We should all know by now that Flux is in the business of curating some of the best events for film enthusiasts and art lovers alike.  Most recently, Flux partnered with Forget the Film, Watch the Titles, a website [www.watchthetitles.com] hosted by the Dutch platform Submarine Channel, to present their first installment in of Flux Screening at the Hammer Museum in an extremely unique event that brought together five of the top title sequence designers for a night of insightful lectures, breathtaking clips, and even sneak-peeks at titlework for upcoming films.  If you're a sucker for stunning cinematography and motion graphics work, this was a night you simply couldn't miss. It's been nearly two weeks since the event took place, but "Forget the Film, Watch the Titles" left such a strong impression on me that I still felt responsible for putting in my two cents.  I was initially hazy about what the night held in store for me, but once I arrived at the Hammer and discovered the theme for the event it's safe to say I felt like a person who just found a pretty green note with a smiling picture of Benjamin Franklin on the ground.  You don't have to be a cinefile to appreciate movie sequences created to make you "ooh" and "aah" and I was about to spend a night with the best of the best. Forget the Film, Watch the Titles is a website that focuses on title/end sequences and motion graphics whose popularity has exploded since it first debuted.  Because of the startling success of the site, the good people at SubmarineChannel decided to expand to do screenings, and approached Flux with the project.  This night was the fruit of the wonderful collaboration on that ingenious idea. The lineup included Jamie Caliri of Duck, Danny Yount and Kyle Cooper from Prologue, Karin Fong of Imaginary Forces, and yU+co's Garson Yu, title designers who had worked on countless films and tv shows we hold dear.  Titles like Gattaca, Se7en, Watchmen, Desperate Housewives, and Chuck were just a smidgen of the names thrown around while the designers discussed their past and present projects.  Hushed whispers of "Oh my God, he was the one who did the titles for that?" or "He worked with Ridley Scott on that one?" were a consistent tone that continued throughout the entire event. By the time I arrived there was already a line curling around the block as people waited to enter the event, set in the Hammer's beautiful Billy Wilder Theater, a perfect stage for such a momentous night.  DJ JUN spun tunes outside while refreshments were served in the courtyard.  Additional overflow seating was also provided there where people could smoke and drink freely while watching the night's festivities from the cool open air of the courtyard. In case you're not a geek like me, I won't bore you with all the details but I'll run through a cursory overview the presenters and areas of interest. The "art of the title" is an incredibly instrumental, yet commonly overlooked cornerstone of film and television.  Where directors once shot handconstructed title boards with static text, title designers are now responsible for dazzling viewers with a mini-show worthy of the main content.  Title sequences act as introductions to a piece--a prologue if you will--and in a limited span of time designers must frame the proper mood while communicating all the necessary information, be it part of the storyline or simply the introduction credits.  As film and television has progressed, beginning and end title sequences are beginning to stand alone as independent creative parts of the movie/show that people study and appreciate as a nearly separate entity (sometimes even lagging in the theater far after the movie has finished just to watch the credit sequences). One final sequence you probably remember is the Tron-style credits from Iron Man, directed by the infamous Danny Yount of Prologue.  He was the first of the five designers to present, wowing the audience with clips from his award-winning work on Six Feet Under, The Grid, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and RocknRolla (click here to check it out!).  But what really made an impression on me was how his entire talk was framed on the premise of his blue-collar background.  Yount revealed that he held a countless number of less enviable jobs (janitor, dish washer, paper boy, butcher, etc.) before he finally discovered his true passion.  He was self-taught and took a risk to pursue his dreams.  From there Yount became an Emmy-winning creative director at Digital Kitchen before he began to work with Kyle Cooper at the prestigious house of Prologue. Jamie Caliri shared an extended version of his magical title sequence in Lemony Snicket's - A Series of Unfortunate Events, which remains the most-watched sequence on watchthetitles.com.  For a moment the entire audience was drawn into his animated world of playful fantasy. Karin Fong is no rookie to the industry, having worked on pieces like Charlotte's Web, Definitely Maybe, The Pink Panther 2, and Chuck.  She shocked the audience by previewing the title sequence on her latest project, Terminator Salvation, which was actually opening that night.  Apparently she had utilized a camera used on the Mars rover affectionately named "the bumblebee" to create a 3D grid-like effect that mimicked the vision of a terminator as seen in the first two installments.  It's safe to say the result was far more gratifying that the film itself (see "No Salvation For Terminator"). From left to right: Garson Yu, Kyle Cooper, Jamie Caliri, Karin Fong, Danny Yount. It'd be impossible to name all the films, shows, directors, and celebrities Garson Yu has worked with in the past.  His presentation was like a walk down memory lane, with clips from movies we all recognize.  Little did you know Yu is most recently responsible for the beautiful ending credit animation of 300 (check it out here) and the acclaimed 6-minute opening sequence of Watchmen (you definitely need to see this). The evening's finale was notorious Kyle Cooper.  I cannot stress this man's importance or prestige enough.  Every presenter at the event had worked with Cooper at some point.  His title sequence of Se7en was a breakthrough that not only revitalized the art of the title, but was recognized by New York Times Magazine as "one of the most important design innovations of the 1990s."  His fingerprints have been on projects as diverse as Braveheart to the recent Metal Gear Solid 4 game.  He is the founder of Imaginary Forces and more recently Prologue Films, which he now runs in Los Angeles.  Put simply, this guy is the godfather, the heir-apparent to title-design legend Saul Bass. Everyone was on the edge of their seat when Cooper took the stage.  Within minutes it was obvious that this man was simply a dreamer.  Now most would have expected him to spend most of his time talking about his work, but instead Cooper spent most of his time in between clips taking a different route.  "I'm interested in macro things," he bubbled, "veins, blood, fingernails--real things--this is all God's handiwork."  He continued, "Now this would lead most people to argue that God is imperfect."  The room was deathly silent by now.  The mere mention of the "G" word or more spiritual themes caused more than one raised eyebrow.  "I don't think God is imperfect; I think we just don't see the whole picture."  Cooper went on to talk about his inspirations and goals when designing titles or graphic art.  "I love things you find in nature and can study.  It's funny that we [designers] are always interpreting something that's already there, something that's already been created." It was clear that everyone in the room wouldn't have minded if the screening ran twice as long as it did, but unfortunately the presentations had to come to a close.  Luckily an afterparty was provided in the courtyard by Flux and the Hammer Museum, offering an opportunity to mingle with the designers and enjoy some well-deserved drinks! "Forget the Film, Watch the Titles" marked one of the first times designers of this caliber and niche had been brought together to study and celebrate title design.  The night was like sitting in on a leader's summit of a braintrust of creatives.  It was a truly groundbreaking experience and I felt incredibly lucky to be a part of it.  A huge thanks to Angelique, Flux, and Forget the Film, Watch the Titles and SubmarineChannel for another killer night!  The next Flux Screening Series at the Hammer Museum will be in September; you'll be sorry if you miss it so be sure to stay updated with the latest!   *** For more photos of the event, visit the Flux Screening Flickr. Photo Credits: Marla Aufmuth [http://www.mcaevents.com] http://www.watchthetitles.com Flux