LA Times: CR's Title Sequence
highhopes
Posts: 1,358MI6 Agent
I may be the only person at AJB to unequivocally love the title sequence. But even those who hated it might enjoy the story behind it.
[line]
A STIRRING CHANGE: In the opener, it's Bond, just Bond
Traditional dancing girls dropped from title credits of 'Casino Royale'
BY SHEIGH CRABTREE
Sheigh Crabtree wrote this story for the Los Angeles Times.
December 6, 2006
The crew expected a set crawling with sex kittens, but what they got instead was a couple of grizzled stuntmen and a chiseled blond Bond.
"When the crew realized there were not going to be any naked girls on set, some were a bit upset," admits Daniel Kleinman, the title designer behind the opening credit sequences for the last five James Bond films, including "Casino Royale," which is in theaters now. The lack of sultry dancing females in the segment was a radical departure not only for Kleinman but from four decades of setting up 007's cinematic adventures.
But just as the rest of "Casino Royale" deviates from aspects of the spy franchise's trademark iconography, so did Kleinman's two-day title sequence shoot this summer. The crew shot one day of stuntmen slugging it out, followed by a day with star Daniel Craig performing variations of the classic Bond first-person shooter stance.
"Everybody agreed the idea of using images of the iconic silhouetted dancing girls in the titles was not appropriate," Kleinman said. "In this film, Double-O is not totally formed as the James Bond everybody knows - the womanizing, slightly un-PC character." Kleinman learned of the new approach to Bond in January, when the producers enlisted the visual artist yet again. He was asked to design a documentary sequence that introduced Bond's novice assignments before the spy qualified for double-O status. But in early summer, Kleinman was beckoned to the Czech Republic.
There, director Martin Campbell had just wrapped the first reel, a gritty opening gambit that depicts the secret agent's precursory kills. Campbell feared there would be too much overlap between his pre-credits teaser and Kleinman's title sequence.
That's when the director suggested an overhaul.
"It would have been repetitive," Kleinman concedes. "But it was a bit of a shock to my system because I had spent a lot of time working out the first design, and it was getting pretty late in the day." So Kleinman crammed and took a 101 course on 007.
On the bookshelves he found the solution: The cover of a "Casino Royale" first edition, published in 1953, featured Ian Fleming's design of a playing card bordered by eight red hearts dripping blood.
"The hearts not only represent cards but the tribulations of Bond's love story," Kleinman says. "So I took that as inspiration to use playing card graphics in different ways in the titles," like a club representing a puff of gun smoke, and slashed arteries spurting thousands of tiny hearts.
He digitized the footage of the stuntmen and the star on an Inferno, a visual effects design system, at Framestore CFC in London. There he cut out the actors' silhouettes and incorporated them into about 20 digitally animated scenes depicting intricate and innovative card patterns that play for 3 1/2 minutes.
Seen in historic context with title designs that precede his, Kleinman says "Casino Royale's" credit sequence owes more to the jagged emblematic graphics of Saul Bass than to the cheeky erotica of Maurice Binder, who designed 14 Bond titles in all.
"I can't get too psychological with it because it is a title sequence," he says. "But it must be more than a flow of meaningless images." And there's some good news for the crew. "By the end of this one, 007 is more like the Bond we all know and love," says Kleinman, who is onboard to design the credit sequence for the next installment. "So I think those dancing girls may well come back again."
[line]
A STIRRING CHANGE: In the opener, it's Bond, just Bond
Traditional dancing girls dropped from title credits of 'Casino Royale'
BY SHEIGH CRABTREE
Sheigh Crabtree wrote this story for the Los Angeles Times.
December 6, 2006
The crew expected a set crawling with sex kittens, but what they got instead was a couple of grizzled stuntmen and a chiseled blond Bond.
"When the crew realized there were not going to be any naked girls on set, some were a bit upset," admits Daniel Kleinman, the title designer behind the opening credit sequences for the last five James Bond films, including "Casino Royale," which is in theaters now. The lack of sultry dancing females in the segment was a radical departure not only for Kleinman but from four decades of setting up 007's cinematic adventures.
But just as the rest of "Casino Royale" deviates from aspects of the spy franchise's trademark iconography, so did Kleinman's two-day title sequence shoot this summer. The crew shot one day of stuntmen slugging it out, followed by a day with star Daniel Craig performing variations of the classic Bond first-person shooter stance.
"Everybody agreed the idea of using images of the iconic silhouetted dancing girls in the titles was not appropriate," Kleinman said. "In this film, Double-O is not totally formed as the James Bond everybody knows - the womanizing, slightly un-PC character." Kleinman learned of the new approach to Bond in January, when the producers enlisted the visual artist yet again. He was asked to design a documentary sequence that introduced Bond's novice assignments before the spy qualified for double-O status. But in early summer, Kleinman was beckoned to the Czech Republic.
There, director Martin Campbell had just wrapped the first reel, a gritty opening gambit that depicts the secret agent's precursory kills. Campbell feared there would be too much overlap between his pre-credits teaser and Kleinman's title sequence.
