������������
thomas rudolph. cutup07.2004
“A main title -in its best form- is like a prologue to a movie.
Ideally, it sets you up for the emotional content of the film
and gets you excited about it.”
�
������������ ������
For Cooper, ideas and inspiration came initially from comic books.
Growing up in Swampscott, a small town outside Boston, he began
drawing “monsters and fanciful things.”
“I knew in 1985 that I wanted to do main titles. Every graphic design
technique and every technology I learned at Yale was all so I could
pursue this dream of doing main title sequences.”
• masterʼs degree in graphic design at Yale under the tutelage of
Paul Rand
• Senior Art Director and Design department Manager at
R/Greenberg Associates in New York City from 1988 to 1992
• named RGA/LA Creative Director when he relocated to LA in
1992 and formed the design department which ultimately
became Imaginary Forces
• in 1996 he became one of the founders of Imaginary Forces
(+Peter Frankfurt and Chip Houghton)
IF´s work extends from trailer and main title credits to
broadcast graphics, live action commercials, feature film
production, corporate design and webdesign
�
������������ ����������������
founding partners Kyle Cooper, Chip Houghton, and Peter Frankfurt
bought their operation from parent company RG/A, the New York
City-based special-effects production powerhouse. Having just
produced the main title credits for Seven, the three formed Imaginary
Forces with the proverbial wind at their back.
The response from the press was immediate. Graphics International
called creative director Cooper “a new star on the silver screen.” Not
since Saul Bassʼs opening credits for The Man with the Golden Arm
have people paid so much attention to the opening title sequence of
a movie.
Hollywood studios sat up, took notice, and commissioned a slew of
title credits for films such as The Island of Doctor Moreau, Sphere,
Mission Impossible, The Horse Whisperer, Dead Man on Campus, and
dozens more. “Itʼs like weʼve been shot out of a cannon,” says
Cooper.
In three years the company has doubled in size and now numbers
close to 80 employees. Today their work extends from trailer and
main title credits to broadcast graphics, live action commercials, and
feature film production. And theyʼre increasingly moving into the
interactive arena and web site design. With their new environmental
identity campaign for the Baltimore Ravens, Imaginary Forcesʼ work
is seen everywhere from 40 pixel banners to a 100-foot stadium
billboard. As Cooper says, “I believe whatever your hand finds to do,
you should do it with all your might.
�
������������ ����������������
“My role as the creative director at Imaginary Forces,” Cooper says, is
to “help define the problem. We have to determine our story. What
does it need to be? What is the client asking for? What are the
technical limitations?”
Inside Imaginary Forces, accolades from Gentlemanʼs Quarterly and
Esquire are hung next to framed posters of past work, thank-you
notes, and the original artwork from the Seven and Mimic shoots. On
display are old 35mm movie projectors, foot treadle-operated
Movieola editing machines, and a room-size Steenbeck still used to
check match prints. Itʼs as if these motorized pieces of steel, iron,
and glass are kept around to remind everyone how far theyʼve come.
“You have to give an artist the ability to play with things. Thatʼs
where ideas come from,” says Chip Houghton, executive producer
and partner at Imaginary Forces. And for artists like designer and
animator Mike Jakab, having the right tools is indispensable. Heʼll
use anything he can get his hands on to help him tell a story,
including “toothpicks and glue.”
This rapid-fire “see it, shoot it, get it” approach is a breakthrough for
high-end film production houses like Imaginary Forces. “It used to be
that we would be slaves to outside post production companies,
where we would be in these incredibly expensive suites — costing
$500, $700 an hour,” says Houghton.
At Imaginary Forces, that means no longer waiting — and paying for
— an outside post production house to realize the imagery in their
work.
WWW.IMAGINARY FORCES.COM
�
������������ �����������
*Director, +Creative Director, >Designer
�
+Along Came A Spider
Director: Lee Tamahori
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+Bogus
Director: Norman Jewison
Production Company: RGA/LA
*Amos & Andrew
Director: E. Max Frye
Production Company: RGA/LA
*Braveheart
Director: Mel Gibson
Production Company: RGA/LA
*Angels in the Outfield
Director: William Dear
Production Company: RGA/LA
+Carlito's Way
Director: Brian DePalma,
Production Company: RGA/LA
*Arlington Road
Director: Mark Pellington
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
*Celtic Pride
Director: Tom Decerchio
Production Co.: Imaginary Forces
+The Avengers
Director: Jeremiah Chechik
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+City of Angels
Director: Brad Silberling
Production Co.: Imaginary Forces
+Bedazzled
Director: Harold Ramis
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+Charlie´s Angels
Director: McG
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+Bicentenial Man
Director: Chris Columbus
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+Clockstoppers
Director: Jonathan Frakes
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
*Bio-Dome
Director: Jason Bloom
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
>Curly Sue
Director: John Hughes
Production Company: RGA/NY
*Bird on a Wire
Director: John Badham
Production Company: RGA/NY
+Daredevil
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
�
������������ �����������
*Director, +Creative Director, >Designer
�
+City of Angels
Director: Brad Silberling
Production Co.: Imaginary Forces
+Dreamcatcher
Director: Lawrence Kasdan
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+Charlie´s Angels
Director: McG
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
*Eraser
Director: Charles Russell
Production Company: RGA/LA
+Clockstoppers
Director: Jonathan Frakes
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
*Fallen
Director: Gregory Hoblitt
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
>Curly Sue
Director: John Hughes
Production Company: RGA/NY
