Art of the Title

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Back to the Future (1985)

Back to the Future
If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour... you're gonna see some serious shit.
—Dr. Emmett Brown
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When people think of Back to the Future, they often think of a few key things: Deloreans, Huey Lewis and the News, and hoverboards. But few remember how quietly and thoughtfully this franchise begins. 

The opening title sequence combines two things: one of the most iconic movie logotypes of all time, and a graceful type-over-scene. It is, in effect, a tour of time, a gallery of chronometric technology. As we glide past grandiose pendulum clocks, complex timekeepers, and kitsch cuckoos, we wonder: when are we? The radio chimes in and sets us firmly within the machinery of 1985. As Marty McFly enters the scene and goes about his business, his bumbling, playful character gets a jump-start and we are thrown alongside into one of the most charming comedies of our age.

  • Credits

Main and End Title Design: Nina Saxon 
Studio: Nina Saxon Film Design

Music by: Alan Silvestri

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Title sequence

  • Production Studio

    Nina Saxon Film Design
  • Title Designer

    Nina Saxon
  • Category

    Film
  • Styles

    1980s, 2D, live action, main title, opening scene, prologue, type over scene, typographic
Back to the Future
  • Film Director

    Robert Zemeckis
  • Release Date

    July 3, 1985
  • Aspect Ratio

    1.85:1
  • Studios

    Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment
  • Country

    USA
  • Language

    English
  • Reviews

    Reviews on Letterboxd
  • IMDb has full details

Article

  • Writer

    Lola Landekic
  • Published

    March 10, 2015

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