with the titles whereas now, people started exploring the new ways in which they could make the audience feel even more displaced.

Both the Annie Oakley (1935) and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) film titles use a variety of these effects with decorative lettering, italics and two-tones. Additionally, each has a character silhouette in the background – Annie Oakley with her gun and Sherlock Holmes with his iconic pipe.

How lettering conveys the tone of the movie

For example, Letters laid out on irregular angles and on a diagonal across the screen is intended to convey almost foolish humour of the classic slapstick Horse Feathers (1932), featuring the Marx brothers.

All these are classic examples of how even little details help the audience to get more lost in the art that is film making. Even the people who choose not to notice such minor details and turn a blind eye towards this will somewhere notice these. They try to create a hypnotic effect like Vertigo by Alfred Hitchcock or make sure that you feel you are in a different world by just seeing the opening titles of a movie like Call me by your name by Luca Guadinino. These are the elements which are on the foot front during the making of a film and are not at all overlooked. These have created such recognition that if someone wants to make a movie that instils a feeling of old cinema, you can easily write simple titles and right away, people would know it a movie relating to the old times. This is what La La Land by Damien Chazzelle did with its opening title.

How to design movie posters

1. Creates Attention

The four-step formula – attention, interest, desire, and action – has been used as the basis of thousands of successful movie advertising campaigns. Keeping this in mind, the poster should consist a quality that intrigues and has a gripping impact on the people who are just lacing at it. Some posters like that of The hangover does not have any flashy images or graphics but still succeeds in seeking attention from the people. The flashy gradient background, head-and-shoulders character pictures (which can improve response rate,) and bright lighting make it difficult not to stare at one of these posters.

2. Show without tell

Some posters just have their movie title written on them and insert a mystique filled image to induce attraction. Like American Beauty ( 1999 ), directed by Sam Mendes. The poster just had a girl's hand holding a red rose and the title saying ' American Beauty '. The movie became so popular that it went on to win an Oscar for the movie of the year. If you think about it, again the poster contained the feature of ' showing without telling ' which created the mystery around it and people went to see the movie. At the same time, it also gives a glimpse into what the film is about. This allows it to market to casual observers and horror fans at once, all through imagery.

3. Creating Interest

Using the kind of images and graphics that sell people what the movie is about without giving any mystery away is also a great way to create interest. Mystery probably works the best or just creating the kind of image that makes people question or even think what the movie is about. Do you know how most people buy books? They buy books just by looking at how beautiful or pleasing to the eye the cover is. This type of design strategy tends to work best with films that cover unrealistic, fantasy-type events, particularly those that deal with the supernatural or psychological. The incentive is that in order to resolve the situation, the person looking at the poster needs to see the film and find out what happens.

4. Creating Desire or Appeal for the real fans

If you would think that creating interest, attention or even appeal are probably the same thing then you are sadly mistaken. This is because whenever there is a long awaited movie, like the avenger's end game, every single thing. from movie title to the first look to the poster is hyped and waited on by the real fans. Compare this type of promotional poster to the marketing materials used for films that draw appeal from the involvement of a certain actor. This much hype creates excitement and appeals among the people who are not even fans of the movie.

5. Looking consistent with the movie

For example, the poster for Watchmen above is a classic example of this technique succeeding. Since it uses an instantly recognizable comic book style, it grabs the attention of fans of the book. Many times people use the same imagery on the poster that they've used in the movies as well. This was also a constant theme used by Stanley Kubrick movies as well. When you look at the various posters of The Shining, you would notice how various hypnotic patterns have been used in the poster and also in the movie as well. Even the shirt worn by the protagonist has the pattern that is consistent with the movie.

6. Recognizability Of the Poster

It is obvious that when people make 2-3 sequels of a movie, it creates a brand and recognizability among the masses. The perfect examples of such are The Godfather by Mario Puzo, The Jurassic Park by Steven Speilberg and many more. That’s why sequel posters tend to be highly related to the first release, generally with a giant title in the top third of the canvas and instantly recognizable imagery throughout it.

Conclusion

Yes, we are there too! Spider India ventured onto the Filmfare side with movies like Kalam, Yukthi We have designed movie titles and posters as well. We have a group of highly skilled and creative designers who will provide you with constant support and interaction from the beginning to the end of your project. You can assure your self of being in safe hands.

Spider India has its offices in Chennai,India. We are a major company which has found its footing in the mobile app development industry. Apart from this, we provide services for E Greetings, Web Designing, Digital Marketing, Brochure Designing, Logo designs, Company Profiles and many more. We have a talented and experienced team which will work to provide the most satisfaction to our clients. We are a creative group of young individuals headed by an experienced leader who makes every project unique and it stands out. With that being said, our prices are very reasonable and affordable. You will not have to worry about that. With prices being reasonable, we never compromise that factor with the quality of the product. We believe in constant growth, we believe in continuous improvement since no one is perfect but we also believe that your product can be perfect. We use modern and contemporary design which have a long-lasting appeal on the public.

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