This week I wrote a couple posts that revolved around graphic & title design.
Inside the Edit: Dexter’s Opening Credits was all about the brilliance of one of my favorite title sequences. It was followed up by my own attempt a title graphic by animating the Athletic Nerd’s new logo. Today I wanted to share a couple of links that expand on those two posts.
The first deals with legendary opening titles and the second designing your own.
THE ART OF FILM & TV TITLE DESIGN
HOLLYWOOD MOVIE TITLES ON AETUTS+
AETUTS+ has been publishing an extensive series of video tutorials for months now that teach you how to recreate some amazing movie titles and graphics. You’ll find Inception, The Hunger Games, Transformers, Back to the Future, The Expendables, The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises and more…
I’m a massive fan of Nolan’s work as many are but not just because of the blockbusters like the Batman series or Inception. It’s the originality he pours into his films like Memento, The Prestige and Insomnia. Did I mention I can’t wait for The Dark Knight Rises?
Here are a 15 articles I’ve posted over the years about my favorite director and his work:
CHRISTOPHER NOLAN’S HYPE TRAIN HAS LEFT THE STATION!
The Dark Knight’s viral campaign was remarkable to say the least. Each and every poster, trailer, TV spot, website and Easter egg built up an ‘event’ rather than just another summer release.
why so serious poster
With Inception, Nolan and his team were tasked with promoting an entirely new and complex world. The resulting marketing campaign was amazing and once again, the movie delivered on the incredible hype surrounding it.
I’ve always been fascinated by movie marketing. Successes and failures. It’s incredible to think about how many times a trailer promotes a movie that doesn’t really exist. Misleading trailers and horrific posters comprised of floating heads and bad Photoshop are everywhere. But there are also trailers you have to watch 42 times the day they show up online. There are posters you save as your desktop wallpaper. There are inspiring promotional materials everywhere.
Throughout the last 5-10 years, Christopher Nolan and his team have done a remarkable job selling the movies he directs. I remember when people doubted whether or not a Batman ‘reboot’ could truly erase the horror that is Batman & Robin… It did.
The brilliant marketing behind these epic films evolved as the world did embracing social media and the power of viral marketing. I still remember following all the scavenger hunts and clues ‘The Joker’ left in strategic locations. Promotional materials for The Dark Knight were everywhere. They led to unique and secret websites. They revealed hints about the plot. They generated hype.
Of course, we all saw the results of that marketing campaign. 533 Million domestic and an Oscar for Heath Ledger’s legendary performance as The Joker.
Who knows what’s in store for the final chapter of this incredible film series. The Dark Knight Rises is still months away but it’s clear the marketing campaign will once again raise the bar. We’ve already been treated to an amazing teaser trailer giving us our first brief glimpse of Bane. It was a trailer largely comprised of reused footage from the first 2 films… And it was amazing.
I wasn’t surprised. The teaser for The Dark Knight didn’t contain any footage at all and it still gives me chills.
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES PROLOGUE
Nolan and co. just unleashed a 6 minute prologue in front of IMAX prints of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. I had a ticket for a 2pm screening and had to take a bus, a subway and a cab to get there on time. I’m thankful I did. To say that the sequence is big is an understatement. It’s like Nolan sat in a room and thought about how cool it was to flip over a transport in The Dark Knight. Then he challenged himself to go bigger.
“I know… Let’s flip and rip apart a PLANE… In mid air!”
Everyone’s reactions are generally the same online. The prologue is incredible but some of Bane’s lines are difficult to understand. While it’s true, it does give Nolan the opportunity to go back and clean up some of the lines through ADR. What I don’t understand is how some people objected to Bane’s accent. I think his voice sounds awesome overall when you can understand what he is saying. It’s an amazing introduction to a relentless and volatile Bane. I can’t wait to see him break Batman.
TRAILER #2
Just days after unleashing a fantastic poster and the epic prologue sequence, fans were also treated to a brand new and equally awesome trailer!
“When Gotham is ashes… You have my permission to die.”
It’s another phenomenal trailer that gives us a glimpse at all the major characters without spoiling much of the story. Check out this link for a detailed breakdown of the prologue and trailer. There are a few shots of a cane suggesting Batman/Bruce Wayne is seriously injured in some way. Will Bane break the Bat? It makes me sad that July 20th, 2012 is so far away…
All of these announcements and reveals have been supported by secret ‘leaked’ CIA documents, websites, tweets, features in magazines and more. Who knows what more we can expect from the film’s marketing department in the next 9 months.
I certainly helps the impossibly long wait before we get to see the film.
Need to catch up on the Batman franchise before the big release next year? You can watch films with LOVEFiLM online or by DVD rental at your convenience.
Since the day The Dark Knight was released in theaters, fans all over the world have wondered how Christopher Nolan would conclude his remarkable vision of Batman.
