The title sequence of "The Man with the Golden Arm" was a popular study even in the modern context. Its timeless beauty is attributed to the subtle use of artistic style to symbolize social connotations. It reflects his rejection of American culture of conformity, conservatism and post-war pop film culture. “The Man with the Golden Arm” is best known for his exaggerated disjointed arm. In addition to the arm, it also had white, sharp rectangular blocks and moving typography, all on a black background. One factor that helped shape the composition of the project is attributed to the designer himself: Saul Bass. Bass is known for his deconstructed yet symbolic title sequences that captivate audiences. He studied graphic design at Brooklyn College, under the guidance of Gyorgy Kepes, who was influenced by constructivism and Bauhaus itself. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The constructivism movement originates in Russia and was born from the rejection of traditional artistic culture, which revolves around its purpose of being beautiful without any real meaning. Constructivists believe that art and design should have a function and also serve a social purpose. In addition to constructivism, the influence of Bauhaus is evident in the unification and synchronization of the title sequence with the opening jazz score. Bauhaus is a philosophy that combines art of different forms and technologies to have a sense of wholeness and a strong relationship between them all. Like constructivism, Bauhaus adopts a visual notion of simplistic, geometric and functional design. When these two philosophies are translated into images, the form usually consists of simple, geometric shapes, strong and bold typographic elements. The color choice is also limited. The intent behind excluding excessive decoration is for the design to speak clearly and quickly. As these philosophies and interpretations of artistic movements are passed down to Bass, the title sequence naturally shows the artistic influence of both Constructivism and Bauhaus. In the context of the title sequence, the metaphorical crooked arm, rectangular blocks, and bulky typeface were initially designed for the film's advertising poster. Bass, together with Otto Preminger, the film's director, decided to bring these elements from the poster to the title sequence. Since they both felt that the poster's design was clear in conveying its social message, bringing it to the big screen would surely produce the same results while reaching a wider audience. The constructivism element is most evident with the disjointed arm, monochromatic color palette and off-axis and misaligned rectangles of different sizes to symbolize the dark and messy life of a drug addict. The artifact embodies these values ​​as seen in the simple moving frames of rectangular geometric blocks and kinetic typography. These were deliberately designed alongside the soundtrack and with the film's content in mind to better create the "climate and atmosphere". This marriage of minimalist title design and musical composition allows the audience to resonate with the film before it even begins. In an interview, he said that by combining visuals and audio, he is able to create an emotional atmosphere right from the start, so that the audience knows what to expect for the rest of the film. In hindsight, the art direction of the artifact complimented its message so well because its simplicity made the arm crooked in the centerof attention and even more jarring. The huge amount of black used in contrast to the white, the sharp rectangular blocks appearing in slow, stabbing motion, along with the dramatic notes of the saxophone, amplified the evocation of mystery, unease and curiosity in the audience. It is the exact opposite of the art movements predominant in that period: Pop Art. As the name suggests, Pop Art incorporates the use of objects or people popular in that time period. It uses cheap and efficient means of mass production so as to reach a larger audience in a shorter time. If Bass had decided to design using the dominant American pop art movement at the time, the message would have been lost in transmission, dissolved and blurred by distracting colors and illustrations to represent popular culture. Talking exclusively about the aesthetics of the design would be an injustice. The true light of design radiates the ethos of 1950s America. The American economy was starting to recover and people were increasingly wealthy. The country was entering an era of consumerism. Television was therefore readily available in all suburban households. This boom in popularity of television posed a huge threat to Hollywood's business, as people were in the comfort of their homes, watching TV shows or TV series rather than watching movies. Cinemas have therefore had to innovate ways to outperform both television and other film production for business. While movie plots were constantly written to keep up with pop culture, its advertising was also used as a marketing technique to attract the market. The predominant trend in 1950s film design for billboards, posters, and title sequences involved the use of Hollywood stars to appeal to the fan base. Because the designs didn't include witty elements to summarize the film's content, people had no idea what they were about to watch. However, most Hollywood advertising has not strayed from this conformity for fear of losing viewers. Both audiences and filmmakers didn't see the importance of the opening title sequences because there was absolutely no message or reason behind it. If anyone went to the movies anyway, they regarded the time of the opening title sequence as "popcorn time": a few unnecessary minutes in which the credits roll, showing snippets of the film or faces of the film's cast. People skipped the entire opening sequence or paid more attention to their conversations. Bass saw this as an opportunity to differentiate his film from the market. “The Man with the Golden Arm,” unlike the title sequences of other films, is devoid of color, movie star portraits and decoration. It was just full of atmosphere and metaphorical storytelling. Designing in such broad contrast was refreshing and revolutionary in film design. He also deliberately left a note on the film boxes instructing theaters to start the film once everyone was seated, because he was sure that the title sequence was crucial in adding meaning and experience to the entire film, as no another movie first. Many would think that the popularity of television would mean the introduction of efficient and accurate information. Ironically, this also leads to selective and biased transmission of the message. The ads depicted a "model" lifestyle of an average American family. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay The style fallacy of.