Previously on Skandalon

idsgn (a design blog) – Now and then: How film titles have evolved

“Before the cinematic title sequences of today’s films, pioneered by the likes of Saul Bass and (more recently) Kyle Cooper, film titles were once a motionless work of art. In this ‘Now and then,’ we are pressing pause and exploring the art behind the film title.

Since the early days of cinema, artists have carefully designed film titles to captivate audiences and set the film’s mood. To bring attention to this often overlooked art form, Dutch graphic designer (and movie lover) Christian Annyas has put together The Movie Title Stills Collection. The website collects and neatly organizes film titles by decade, from the 1920’s to present. To illustrate how film titles have evolved over the years, we’ve chosen some of our favorites from the collection.”

Conan the Nietzschean… Way to go, Conan.

The quote is taken from Twilight of the Idols (Die Götzen-Dämmerung, 1895). It’s the 8th maxim from the section “Maxims and arrows” (the very first section of the book, after the preface). Here is a slightly different translation : “Out of life’s school of war: What does not destroy me, makes me stronger.” (tr. by Walter Kaufmann and R.J. Hollingdale here).

What Is It? “A unique catalog of movies…specifically, screen captures of movie title screens! Jump right in…select the first letter to go to that letter’s index page.” Check out the rest of Steven Hill’s online ressources.

Great collection of closing credits.

Dill Pixels photostream on FLickr : “Week End”

Dill Pixels photostream on FLickr: “The Days Run Away” (The End series)

The Art of the Title Sequence : “Remember when your heart sank just a little when you realized the Pink Panther movie wasn’t a cartoon? Then, only a few years later, seeing Edward Gorey’s eerily fantastic opening to “Mystery!” capped with Vincent Price’s name on a headstone had your head spinning at the thought of the kind of stories those etchings could tell…if only the show was based on those illustrations.”