Semiotic analysis of movie title sequences and application suggestions for Turkish movie title sequences

Movie title sequences, the productions of which were highly difficult through traditional methods back in time, have evolved eventually to be produced in a more diligent manner with the help of new technologies and have become diversified. This new field of work, which especially appeals to young designers, has gotten ahead of some movies by becoming more memorable than the movie itself. The significance of movie credits, a hybrid product of graphic design and cinema that have surpassed its function, which can be planned and produced independently from a movie, about which academic studies are pursued and websites opened, cannot be overlooked. Currently, movie title sequences that received worldwide attention under the guidance of Saul Bass in the 1950s and Kyle Cooper in the 1990s have turned into an industry created by numerous designers and filmmakers. When viewed on a global scale, it can be observed that Turkey has fallen behind in keeping up with the developments in movie title sequence design and has not produced a sufficient amount of it. This thesis, which includes analysis and sample applied studies, aims to become a guiding source on movie credits that both designers and researchers can benefit from. The thesis discloses how, through its brief history, movie credits emerged and developed through years and how it has reached its current state in line with both the developments in cinema and graphic design. By making semiotic analysis of both foreign and Turkish title sequences, the thesis intends to make the cooperation between film language and graphic design language more comprehensible. Samples have been scrutinized in the context of visual communication design, through the features of typography, visual content, story telling, camera and editing style. The thesis attempts to present guiding results for studies that will be carried out in this field and for movie title sequence design.