NTTD Main Titles & Gunbarrel - Designed by Daniel Kleinman (SPOILERS)

edited October 2021 in No Time To Die Posts: 3,164
Looks like Kleinman is officially back, and these guys even have a quote from him
"I have started having ideas for B25, and met with @cary_fukunaga who is a very nice talented man. It’s very early days for my process, there is no title or song as yet, but I’m already excited to be thinking about visuals for the main titles."


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Comments

  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 13,877
    Great news of course. Now let's get back to more colourful and simple (less cluttered) titles. Wasn't keen on the last two.
  • Posts: 4,400
    Oh God…..this is not the news I wanted to hear.

    Kleinman has outstayed his welcome in my opinion. I adore what he did with SF but SP represented something of a career nadir.

    The imagery was baffling and just nonsensically weird. Why the heck was Daniel topless with women weirdly stroking his chest next to a raging fire?!?! What the bloody hell was going on with that idiotic squid. It was a vulgar CGI mess.

    Spectre was by far Kleinman’s weakest titles.

    I was really hoping for a female title designer. Someone who could possibly bring in the female gaze and make the titles more like a high-end fashion spread. Maybe a talent like Melina Matsoukas.



    Alternatively, they should of got Ben Chappell. He’s the guy who has shot all the Arctic Monkeys videos:





    Instead of something edgy and cool. We are getting the bloke who thought this was a cool image:

    spectre4.png

    Jeez….. Kleinman really screwed the pooch on that one.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 23,409
    QBranch wrote: »
    Great news of course. Now let's get back to more colourful and simple (less cluttered) titles. Wasn't keen on the last two.

    I agree with you, @QBranch. I like the minimalist and somewhat story-driving titles of CR, but SF and SP were layers and layers of perfumed, artistic douchebaggery. I'm not saying they were "bad"--hell, I couldn't create such a thing even if I had a lifetime to do it--but there was something self-indulgent about them, versus the almost truculent (in a pleasing way) nature of CR's title sequence.

    I still think Kleinman did his best work with GE and CR and I must admit that I have a soft spot for what he did with DAD, keeping the mood going despite a weak PTS and despite Madonna's song. What he did with SF and SP was, of course, in keeping with that particular style Mendes brought to the game, so if Fukunage injects the series with new energy, maybe he'll demand Kleinman do the same.

    Overall, I'm a fan of Kleinman's titles. As with Binder's, there are more highs than lows. Incidentally, Kleinman's rapidly closing in on Binder in terms of years of service (though not of number of films of course.) It's just something I grew aware of just now. ;-)
  • Posts: 6,654
    For me Kleinman was the best thing about The Brossa era, but I too was hoping for someone new for Bond 25. He did a great job on CR but his titles for SF and SP were too cluttered, and I don't go in for this thing he has for showing so much of the plot in his titles. So not necessary!! Let's get back to guns/ girls Danny!!
  • edited July 2019 Posts: 17,235
    I'm interested to see what Daniel Kleinman can do this time around, although the SP one is my least favourite of them all, and I'm in total agreement with @Pierce2Daniel here (and I really like Ben Chappell's work with AM too).

    On a side note, the SP one made me laugh out loud unintentionally in the theatre because I was immediately reminded of a scene from Bullshot (1983), featuring a giant squid.

  • PavloPavlo Ukraine
    Posts: 323
    Hope he will collaborate with Cary a lot (he's already said that he'd been talking with Cary about TS) because Cary has a very successful experience in it as he was one of the authors of now legendary True Detective TS with great music.
  • Posts: 4,023
    Who was it who did QOS? They did a nice modern take on having general Bond images mixed with one main theme - that endless sandscape - which looked pretty cool.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 7,996
    vzok wrote: »
    Who was it who did QOS? They did a nice modern take on having general Bond images mixed with one main theme - that endless sandscape - which looked pretty cool.

    Mk12.
  • Posts: 125
    Welcome back to Daniel Kleinman. =D>

    Is what he says true? That there is still no title for BOND 25. :-/
  • Posts: 4,400
    I totally agree that Kleinman was a breath of fresh air in the Brosnan era. His work in GE, TND and DAD in particular.

    I know people love his CR titles, but personally they always seemed a little lacklustre to me.

    SP was a total mess. I was so confused when I first saw it and it still gets unintentional laughs out of me.

    However, the one glimmer of hope here is SF. I really loved it and still do. I love it’s haunting Halloween imagery with Bond’s slow descent into the underworld. It’s a surrealistic depiction of Bond’s death kitted out with burning effigies of 007.

    But whatever goodwill Danny had was squandered with SP. I’m frustrated that Fukunaga jazzed things up so much behind the scenes just to keep Kleinman of all people……..

    I don’t want a CGI mess, I want them to channel this style of energy:
    04-4369221_0x440.jpg
    lea-seydoux-8-vogue-2nove15-craig-mcdean_b.jpg
    pierce-brosnan-and-halle-berry-gallery.jpg
    8f766ad394aadf676627042106b26b94.jpg

    Or imagine something made by Nicholas Winding Refn! They should just take this video and make the titles from it.
  • WalecsWalecs On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    Posts: 3,157
    Jeez….. Kleinman really screwed the pooch on that one.

