The average moviegoer does not go to the cinema and analyze the stylistic implications of the music and font choices for the opening credits. Most likely, the average moviegoer does not even refer to watching a movie in a theater as “going to the cinema.”

But at times it becomes important to note the significance of the small pieces that add to the cohesion of a film as a whole.

We’re talkin’ everything from the movie poster that serves as the first impression of the film on the public to the very last song that plays as the ending credits roll. Who puts these things together? Who makes them matter?

Cineleet, the film blog dedicated to “celebrating the art in the dark,” has published a wonderful article summarizing the contributions of the renowned graphic artist Saul Bass to the film industry.

Bass’s influence reaches to the far corners of the pop world (perhaps unheard-of corners) as he designed everything from company logos to title sequences throughout his forty-year career.

The article contains visual representations of Bass’s work like his posters for movies like Casiono (1995) and Spike Lee’s Counters, along with some clips of his opening sequences from great films like Anatomy of a Murder (1959).

Check out the article here.

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