Nina Saxon
Nina Saxon (born 1953) is an American graphic designer, film titles designer, and founder of Nina Saxon Film Design.
Early life and education[edit]
Nina Saxon was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and grew up in the California San Fernando Valley.[1] She attended the University of California, Los Angeles where she began studying psychology with aspirations of becoming a psychologist, but was drawn to animation after taking a course as an elective.[1][2] As a student, her first short film depicted a childbirth shot on location at a Planned Parenthood intercut to music. The film helped her to win the Jim Morrison Film Award,[3][4] a scholarship presented to UCLA films students that exhibit professional promise, and demonstrate artistic talent in film and television directing and producing.[5] She completed a BA in animation with a minor in Psychology.[1]
Early career[edit]
Saxon's first job was a six-week project in Mill Valley with academy award-winning director John Korty.[3][4] It was on this production that she met her mentor, editor Donn Cambern.[1] Utilizing his connections, Cambern assisted Saxon in obtaining a visual effects position with the optical house Modern Film Effects for the fist Star Wars film. It was on this production that Saxon learned about rotoscoping. She used this technique to create the red laser bullets and blaster bolt effect for the three Star Wars films.[4][1][6] According to Adam Beckett, Saxon was responsible for the shooting and animating these shots.[7]
After Star Wars, Saxon took a position with Robert Abel and Associates, a visual effects company responsible for innovative effects seen in films such as The Andromeda Strain (film)(1971) and Tron (1982). Here she expanded her technical skills and learned how to paint with light.[4] Light painting is a photographic technique in which the movement of a light source during a long exposure photograph produces a drawn visual record of the movement exposed onto one image.[8]
Career[edit]
As one of a dozen designers specializing in movie title design in the mid-1990s, she was considered one of the most sought after according to Benenson of the New York Times.[2]
New Wave[edit]
In 1998 Saxon was hired by New Wave Entertainment as VP and creative director of their design group. New Wave is known as a movie marketing company that developed movie trailers, TV spots, and print ads for studios such as Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Co., and Columbia Tristar Pictures. The addition of Saxon allowed New Wave to offer title design services to their clients.[9]
Influence[edit]
Logo period of film title design[edit]
Saxon's title designs, as well as those created by other designers of the time, represented a shift in aesthetic and philosophy of the form. During the 1970s, Hollywood faced challenges with a new rating system and increased competition from independent production companies. These challenges resulted in a shift in title design from one that was lengthy and set apart from the rest of the film to one focused on brand development, the "logo title". During this time, studios preferred titling that branded the film with a "logo opening" and could be repurposed in printed design. This style of titling set the "logo-title" apart from the rest of the credits which were placed over the opening sequence of the film.[10]
Selected film and television title design[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e King, Susan (October 22, 2006). "WORKING HOLLYWOOD; By design, she gives credit where it's due". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ^ a b BENENSON, LAURIE HALPERN (March 24, 1996). "The New Look in Film Titles: Edgy Type That's on the Move". The New York Times. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ^ a b "Nina Saxon Celebrates 40th Anniversary in Hollywood as One of Industry's Preeminent Main Title Designers". Shoot Publicity Wire. August 14, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Landekic, Lola (June 18, 2019). "Nina Saxon: A Career Retrospective, Part 1". Art of the Title. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ "Jim Morrison Film Fund - University of California-Los Angeles Scholarships".
- ^ Turner, Pamela Taylor (2019). Infinite Animation: The Life and Work of Adam Beckett. CRC Press. ISBN 9781351209373.
- ^ Turnock, Julie (2014). "The True Stars of Star Wars? Experimental Filmmakers in the 1970s and 1980s Special Effects Industry". Film History. 26 (4): 120–145, 158. doi:10.2979/filmhistory.26.4.120. S2CID 190405494.
- ^ Godshaw, Reid (November 30, 2016). "The Art and Science of Light Painting". The STEAM Journal. 2.
- ^ Friedman, Wayne (March 2, 1998). "Tide turning for New Wave with hiring of Saxon". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
- ^ Betancourt, Michael (2013). The History of Motion Graphics: From Avant-Garde to Industry in the United States. Wildside Press. p. 201.