That's when the director suggested an overhaul.
"It would have been repetitive," Kleinman concedes. "But it was a bit of a shock to my system because I had spent a lot of time working out the first design, and it was getting pretty late in the day." So Kleinman crammed and took a 101 course on 007.
On the bookshelves he found the solution: The cover of a "Casino Royale" first edition, published in 1953, featured Ian Fleming's design of a playing card bordered by eight red hearts dripping blood.
"The hearts not only represent cards but the tribulations of Bond's love story," Kleinman says. "So I took that as inspiration to use playing card graphics in different ways in the titles," like a club representing a puff of gun smoke, and slashed arteries spurting thousands of tiny hearts.
He digitized the footage of the stuntmen and the star on an Inferno, a visual effects design system, at Framestore CFC in London. There he cut out the actors' silhouettes and incorporated them into about 20 digitally animated scenes depicting intricate and innovative card patterns that play for 3 1/2 minutes.
Seen in historic context with title designs that precede his, Kleinman says "Casino Royale's" credit sequence owes more to the jagged emblematic graphics of Saul Bass than to the cheeky erotica of Maurice Binder, who designed 14 Bond titles in all.
"I can't get too psychological with it because it is a title sequence," he says. "But it must be more than a flow of meaningless images." And there's some good news for the crew. "By the end of this one, 007 is more like the Bond we all know and love," says Kleinman, who is onboard to design the credit sequence for the next installment. "So I think those dancing girls may well come back again."
Comments
I'd be fascinated to see the dossier/crime scene photos sequence...I hope it makes it onto the DVD...
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
And not a moment too soon either, IMO. A title sequence with dancing female silhouettes is almost as strongly associated with a Bond movie as the gunbarrel. Why mess with something that is so fun, and successful? I'll take Binder-style "cheeky erotica" over well-meaning but not very entertaining attempts at a "serious" title sequence any day.
Then a few days ago jillmastersonfanboy posted the following link (in the music forum under the title of "funny comparison") which shows the Casino Royale title sequence but played to the tune of 1967's theme by Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, not 2006's theme by Chris Cornell.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa7ts4rq9PM
Now I really do appreciate the title sequence but I am not sure if it's all for the right reasons.
I also like the titles/song for CR, like the film it was a breath of much-needed fresh air IMHO. First title sequence in a long, long time that has stuck with me (maybe since LALD's?). What was great about the 60s titles, they were so singular and memorable, CR's is that for me. The last 10 or 12 were kinda ploddingly similar...
In complete agreement with you, Barry. It was AWFUL. Boring an unimaginative are two perfect words. It just lacked any enthusiasm whatsoever. Unlike the fighting in the movie, which was superb due to its speed and intensity, the fighting in the TS, which was its main draw, I think, other than the card theme, was slow and unexciting. PLEASE go back to nude girls. PLEASE!!!
*sigh*
Man, I knew things would be tough after the new movie came out, but I had no idea it would be this bad
Just for the record, I said before that no film is perfect...and that rule certainly holds true for the Bonds. I've detailed a few of my issues with CR, more than once, so I won't clutter up this thread with them...but I must disagree about the titles, which I thought were retro-yet-fresh, distinctive and very cool. I even liked the song...sorry 'bout that
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Personally, the only problem I had with CR was the Titles sequence. That really was it.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I also think the mix of YKMN used was terrible. They should have done the first mix with the heavy guitars.
I'm with you, ben, in that I'm always more than ready for nude female silhouettes in my Bond titles, :x ;% but IMRO there's something to like in what's happening in CR's title sequence...
And, like you, I want my dots and gunbarrel back at the opening of #22...
Cheers {[]
And Klaus: I, too, prefer the 'guitar-heavy' first version of YKMN...in fact, that's the one I'm grafting onto my 'personalized' version of the CR soundtrack disc I'll be listening to the most often :007)
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I totally agree with you about finding something fun in every Bond film, that's very very true. Even in the dreaded 80s there are a few moments that bring a smile to my face, and the Brosnan Bonds have more than there share for me as well. Glad you at least liked the titles in CR.
The titles did a very good job in setting up the movie, and they were very well done. I'm actually glad they didn't use the ladies as a crutch as they often seem to do. Too easy to fall into a cliched trap doing that. Though I'm sure they'll be back.
Yeah, that is the main problem I have with it. The tiny "Mini Me" Bond.
A long time ago, before much info had surfaced about CR, I had made a post here on AJB where I suggested a way to use the female dancing figures in a title sequence that would foreshadow the main plot twist in CR. I thought that it would be great if the title sequence opened with a female croupier dealing out the 4 queen cards. Then, the traditional silhouettes would emerge out of the cards and start dancing, perhaps while juxtaposed with flying bullets and such. Finally, the queen of hearts would be struck by a bullet and disintegrate into red, blood-like fragments. That would tie in with Bond's heart getting broken at the end, more so than a sequence of stuntmen fighting would.
Thank you for posting the article highhopes. Most informative reading.
The opening credits have been getting somewhat stale over the last few films . . . it was time for a change.