The opening credits are an all-too-often overlooked part of the moviegoing experience. Many are dull and slow, but the really great ones are works of art that can stand on their own.
One of my favorite title sequence designers is Saul Bass. His work for directors Otto Preminger, Alfred Hitchcock, and Martin Scorsese dates from 1954 to 1995. A list of his titles can be seen at notcoming.com, each with a click-thru presentation of the sequence. Be sure to check out Anatomy of A Murder, North By Northwest, Seconds and the original Ocean’s Eleven. Here is a mashup of Saul Bass’ Star Wars.
Other incredible titles include Catch Me If You Can, Thank You For Smoking and Seven. Many more great title sequences can be found at The Art of the Title Sequence (via Swiss Legacy) which includes in-depth analysis and information about the sequence, as well as video.
Ben Was Here 