(Let's get the facts out of the way, shall we?)
Kyle Cooper was born July, 1962 in Salem, Massachusetts. He studied at University of Massachusetts Amherst. Kyle Cooper is a designer of motion picture title sequences. Cooper studied under Paul Rand at Yale University after graduating from the University of Massachusetts, obtaining his Master of Fine Arts in 1988.
If you're unfamiliar with Kyle Cooper still, you've seen several of his works but may not realize it. He is the title sequence creator of well known films like the good old Spider-Man movies, Iron Man, The Mummy, Flubber, Sherlock Homes, and Tron. Several television series he has created title sequences for include The Walking Dead and American Horror Story.
What landed Cooper big time successfully was his title sequence for the 1995 crime film, Seven. His title sequence became a major hit, and it had inspired many young designers at that time. During that period, title sequences were behind compared to other things like print, music videos, and commercials. He had made the sequence for Seven in order to move forward, above, and beyond the other elements that were moving as well. He was able to raise the bar successfully.
Still unfamiliar with just what exactly a title sequence is? A title sequence is normally seen at the beginning of a movie, where cast members and key production crew are normally presented as a visually, appealing sequence. Title sequences should not be mixed up with opening credits, which are just simply text based lists of important members of the production. It can be kind of hazy, considering that opening sequences and titles go hand in hand and kind of follow one another in the beginning of a movie or of a television series. Another thing to keep in mind is that a title sequence sometimes includes dialogue and action, while the opening credits just show the cast and crew in writing- which is often accompanied by a song or some very limited acting in the background. A good analogy to compare title sequences and opening credits is HTML and CSS. (haha) HTML is just the script text form, very basic. CSS however is the meat and cheese. It's the creative portion that breaks the tension, so to speak. A lot more goes into sequences compared to the credits.
Kyle Cooper is a co-founder of Imaginary Forces, a successful creative agency in Hollywood. They have created main titles for films and broadcast titles such as the Transformers trilogy films, 500 days of Summer, Mission Impossible, and Se7en. Once Imaginary Forces grew phenomenally, he created an agency called Prologue, consisting of a small group of designers that have created several title sequences of their own, bringing their creativity to the table.
Kyle Cooper focuses on creating strong concepts, and tweaking them while not giving away too much of the story. Keeping in mind to engage the audience, he develops visuals that have relevant, contextual meaning to the rest of the film(abduzeedo.com). He makes sure that his title sequences connects with the film, while also keeping the audience engaged and hooked.
Research websites include:
En.Wikipedia- Kyle Cooper
En.Wikipedia- Title sequence
Youtube- Title sequence vs. Opening credits
Art of the Title- Imaginary Forces
Abduzeedo.com- http://abduzeedo.com/motion-graphics-inspiration-kyle-cooper
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