    Back when they wanted SPECTRE title sequence to be part hentai and part The Little Mermaid.
  • M_BaljeM_Balje Amsterdam, Netherlands
    Posts: 4,411
    Biggest quistions is how there wil bring the light back in the gunbarrel. So the say the ''the spot light''.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 23,409
    @Pierce2Daniel

    I agree on Nicholas Winding Refn, who is a terrific visual director. I'm sure he himself has contributions to make to the Bonds, though maybe not as a director.

    As for SP, I must admit I loved the Cthulhu theme of the whole thing. ;-)
  • Posts: 4,619
    Why the heck was Daniel topless with women weirdly stroking his chest next to a raging fire?!?!

    [...]

    I was really hoping for a female title designer. Someone who could possibly bring in the female gaze
    LOL. Decide what you want!
  • Posts: 4,400
    Why the heck was Daniel topless with women weirdly stroking his chest next to a raging fire?!?!

    [...]

    I was really hoping for a female title designer. Someone who could possibly bring in the female gaze
    LOL. Decide what you want!

    I think you're misunderstanding what is meant by the 'female gaze'. It doesn't mean ogling at man meat. I'm referring to what might be deemed a high-fashion interpretation of femininity and sex. Think more Vogue or London Fashion Week than the Spectre titles.

    screen-shot-2018-02-25-at-10-01-09-am-1519581837.png

    margot-robbie-photoshoot-for-vogue-australia-2017-2.jpg
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited July 2019 Posts: 17,696
    Well, I must be one of the very few here who liked the Spectre titles then. I thought that the octopus theme tied in quite nicely with both the source material of the 'Octopussy' short story and with the SPECTRE ring and symbol of the older Bond films, along with the version used in the film itself. It had a nice symbolic quality to it that I liked.

    I also liked the skull used to represent Blofeld at the head of the octopus as that reminded me of a few of the Richard Chopping Fleming Bond novel dust jackets featuring skulls as well as the smiling glowing skull Coronet paperback cover of John Gardner's Icebreaker. The two folding skeletal hands (with Blofeld at the table) put me in mind of the Thunderball novel Chopping dust jacket as well. It was all very Bondian in my book.

    All of this considered, I think that's why I liked the Spectre titles so much, even if it seems I'm in the minority on this. Come to think of it, I am often in the minority here on matters Bondian (most especially on the continuation novels), so it's no big surprise to me!

    So, I'm glad that Daniel Kleinman is back. He's very good at what he does and is a continuing asset to the James Bond fims. We're lucky to have him.
  • Posts: 6,607
    I can't watch the SP titles if the TV isn't on "mute". That being said, if it is, they're quite interesting and dark, and I do like the octopus and skull themes. I'd trade naked Bond for naked ladies, but that's all.
  • edited July 2019 Posts: 12,833
    Just said in another thread but will say again here to play devils advocate against some of the more negative reactions: I'm very happy with this.

    I get why some wanted new blood but I think there is a danger of messing with something that isn't broken, as they already found out the hard way when they replaced him for QoS and when they replaced Arnold with Newman. Different isn't always better.

    Plus what's good about Kleinman is you never really get the same thing twice. Binder's titles by the end were fairly forgettable imo, he repeated himself a lot (bird, gun, maybe a shot of Bond, wash rinse repeat). Kleinman though is versatile. He does reuse concepts (silhouetted Bond in CR and SF, dancing girls in the Brosnan era) but he always manages to make every sequence feel completely unique to that film. I don't see any need to replace him and I'm excited to see what he comes up with for Bond 25.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 7,996
    The CR and GE titles are exceptional.
    Why the heck was Daniel topless with women weirdly stroking his chest next to a raging fire?!?!

    [...]

    I was really hoping for a female title designer. Someone who could possibly bring in the female gaze
    LOL. Decide what you want!

    I think you're misunderstanding what is meant by the 'female gaze'. It doesn't mean ogling at man meat. I'm referring to what might be deemed a high-fashion interpretation of femininity and sex. Think more Vogue or London Fashion Week than the Spectre titles.

    screen-shot-2018-02-25-at-10-01-09-am-1519581837.png

    margot-robbie-photoshoot-for-vogue-australia-2017-2.jpg

    High-fashion interpretation could be easily infused into the film itself with little trouble, but unfortunately in a 2-3 minute title sequence, it has a high chance of being, well.....a bit boring. The energy given off in the images you posted is limp at best, and I fear the inspiration taken from them or others of their kind would lead to something that's simply not very visually stimulating.

    The best title sequences have always shown a creative twist on something that's plot relevant (or at least a play on something in the film), as opposed to taking on board this kind of thing.

    See GF, TB, OHMSS, GE, CR, SF....

    For me, at least.
  • Posts: 6,607
    The CR and GE titles are exceptional.
    Why the heck was Daniel topless with women weirdly stroking his chest next to a raging fire?!?!

    [...]

    I was really hoping for a female title designer. Someone who could possibly bring in the female gaze
    LOL. Decide what you want!

