SPEAKIES MOVIE TITLE SEQUENCES




As movies grew more popular, their titles developed. Movie producers invested large amounts of money into film production and sometimes made a terrible film by rewriting the inter-titles. Ralph Spence, who was known as the“film doctor” (1890–1949) was the highest-paid title writer in film, earning $10,000 a picture for his one-liners.


During the 1920s and 1930s, modernism influenced European cinema, many of these aspects of visual sensibility were bought to the US by film-makers who were escaping Europe from the Nazis. Studio's operating in Europe and Hollywood also created 'Vernacular' title sequences, as they were very popular amongst viewers. They tried to convey the message of the movie through the “dressage” of its main title. E.G. blackletter fonts in the opening credits were used to evoke horror, ribbons and flowery lettering suggested love, and typography that would have been used on “Wanted” posters connoted a western flick.







Here is a title still from the oldest surviving feature-length animated film “The Adventures of Prince Achmed” by German animator Lotte Reiniger