the role of the graphic designer in a motion picture.

(Title sequence by Olivier Marquézy)
Another subject that I had this semester was User Centered Design Research. It wasn't super-creative, but extremely time consuming and sometimes very annoying, because we had to produce a bunch of method cards that sometimes were not relevant at all to our research. I found the topic very inspiring though. My reearch subject for this class was the role of graphic designers in motion pictures, which is a topic I choose because it felt useful in relation to my career. I've always been a movie freak, and when I realised that it can be combined with graphic design it became very interesting. People actually do this for a living. For this class I read a couple of books, found some interesting articles and blogs etc, but also interviewed people in the business; graphic designers who work on films. For instance I got in touch with a movie editor who edited and made the awesome title sequence for Blue Valentine; Jim Henton. I also interviewed a French designer who works on title sequences for movies; Olivier Marquézy. This is what he told me:

About You
1. What is your name?
Olivier Marquézy
2. What is the name of your company?
Deubal (but it's not a company, just a name for the studio)
3. What is your official work title?
nothing official. depends on the job: graphic designer, director…
4. For how long have you been working in this company?
i've been working on my own since I left school, ie 1996
5. What did you do before you started working here?
I worked somewhere else! we had another studio with other working mates, but it was the same kind of non-organisation
6. What kind of education do you have?
classical print graphic design
7. What kind of professional background do you think is essential to someone who wants to do what you're doing?
I think studying stills is very important: photos, paintings, layout and typography… I think the most important is not to forget that you make 25 stills per seconds and each of these image has to be nice, even if the conbination of them has to be perfect too… Opening credits are melting graphics, typography, motion, rythm, ciemeatography, tempo… I often think that motion is above but not for the good reason. You have to focus on composition and rythm to have something that gets you into the movie, not just nice for itself. Never forget that you don't work for yourself but that you take part of a bigger adventure.
8. Did you always want to be working with movies?
No, I never thought I could be into this, untill I realised this could mix my love for music (and rythm) and for typography.
9. During your own studies, did you feel that you got enough knowledge about this field in design?
It was not part of my education, I learned all this animation stuff by myself, working with other animation directors. But thanks to my education, I think I have quite good skills in composition and typography.
Now you have a lot of this kind of education, motion design diplomas etc. I think it's a good thing when it's part of a broader artistic education, not just for itself.
10. How did you enter this business? How did you get this job?
My first job as a freelancer was to create an animated opening title for a short movie of a just met friend. At that time I worked somewhere where they had a 35 mm animation stand, so we used it to shoot animated prints. I didn't know anything about  stop motion, but convinced everyone that I could do it. And the result was quite fine for a first job.
11. Why do you think that people hire you over others?
Most of the time it's because I've already worked with someone they know (or the editor, or the post-producer…). And of course when people feel comfortable with our work. It's very rare when somebody calls you only because he knows your work. Then I don't know. It's a very peculiar relationship with the director because you work for the final touch, the movie is nearly finished, and usually you're quite short in time. So people have to trust you. Sometimes it must be reassuring for directors to know that others have trusted you. 

Your Work
1. Can you give an example of graphic design work in a movie that you have been working on?
Opening credits from Mathieu Amalric's Tournée (On Tour) 
2. What was your role in that particular project?
directing the title sequence
3. What other people, and from what disciplines, were working with you on this?
just one fx-composite artist
4. Roughly, how many people usually work on a project like this?
from one to ten, depends on the time and budget. Usually in my case, 2 to 4 people are working.
5. How much did the plot of the movie play a part in your choice of design?
enormous! and the music too
6. Were there any obstacles along the way?
none! from the first feeling to the final cut, it was like an extended improvisation, with a lot of (positive) implication from the director.
7. In what way do you think that your design contributes to the story?
cannot tell really… but I think (the music does a lot in this) it gives a nice kick in the movie
8. Have you received any awards for your work?
none
9. Do you only take jobs where you think that the movie is going to be good?
no… sometimes you have the ability to work freely on a nice idea… even when the movie is baaaaaaaaaaaaaad…
10. Do you feel that you have much creative control over your work, or are you usually directed by someone else?
creating titles is the most free working space for me at this moment, because I usually work directly with the director who wants to be amazed and give the finest final touch to his movie. So it's very motivating and stimulating. There are no perturbing stages like in other motion design disciplines (advertizing,TV identity…) 

The Business
1. Do you think that graphic designers in film receives enough credit for their work?
nope! and most of the times they are much forgotten in the production process and have minimum time and money to archieve their work (talking about titles). For the rest, I think France has a lack of culture about the role of an artistic director, that could be involved from the beginning of the process to the poster choice.
2. Do you consider your field of design to be much different from the field of, for instance more print-based design or branding?
25 times per second different.
3. Do you think there's a misunderstanding among the general public about your profession? For instance, what does your parents think you do?
opening credits for Spielberg.
4. If you would educate people about your discipline, who doesn't know anything about it, what work and what designers would you refer to them to look up?
You have to talk about the Pink Panther and James Bond, then you can tak about Saul Bass and others…
5. What kind of design awards are out there for the type of work you do?
I know D&AD award, SXSW festival, and Citrus Cell festival too. There might be others I think.
6. Do you think that people in the movie business (for instance directors or producers) have a good understanding of the graphic designer's creative process?
no. I think they're amazed when it works, but are not into it as image, music or narrative process. Untill they see the results they usually don't imagine the need of a graphic designer.
7. Can you give an example where one designer's work has made the impression of the whole movie much better?
no
8. Can you give an example where one designer's work has made the impression of the whole movie much worse?
no
9. If you're a freelance designer, what do you think is the ideal way of approaching people in the business for potential jobs?
I'm actually thinking about making this easier.
10. If you ever need legal help, is there a specific union for graphic designers in movies?
don't know !