Nacer Ayad

The work of Osamu Dezaki has been a profound inspiration for countless artists, myself included. His approach to the medium fundamentally changed how stories could be told on screen. Let me take you on a journey through the remarkable legacy of this animation virtuoso and explore how his techniques continue to shape the industry today.

Starting his career at Mushi Production under the legendary Osamu Tezuka, Dezaki quickly proved himself to be a visionary and would later become one of the most influential figures in anime history. Alongside his inseparable creative partner, character designer Akio Sugino, and producer Masao Maruyama, he helped establish Madhouse studio. This newly formed powerhouse would eventually become a cornerstone for mature, sophisticated, and visually striking animation in Japan.

What particularly drew me to Dezaki’s work—especially when I was directing and animating the Super Héros music video for the French rapper Demi Portion—was his revolutionary Postcard Memory technique. These stunning still images, which sometimes replace entire sequences of animation, were initially developed as a clever cost-saving measure but quickly evolved into a powerful artistic statement.

The technique involves using celluloid with only the character outlines, while adding color on paper underneath to create a rich, watercolor-like effect. These moments, often reminiscent of traditional Japanese woodblock prints, can express far more than several seconds of fluid movement ever could. They freeze crucial narrative beats in time, allowing the viewer to fully absorb their heavy emotional weight.

Dezaki was far from a one-trick pony; his technical arsenal reshaped the visual grammar of anime. He pioneered the use of paraffin effects on celluloid to create unique smoke and atmospheric textures, and his dramatic approach to lighting and shadow work soon became an industry standard. He frequently utilized off-frame light rays and split-screen compositions to masterfully enhance dramatic tension. Furthermore, his rapid and efficient storyboarding abilities set a benchmark that professionals still strive to meet today.

Throughout his career, he developed a remarkable set of directing quirks that formed his undeniable signature style. A notable innovation was the three-episode pan, where he would revisit the same scene multiple times, with each viewing revealing new layers of meaning and emotion. But perhaps his most celebrated technique alongside the Postcard Memory was Harmony—a cinematic device where time itself seemed to pause, transforming crucial, life-altering moments into stunning, illustration-style paintings that burned themselves into the viewers’ memories.

His mastery of lighting effects was equally groundbreaking. Using a clever combination of cel overlays and twinkling lights during film shooting, he created what became known as the incident light technique. This method produced magnificent rays of light pouring across the screen. At the same time, his paraffin shadow technique painted portions of the screen in deep, theatrical blacks, creating dramatic spotlight effects worthy of the finest stage productions.

What made Dezaki’s work particularly special was his deeply cinematic approach to animation. He believed heavily in adaptation over direct, literal translation, choosing instead to focus entirely on emotional impact and character development. His lifelong partnership with Akio Sugino was crucial in this regard, as Sugino’s realistic, detailed character designs perfectly anchored Dezaki’s dramatic visual flair.

Dezaki’s filmography reads like a definitive history of mature anime. He pushed the boundaries of animated storytelling with the groundbreaking boxing drama Ashita no Joe in the early seventies, and followed it up at the end of the decade with the sophisticated historical intrigue of The Rose of Versailles. Entering the 1980s, he demonstrated his incredible versatility with the sci-fi adventure series Space Adventure Cobra. Shortly after, he delivered a technical masterpiece with Golgo 13: The Professional, which famously featured the very first use of CGI in anime. He later perfected his signature techniques through the incredibly atmospheric Black Jack OVAs.

Ashita no Joe (1970-1971): A groundbreaking boxing drama that pushed the boundaries of animated storytelling

The Rose of Versailles (1979-1980): A sophisticated historical drama that showcased his mature narrative style

Space Adventure Cobra (1982): An adventure series that demonstrated his versatility

Golgo 13: The Professional (1983): Perhaps his technical masterpiece, featuring the first use of CGI in anime

I first discovered these striking images during the lunch breaks that split the school day in two back in 1990s France. At the time, French television programming broadcast a massive wave of Japanese animation from the 70s and 80s. While I didn’t know it was Osamu Dezaki’s work sitting behind the screen back then, those deeply impactful images—held on screen for several breathless seconds—left an indelible impression on my young mind and ultimately shaped my own artistic sensibilities.

Dezaki’s influence extends far beyond his own spectacular body of work. His innovative techniques and emotionally driven storytelling approaches have inspired countless renowned directors, including cinematic heavyweights like Yoshiaki Kawajiri and Satoshi Kon. His unique ability to create emotional depth strictly through visual innovation has become a fundamental part of the global animation lexicon.

Sadly, Osamu Dezaki passed away in 2011 due to cancer, but his artistic spirit lives on in every dramatic pause, every stylized frame, and every emotional crescendo in modern anime. His work stands as a timeless reminder that animation isn’t solely about movement—it is about creating profound moments that resonate in viewers’ hearts long after the screen goes dark. Knowing exactly when to pause and let the emotion sink in is just as important as the motion itself.

Saul Bass was an American graphic designer and Oscar winner, best known for his designs for the title sequences of films.

Saul Bass was a visionary American graphic designer and Academy Award winner whose unique technique forever changed the landscape of film title sequences in the 1950s. Born on May 8, 1920, and passing on April 25, 1996, his influence can still be seen in the way we experience movies today. From his legendary opening sequences for films like Psycho, Casino, Cape Fear, and The Seven Year Itch, to his later work in 1993 on the title sequence for The Age of Innocence and poster concepts for Schindler’s List, his career spanned decades of cinematic history.

