Media opening titles

North By Northwest
The opening titles in 1959 could not be heavily CGI based, as the editors would have the
advanced computer technology that modern day films would have had. For North by
Northwest, the graphics design artist called Saul Bass used cut out paper and typography in
motion to create an early 3D perception of the opening titles, as they were positioned on a
backdrop of an abstract building.The start of the opening credits lists the main actors in the
film, as the audience of most films recognise iconic actors and often only watch the film as
they follow an idol. A prolific actor would often enforce that there name is advertised in
priority, alongside the director who stereotypically appears bold before the film role started
playing, as seen below with Alfred Hitchcock.

As the role of names pass across the angles building, the green background fades into a
glass building, with a reflection of a busy American street, which acts as an establishing shot
of the setting, due to the protagonists business background as his career at the start of the
film is advertising man in Madison Avenue, New York. The cross fade was quite advanced
and it
provides a
steady
transition to
the
busy
lifestyle of
Roger
Thornhill.

The titles are then taken from the solid backdrop of a building, and overlaid on some busy
footage of rush hour on Madison Avenue. This brings the audience up close with the
protagonist's life, and adds a sense of relatability to his situation. The still camera contrasts
the fast paced crowds that flow in different directions in each scene, and this makes a hectic
atmosphere, in order to reflect the bustling city. The text of the titles is bold and white, which
adds a simplistic style to the complex backdrop. It also links to the professional context of
the film, and as the names appear, they slide into the shot with a slow transition, as this
could link to a monotonous lifestyle that the protagonist would live in the advertising
business.