I'm a film lover, but there's this weird thing that happens to me when the lights go down in a theater. & First there are the trailers -- which I love. & Most of them are bad, but the good ones stay with me. & Mostly, I love trailers because they represent possibility. & They are neat little packages of seduction. & After those 10 minutes of possibility, I get the thing I actually paid for... the thing that could let me down... the movie I've actually come to see. & Which gets me to the weird thing that happens: & I'm always slightly disappointed when the movie starts. & These are not the words of a film lover, I know. But because I've built up expectations and hopes, I'm uneasy. &
One of the things that eases the disappointment of a film's beginning is a good title sequence. A title sequence is an art form in itself, like the book jacket cover or album art. Title sequences have become a showcase for design, illustration and music. Years ago, a friend turned me on to the beauty of the title sequence for To Kill a Mockingbird . And I still remember seeing the David Fincher's thriller Se7en , with its stunningly dark but gorgeous beginning set to a Coil remix of Nine Inch Nails' Closer . &
I just learned about a great site that has been compiliing title sequences called Art of the Title . It's captivating! You can watch the title sequence for Showtime's & Dexter (which I've been watching On Demand and getting totally creeped out). & It's clearly influenced by the Se7en design - just as macabre, & but with more pop and zip. & It makes the morning rituals of coffee, shaving and breakfast into a twisted ritual. & The camerawork is something to behold.
My other favorites are the title sequences for American Splendor , Donnie Brasco and the amazing Delicatessen . &