A movie’s branding in a nutshell

The ability to capture and present the essence of a film in a way that he could convey the atmosphere and premise of what the film was supposed to bring in an opening sequence that lasted a few minutes.
Under his influence, title sequence became an extension of film as art form in its ability to symbolize and summarize what the audience was to experience.

Saul bass’s opening sequences in amazing films such as Psycho, Casino, Cape Fear, Seven Years and The Itch are legendary.

His groundbreaking work on The Seven Year Itch brought him widespread recognition and established him as a major creative force in the film industry. However, his career truly took a pivotal turn in 1954 when he began working as a poster designer for director Otto Preminger. This sparked a twenty-five-year collaboration spanning a dozen films. From that point forward, Bass was the mastermind behind titles, posters, and advertising campaigns for over forty films by some of the most prominent directors of the era. His most celebrated works include unforgettable visual campaigns for Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo and Otto Preminger’s The Man with the Golden Arm and Anatomy of a Murder.

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Before his revolutionary poster for The Man with the Golden Arm in 1955, movie marketing relied heavily on cluttered, juxtaposed depictions of key scenes and actors. Bass disrupted this standard by introducing simplified, symbolic designs that graphically communicated the central themes and essential elements of the film. He became the undisputed master of the movie poster and title sequence by mid-century. His designs remain iconic because of their stark simplicity, relying on bold color palettes and precise, angular, and sparse imagery. In just a few seconds of screen time, his recognizably minimalist style managed to distill the entire essence of a film, perfectly complemented by his clever print campaigns.

Bass was part of a small, elite group of title designers, alongside pioneers like Friz Freleng and Maurice Binder, who redefined how a movie should begin. He effectively birthed the pre-movie title sequence as a storytelling device in its own right. Opening his own design studio in 1952, he managed to navigate the crumbling studio system of the 1950s and 1960s, securing a unique position of creative control.

As the 1960s progressed, filmmakers and producers increasingly relied on Bass not just for title sequences, but to conceptualize and storyboard pivotal scenes. In fact, on five separate films, he was credited as a visual consultant or pictorial consultant. For example, he designed significant aspects of the gladiator school and storyboarded the final battle in Spartacus. For Grand Prix, director John Frankenheimer had Bass plot, direct, and edit almost every racing sequence. He also directed the prologue, storyboarded the opening dance scene, and designed the concluding title sequence for West Side Story.

‍Beyond his cinematic achievements, Bass was a titan in corporate branding. He designed some of the most recognizable logos of the twentieth century, including the 1969 Bell Telephone logo and the 1983 AT&T globe. His portfolio also included corporate identities for Continental Airlines, Dixie, and United Airlines.

‍His creative drive extended into directing as well. Bass helmed the sci-fi thriller Phase IV in 1974 and wrote, produced, and directed numerous short films. His 1968 documentary Why Man Creates even earned him an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject.

While the average cinema-goer might assume a film’s director handles all image editing, the title designer is often the one responsible for pacing and cutting the title sequence. Because of this deep involvement in the visual rhythm of the film, many title designers operate as filmmakers in their own right. Bass frequently directed or advised on the live-action shoots for his title sequences, demonstrating a complete mastery of cinematography and editing.

Throughout his incredible career, he served as a title creator for an expansive list of films. His early filmography includes Carmen Jones in 1954, followed by The Big Knife, The Man with the Golden Arm, The Racers, The Seven Year Itch, and The Shrike in 1955. In 1956, he worked on Around the World in Eighty Days, Storm Center, Attack, and Johnny Concho. The following year brought Edge of the City, Saint Joan, The Pride and the Passion, and The Young Stranger. 1958 saw his iconic work on Bonjour Tristesse, Cowboy, Vertigo, and The Big Country.

Here is the list of movies he worked on as a title creator :

• Carmen Jones (1954)
• The Big Knife (1955)
• The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
• The Racers (1955)
• The Seven Year Itch (1955)
• The Shrike (1955)
• Around the World in Eighty Days (1956)
• Storm Center (1956)
• Attack (1956)
• Johnny Concho (1956)
• Edge of the City (1957)
• Saint Joan (1957)
• The Pride and the Passion (1957)
• The Young Stranger (1957)
• Bonjour Tristesse (1958)
• Cowboy (1958)
• Vertigo (1958)
• The Big Country (1958)
•  Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
• North by Northwest (1959)
• Psycho (1960)
• Spartacus (1960)
• The Facts of Life (1960)
• Exodus (1960)
• Ocean’s 11 (1960)
• West Side Story (1961)
• Something Wild (1961)
• Advise & Consent (1962)
• Walk on the Wild Side (1962)
• The Victors (1963)
• Nine Hours to Rama (1963)
• It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
• The Cardinal (1963)
• In Harm’s Way (1965)
• Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965)
•  Grand Prix (1966)
• Not with My Wife, You Don’t! (1966)
• Seconds (1966)
• Such Good Friends (1971)
• That’s Entertainment, Part II (1976)
• Broadcast News (1987)
• Big (1988)
• Tonkō (1988)
• The War of the Roses (1989)
• Goodfellas (1990)
• Cape Fear (1991)
• Doc Hollywood (1991)
• Mr. Saturday Night (1992)
• The Age of Innocence (1993)
• Higher Learning (1995)
• Casino (1995)
• A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995)

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For a deeper dive into his visual style and incredible body of work, I highly recommend checking out https://www.notcoming.com/ to read and watch more about his enduring legacy.

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