In the old days, a huge comic book movie lived or died on the strength of it’s villain. What makes Nolan’s Batman series unique is it’s ability to avoid that pitfall. Heath Ledger’s Joker, in my opinion, is one of the greatest villains we’ve ever seen on the big screen. But Nolan’s film was more than just a cool villain. It was about a hero and the city he was desperate to protect. The Dark Knight is about morality and corruption. It’s wasn’t ONLY about a hero vs a cool villain. The movie had meaning and built on the spectacular foundation set by Batman Begins.
THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS
What I loved about the trailer is the impending doom it presents. A new evil has risen and Gotham City is literally falling. The image of Commissioner Gordon practically begging for Batman to come back while lying in a hospital bed is chilling to say the least. Gotham needs Batman back. The stakes have never been higher. The reason? Bane.
How do you top The Dark Knight?
You start by including a single shot in the trailer. The final shot. An incredible shot of Batman backing away from Bane, our new villain. In the comics, Bane is a huge physical threat and breaks Batman’s back.
We’ve never seen Batman threatened like this on the big screen. Watching Bane stalk a staggering Batman was a great way to end the trailer and makes the wait for 2012 even harder to endure.
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES TEASER TRAILER
It’s amazing how high my hopes are for these trailers yet Christopher Nolan exceeds expectations every single time. I know this teaser doesn’t show us much but I’m not going to be greedy. It shows us just enough to prove that this talented group of filmmakers and actors have things well under control. The Dark Knight Rises will have a new villain for us to dissect but I think it will also be just as thought provoking as it’s predecessors. That’s what makes this series incredible.
INTRODUCING THE NEW BANE
This shouldn’t have happened…
I think everyone was curious to see how Nolan would treat Bane after the disastrous interpretation in 1997′s awful Batman & Robin. His task was to first eliminate the memories of that horrible movie while crafting a villain truly worthy of a Batman movie.
Well… Here he is! Tom Hardy in full Bane mode!
Even then, the pressure is on to top the complexity of The Dark Knight and it’s legendary villain.
But I don’t think Bane has to top The Joker because he’ll pose a completely different threat to Batman. Had Nolan chosen someone like The Riddler we could have made those comparisons. Bane will fight Batman head on without hesitation or remorse. That is something The Joker never did without a scheme or two up his sleeve.
Bane is a different kind of ruthless. Right now we don’t know what this new villain’s plans will be or how Catwoman will factor in. However, one thing is certain: The Dark Knight Rises will end an unbelievable trilogy of movies that changed the way we will look at superhero films forever.
The anticipation began the second the film was announced but now the hype has officially begun. It’s amazing how powerful a single shot can be.
Normally, I don’t post news items. I save my reactions to huge news and trailers for my weekly Rundown posts.
Having said that, this is too big to ignore. Finally, we get our first poster for The Dark Knight Rises! Not so long ago, I wrote about The Legend of Inception and it’s remarkable marketing campaign. Christopher Nolan and his team have proven yet again that they are the best.
This poster is awesome! It’s so hard to deliver on such an enormous amount of hype but time and time again, they did it. (More reaction Joblo, /Film, Collider)
I have to say I was curious to see what ‘color’ they go with for the new film. Batman Begins had a very distinctive tan look whereas The Dark Knight went with blue. I had The Dark Knight Rises narrowed down to either red or white. This teaser poster seems to confirm the latter but you never know. I figured I would include a couple previous posters as well. Outstanding.
I couldn’t be more excited to see the teaser trailer this week if the rumors are true. Will we be getting a voice over teaser like The Dark Knight? Or will we get to see some footage? I think it will be a mix of both. I’m thinking we will get a few shots including one of Bane and maybe the back of Catwoman but the majority will be a V.O about Batman’s life on the run.
Many people who quote movies regularly usually turn to comedies or inside jokes for their material. We quote from movies like Dumb & Dumber or recite lines from the King of quotes himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
What about the quotes that stick with you because of their meaning. For me there have been so many lines that made me sit back and think about the big picture. Tiny lines of dialogue that have an enormous impact on the way I see the world. Spoken words that influence the way I see myself. It sounds a little dramatic but that’s the point. It’s a big reason why I love movies. Sometimes, a writer comes up with a line that sticks with you. Sometimes, it’s only you. A private inside joke that you turn to when you face a difficult challenge or even your worst fear.
Meaningful movie quotes can appear in pretty much any type of movie. You never know when one will hit home but it’s inspiring every single time.
“Find a truly original idea. It is the only way I will ever distinguish myself. It is the only way I will ever matter.”
“Mama always said life was like a box a chocolates, never know what you’re gonna get.”
“Behind this mask is an idea… and ideas are bulletproof.”
“Find a job you love, never work a day in your life.”
“It is not who you are underneath…but it is what you do that defines you.”
You probably recognized a few of those quotes. If you figured out the last one you’ll definitely see why my favorite meaningful movie quote comes from:
BATMAN BEGINS
“Why do we fall? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.”
What a fantastic quote and a perfect way to think about our low points in a new way. I like to think about Christopher Nolan typing away not knowing how much that line would impact my life.
But it does and I’m extremely thankful for that. Not to mention the film itself is incredible.
was released in theaters, fans all over the world have wondered how Christopher Nolan would conclude his remarkable vision of Batman.
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