Photo by Nick Whitmoyer
There are few true originators in the land of Hollywood, but the iconic Kyle Cooper, designer of innovative titles for everything from Sherlock Holmes to Spiderman and Speed Racer to Seven is the very definition. His breathtaking work has brought the first few minutes of a film back to the forefront of creativity after a long slumber, and made staying to the very end a newfound requirement. Not since Saul Bass has someone’s work been so analyzed and enjoyed in this respect. As one of Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business,” he transcends film and has become part of our creative fabric.
This past week, The Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington had the pleasure of hosting Mr Cooper for a sold out event at the Navy Memorial’s Penn Quarter Conference Center. Before the event, ADCMW President John Foster had a few moments to quiz Kyle on everything from his typographical heroes to the animal menagerie in his house. Listen in:
Photo by Nick Whitmoyer
You have almost become a brand unto yourself – something you could not have anticipated when you entered the field. What pressures have come with that that you never expected?
The only pressure comes from wanting to get everything done that is asked of me by clients I care about, as well as friends and family members who are important to me. There are a lot of opportunities and expectations regarding my time and I have to choose wisely what I am going to focus on. Choosing is something I prefer not to do, hence the pressure. Sometimes others are disappointed when they are not the focus of my time, and I do not like to let people down. At R/GA, Imaginary Forces and now Prologue, I have always tried to build creative teams that have the potential to consistently do design work at a very high level. In order for me to keep the commitments I make to my clients, but not necessarily have to do every aspect of every job myself, I need to depend on my teams. The pressure comes from trying to do everything alone and not being supported by a professional team. The better my team is, the better I am, the better leader I am – the better my team is. When I entered the field, I was more selfish regarding my work and more interested in making a name for myself. Back then I did not expect to take as much pleasure in the successes of my teams as I took in my own successes. At this point in my life, I take tremendous pride in ideas and executions that I know to be my own, but I am most satisfied when someone I have brought into this industry does work that inspires me.
If you had the opportunity – what movie or TV show (at anytime in entertainment history) would you most like to do the titles for and why?
I would do the titles for Chariots of Fire. The two characters, Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams personify the two aspects of my character – which are constantly at war with each other inside my head. A close second would be Kenneth Branagh’s “Henry V.” Much of my approach to leadership is taken from Henry V (the names Imaginary Forces and Prologue not withstanding) and I love the Character of King Harry because he inspires me to continue to grow. His past, not unlike my own, suggested that he was unprepared to lead, but he excelled in that capacity regardless. Restoration came as a flood. “You’ll find a difference as we his subjects have in wonder found from the promise of his greener days to those he masters now”.
Give us a rundown of your pets currently?
At this writing, we have Pepo, jack russell terrier. Lola, a teacup chihuahua, Henry, a terrier mutt, two chinchillas and a dozen gold fish.
At a time when technology is such a driving force in all things visual, it is your reliance on your hands and eyes that seems to set you apart. Tell us a little about the process when you first start on a new project:
I do research. I listen to the director. I try to be an expert at the problem I am trying to solve. I try to find out everything I can about the movie, or the source material. When I went to work for Julie Taymor on “The Tempest”, I tried to memorize the entire play and it served me a great deal while we were filming, because I had an intimate understanding of the story. There are designers who make the book cover without reading the book; I cannot do that. You do not have to be a genius to try to become obsessed with whatever it is that you are focused on. I think if you are solving a problem you can become and expert on all things pertaining to that particular problem. If technology is part of the problem then great; if a technological solution is the best solution then great. I do not think the direction is to be found inside a computer animation, or illustration, or photo manipulation software package. I think you use the computer to execute the direction, but the web certainly helps with research.
How long does a typical title sequence take to complete? What’s the longest you have worked on one?
Two days to six months. Six months.
How do directors/producers react when they see that you have shot or created totally new footage for the titles (they might expect it at this point – but in the beginning) and do you think even the most design savvy viewer realizes that the titles are “completely” the making of a different creator?
Films have always had second unit directors and assistant directors. My client is the director, it is his movie – it is my job to support him. When I direct a feature again, I imagine that some of the directors I have supported will support me as well. I collaborate with the director, the work product is equally his or hers. If my work does not dovetail with their vision, I have not done my job. If my work does not enhance their feature, just as the arm enhances the body, I have not done my job. To view the two things as separate entities is not the purpose for which they were each created anymore than the arm being designed to function independently of the body. To make something that is not in the service of the film proper, is to not fully embrace the design problem provided, and is a bit self-serving in my opinion.
Photo by Nick Whitmoyer
Your decision to “go small” seemed inevitable in order to keep your hands in the creative – how are things working out? What are the advantages and disadvantages of your current firm’s size?
We are big again, but every single Prologue employee is the best person possible for their job – I am surrounded by the most excellent designers and production people that I have ever worked with. In the past, I was willing to settle for employees that were not at this level, but now big is not so bad, because every soldier is vital and they all can do good work without my help, so I can focus on the projects and clients I need to and trust that they will take care of me. If not, I am ok with letting them go which was a very difficult thing for me to do when I was younger, but now I realize it is often the the correct thing to do.
What changes in applying your skills to TV versus film versus video games?
I think the answer is more about the challenges of creating something that is interactive versus something that is unchanging and immutable. With interactivity you have less control over how the work is experienced and the experience is different for every user. We greatly enjoy designing work that is interactive, we were just nominated for a National Design Award for interactive work, we feel we know how to do it. Interactivity it is certainly a different kind of design problem to solve but as I mentioned, the goal is to become experts at each brief, technologically as well as content wise. This methodology works for interactive projects as well. Personally I like finishing a piece and controlling how the final project is going to be seen forever. It is so hard to make something that you have no regrets about something that about which you would change nothing. I find it a bit more satisfying to know that people will see the end product how I intended for them to see it, with the same sequence of events as I laid out. Interactive work is seen differently each time.
Do you have the itch to direct a full-length feature again?
Yes
You have traveled all over at this point – what is the best meal you ever ate?
I like the food best in South Africa and Korea.
iPod shuffle game – list the first five songs that come up randomly on shuffle – no cheating and not listing back to back MC Hammer’s:
(1) Black Cow – Steely Dan (2) Can I change my mind – Tyrone Davis (3) Crown Him with many Crowns – Choir of King’s College Cambridge (4) Life on Mars – David Bowie (5) Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit / Sonatina aus “Actus tragicus” [BMV 106] – Bach / György Kurtág & Marta Kurtág Bonus
What is your favorite movie of all-time?
Tie between: Chariots of Fire, Henry V – Kenneth Branagh Director, Rainman, Platoon, Cinema Paradisio, The Dead Zone
Typographical heroes?
Paul Rand, Hebert Matter, Armin Hofmann, High Dubberly, Chris Pullman, Bradbury Thompson, Jan Tschichold, Josef Müller-Brockmann, Alexey Brodovitch
If you are reading this interview then hopefully you have just enjoyed Mr. Cooper’s wonderful talk at Penn Quarter Conference Center and the only question left unanswered is – did he name that little mutt after Henry V? I’ll bet he did.