    I think you're misunderstanding what is meant by the 'female gaze'. It doesn't mean ogling at man meat. I'm referring to what might be deemed a high-fashion interpretation of femininity and sex. Think more Vogue or London Fashion Week than the Spectre titles.

    screen-shot-2018-02-25-at-10-01-09-am-1519581837.png

    margot-robbie-photoshoot-for-vogue-australia-2017-2.jpg

    High-fashion interpretation could be easily infused into the film itself with little trouble, but unfortunately in a 2-3 minute title sequence, it has a high chance of being, well.....a bit boring. The energy given off in the images you posted is limp at best, and I fear the inspiration taken from them or others of their kind would lead to something that's simply not very visually stimulating.

    The best title sequences have always shown a creative twist on something that's plot relevant (or at least a play on something in the film), as opposed to taking on board this kind of thing.

    See GF, TB, OHMSS, GE, CR, SF....

    For me, at least.

    Exactly, you're absolutely right. It's about themes and means to present them.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 7,996
    Univex wrote: »
    The CR and GE titles are exceptional.
    Why the heck was Daniel topless with women weirdly stroking his chest next to a raging fire?!?!

    [...]

    I was really hoping for a female title designer. Someone who could possibly bring in the female gaze
    LOL. Decide what you want!

    I think you're misunderstanding what is meant by the 'female gaze'. It doesn't mean ogling at man meat. I'm referring to what might be deemed a high-fashion interpretation of femininity and sex. Think more Vogue or London Fashion Week than the Spectre titles.

    screen-shot-2018-02-25-at-10-01-09-am-1519581837.png

    margot-robbie-photoshoot-for-vogue-australia-2017-2.jpg

    High-fashion interpretation could be easily infused into the film itself with little trouble, but unfortunately in a 2-3 minute title sequence, it has a high chance of being, well.....a bit boring. The energy given off in the images you posted is limp at best, and I fear the inspiration taken from them or others of their kind would lead to something that's simply not very visually stimulating.

    The best title sequences have always shown a creative twist on something that's plot relevant (or at least a play on something in the film), as opposed to taking on board this kind of thing.

    See GF, TB, OHMSS, GE, CR, SF....

    For me, at least.

    Exactly, you're absolutely right. It's about themes and means to present them.

    That's not to say the two ideas couldn't be merged together in an interesting way, of course. I just get very little from the pictures posted above in terms of energy, in an abstract way.

    I am with those who don't particularly like the SP titles. Objectively, they are no worse than Kleinman's other efforts but because they reflect the themes of the film so strongly and I also happen to not like the film's execution of those same themes, I find them a tad underwhelming as a result.
  • Posts: 4,619
    I've said it before and will say it again: I would love to see the main title sequece completely reinterpreted. I'm talking about a departure even more radical than the title sequence of CR was. I would love to see interpretive dance instead of graphics, with the dancers presenting the relationships between the main characters. Like this: https://youtube.com/watch?v=KWZGAExj-es
  • The_Bleeding_HeartThe_Bleeding_Heart Oakland, CA
    Posts: 34
    Not too thrilled about us getting Kleinman back for this film. Maybe if his titles this time around are more or less scaled down and minimalistic (ala GoldenEye), I’d be onboard. But as of late, his title sequences have become so...busy and languid.

    Say what you want about Mk12’s sequence for QoS but at least there was some coherency to the images, a focused theme, and an energy to them.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,696
    I've said it before and will say it again: I would love to see the main title sequece completely reinterpreted. I'm talking about a departure even more radical than the title sequence of CR was. I would love to see interpretive dance instead of graphics, with the dancers presenting the relationships between the main characters. Like this: https://youtube.com/watch?v=KWZGAExj-es

    So you kind of want a return to the Maurice Binder title sequence for Dr. No? I could get on board with that.
  • Posts: 6,607
    Not too thrilled about us getting Kleinman back for this film. Maybe if his titles this time around are more or less scaled down and minimalistic (ala GoldenEye), I’d be onboard. But as of late, his title sequences have become so...busy and languid.

    Say what you want about Mk12’s sequence for QoS but at least there was some coherency to the images, a focused theme, and an energy to them.

    My feelings exactly. About Kleinman and Mk12.
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    I've liked all his titles bar SP, CR is my favourite of his, then GE with SF next.

    DC Octopus porn was risible and like @Univex I put my TV on mute so I don't get subjected to the worst title song of the series and the most forgettable.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 7,986
    I thought MK12 was too repetitive. I actually dig Kleinman’s titles of late for swinging for the fences and hope he continues his streak.
  • Posts: 17,235
    A bit off topic, but was there any particular reason Kleinman didn't make the QoS PTS?
  • Posts: 6,607
    Shardlake wrote: »
    I've liked all his titles bar SP, CR is my favourite of his, then GE with SF next.

    DC Octopus porn was risible and like @Univex I put my TV on mute so I don't get subjected to the worst title song of the series and the most forgettable.

    It actually makes me nauseous. Really. It really does. It's like a reflux spasm or something. And I get an eye twitch...it doesn't actually bleed like Le Chiffre's, but it might at some point, so I put the tv on mute to play it safe.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,696
    Steady on, chaps.
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