Editing Title sequence (section)

==History==
[[File:A Farewell to Arms (1932 film) title sequence.ogv|thumb|Title sequence of the 1932 film ''[[A Farewell to Arms (1932 film)|A Farewell to Arms]]'']]
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Since the invention of the [[cinematograph]], simple title cards were used to begin and end silent film presentations in order to identify both the film and the production company involved, and to act as a signal to viewers that the film had started and then finished. In silent cinema, title cards or [[intertitle]]s were used throughout to convey dialogue and plot, and it is in some of these early short films that we see the first examples of title sequences themselves, being quite literally a series of title cards shown at the beginning of a film. With the arrival of sound, the sequence was usually accompanied by a musical prelude or [[overture]].

Slowly, title sequences evolved to become more elaborate pieces of film. The advent of television was a pivotal moment for title design because it forced the major film studios to invest in making cinema more attractive in order to win back a diminishing audience. The "cast of thousands" epics shot on various patent widescreen formats were a direct response to television's successful invasion of the leisure marketplace. Part of cinema's new prestigious and expansive quality were orchestral [[overture]]s before the curtains opened and long title sequences — all designed to convey a sense of gravitas it was hoped television would be unable to compete with. As cinema's title sequences grew longer and more elaborate, the involvement of prominent graphic designers including [[Saul Bass]] and [[Maurice Binder]] became more common. The title sequence for Alfred Hitchcock's ''[[North by Northwest]]'' is generally cited as the first to feature extended use of [[kinetic typography]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/kt/dist/files/Kinetic_Typography.pdf |title=The Kinetic Typography Engine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320020844/https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/kt/dist/files/Kinetic_Typography.pdf |archive-date=March 20, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref> This innovation, in turn, influenced the 1960s television predilection for title design, resulting in the creation of strong graphics-led sequences for many television shows. Since then, the mediums of film and television have engaged in a kind of push and pull behavior, inspiring and spurring each other in different directions.

There have been several such pivotal moments in title design history. The introduction of digital technologies in the late 1980s and early 1990s to film and television changed both industries, and accordingly the 1990s saw a resurgence in title design. Ironically, a key sequence in this resurgence was the [[main title]] to [[David Fincher]]'s ''[[Seven (1995 film)|Se7en]]'', designed by [[Kyle Cooper]] while at [[R/GA]], which was created using primarily analogue means.<ref>{{cite news | last = Radatz | first = Ben | title = Se7en (1995) — Art of the Title | publisher = Art of the Title | date = July 10, 2012 | url = http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/se7en/ | access-date = May 16, 2014 }}</ref> The title opticals for ''Se7en'' were created by [[Cinema Research Corporation]], the leading title company in the 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cinema Research Titles (1990s) |website=[[IMDb]] |url=https://www.imdb.com/company/co0058110/}}</ref> Soon thereafter, television followed suit and networks like [[HBO]] began to develop more cinematic experiences for television, including more elaborate and considered title sequences. For example, when ''[[The Sopranos]]'' first aired in 1999, it was only the second hour-long television drama that HBO had ever produced. Its title sequence "helped lend the show a credibility and gravitas normally reserved for cinema, giving it a stronger foothold in the mind and memory of the audience."<ref>{{cite news | title = The Sopranos (1999) — Art of the Title | publisher = Art of the Title | date = April 29, 2014 | url = http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/the-sopranos/ | access-date = May 16, 2014 }}</ref>

As of the beginning of the 21st century, title sequences can be found bookending a variety of media besides film and television including video games, conferences, and even music videos.