*Flubber
Director: Les Mayfield
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+Daredevil
Director: Mark Steven Johnson
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+Frankie and Johnny
Director: Gary Marshall
Production Company: RGA/NY
*Dead Presidents
Directors: The Hughes Brothers
Production Company: RGA/LA
+Free Willy
Director: Simon Wincer
Production Company: RGA/LA
*Donnie Brasco
Director: Mike Newell
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+Ghosts of Mississippi
Director: Rob Reiner
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
*Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead
Director: Stephen Herek
Production Company: RGA/NY
+HBO's Gotti
Director: Robert Harmon
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
s
�
������������ �����������
*Director, +Creative Director, >Designer
�
*Immortal Beloved
Director: Bernard Rose
Production Company: RGA/LA
+Home Alone 2
Director: Chris Columbus
Production Company: RGA/NY
*Indecent Proposal
Director: Adrian Lyne
Production Company: RGA/LA
>McBain
Director: James Glickenhaus
Production Company: RGA/NY
+Jack Slater IV (Last Action Hero)
Director: John McTiernan
Production Company: RGA/LA
+Matinee
Director: Joe Dante
Production Company: RGA/LA
+K-Pax
Director: Iain Softley
Production Comapany: Imaginary Forces
>Men of Respect
Director: William Reilly
Production Company: RGA/NY
*Life Lessons
Director: Martin Scorcese
Production Company: RGA/NY
*Metro
Director: Thomas Carter
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+Lipstick Camera
Director: Mike Bonifer
Production Company: RGA/LA
*Mighty Joe Young
Director: Ron Underwood
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+Lost In Space
Director: Stephen Hopkins
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
*Mimic
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+Home Alone 1
Director: Chris Columbus,
Production Company: RGA/NY
*Mission: Impossible
Director: Brian De Palma
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
�
������������ �����������
*Director, +Creative Director, >Designer
�
+One Hour Photo
Director: Mark Romanek
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
*Seven
Director: David Fincher
Production Company: RGA/LA
+Passenger 57
Director: Kevin Hooks
Production Company: RGA/NY
>She-Devil
Director: Susan Seidelman
Production Company: RGA/NY
+Passion Fish
Director: John Sayles
Production Company: RGA/NY
+Shining Through
Director: David Seltzer
Production Company: RGA/NY
+Predator 2
Director: Stephen Hopkins
Production Company: RGA/NY
+Sister Act Two
Director: Bill Duke
Production Company: RGA/LA
*Pushing Tin
Director: Mike Newell
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+Sphere
Director: Barry Levinson
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
*Quiz Show (End Credit Montage)
Director: Robert Redford
Production Company: RGA/LA
+Spiderman
Director: Sam Raimi
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
*Red Corner
Director: John Avnet
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+Stuart Little
Director: Rob Minkoff
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
*Richie Rich
Director: Donald Petrie
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+Stuart Little 2
Director: Rob Minkoff
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
�
������������ �����������
*Director, +Creative Director, >Designer
�
+The American President
Director: Rob Reiner
Production Company: RGA/LA
*The Joy Luck Club
Director: Wayne Wang
Production Company: RGA/LA
>The Bonfire of the Vanities
Director: Brian DePalma
Production Company: RGA/NY
*The Juror
Director: Brian Gibson
Production Company: RGA/LA
+The Fan
Director: Tony Scott
Production Company: RGA/LA
+The Mummy Returns
Director:
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+The George Wallace Story
Director: John Frankenheimer
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
*Rising Sun
Director: Philip Kaufman
Production Company: RGA/LA
*The Getaway
Director: Roger Donaldson
Production Company: RGA/LA
+The Negotiator
Director: F. Gary Gray
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
*The Hard Way
Director: John Badham
Production Company: RGA/NY
*The Nutcracker
Director: Emile Ardolino
Production Company: RGA/LA
*The Horse Whisperer
Director: Robert Redford
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+The Parent Trap
Director: Nancy Meyers
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
*The Island of Dr. Moreau
Director: John Frankenheimer
Production Company: RGA/LA
*The Rat Pack (Main Title & Montages)
Director: Rob Cohen
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
�
������������ �����������
*Director, +Creative Director, >Designer
�
*True Lies
Director: James Cameron
Production Company: RGA/LA
+Wolf
Director: Mike Nichols
Production Company: RGA/LA
+Truman Show
Director: Rob Reiner
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
*Zebrahead
Director: Anthony Drazen
Production Company: RGA/NY
+Twister
Director: Jan De Bont
Production Company: RGA/LA
*Zorro
Director: Martin Campbell
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+Used People
Director: Beeban Kidron
Production Company: RGA/LA
*Volcano
Director: Mick Jackson
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+When a Man Loves a Woman
Director: Luis Mandoki
Production Company: RGA/LA
*Without Limits
Director: Robert Towne
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
+Wild Wild West
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Production Company: Imaginary Forces
sources
http:// www.adobe.de/motion/gallery/imgforces/main.html
http:// www.apple.com/mediaarts/0301/imaginary/
http://www.cyberkino.de/entertainment/kino/1110/111266pr.html
http://www.thomas-schick.com/5.html
http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/fall1997/kylecooper.html
http://www.maxon.net/pages/dyn_files/dyn_htx/htx/391/00391_00392.html
http://www.maxon.net/pages/dyn_files/dyn_htx/htx/320/00320_00321.html
http://www.directorsnet.com/cooper/
http://www.mip.at/de/werke/502-content.html
http://www.film-kunst.com/film_seven.html
http://www.shift.jp.org/banner/kylecooper/
http://www.shift.com/content/web/232/1.html
http://www.taz.de/pt/2001/12/04/a0224.nf/text