Abstract

Pacific Title and Art Studio has been producing film title sequences in Hollywood since 1924. This dissertation focuses on the history of Pacific Title and on their collection of original tiling material from the 1950s and 1960s. I begin with an examination of the development of titling in American film, then delve into the history of Pacific Title, taking into account trends in the Hollywood filmmaking business. Technological developments as well as financial ups and downs in the greater industry directly affected production practices at Pacific. The business expanded during the first half of the century and by 1950 was a leader in title production, working for studios such as Warner Brothers, 20^th Century-Fox, and MGM.

For blockbuster, color productions of the 1950s and 1960s, Hollywood studios ordered special glass plate title sequences from Pacific. To create a glass plate sequence, Pacific artists painted title and credit material on large sheets of glass, which were then filmed before a painted background or composited over a film's introductory shots. This method produced titles with expressive, lustrous, screen-filling lettering. By hand-painting each credit, lettering artists were able to create individualized designs for each film, adding to the suggestive nature of the words on screen. Lettering style helped establish mood, setting and tone. In order to understand the graphic language spoken by these titles, I review the history of lettering and typography. I then analyze selected pieces from the collection. After discussing Pacific's collection of original title material, I look at how titles work as an integral part of an overall opening strategy. Finally, I chart the decline of glass plate title production in the 1960s in light of changes in technology and the rise of independent graphic designers. Scholarship on titling is notably sparse, especially when it comes to titling before 1955. This dissertation seeks to address that lacuna by focusing on the history and collection of one of Hollywood's longest-lived and most successful titling production firms, Pacific Title and Art Studio.