Kyle Cooper

Kyle Cooper (Born July 1962) is an American designer of motion picture title sequences.

Cooper was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and studied interior architecture at University of Massachusetts Amherst. He then went on to study graphic design under Paul Rand at Yale University, receiving his Master of Fine Arts from there in 1988.^[1] Early in his professional career, Cooper worked as a creative director at R/GA - an advertising agency with offices in New York and Los Angeles. During this period, Cooper created the title sequence for the 1995 American crime film Seven, a seminal work which received critical acclaim ^[2] and inspired a number of younger designers. According to Cooper, at the time he made the title sequence for Seven, main title sequences were behind of what was happening in print, music videos and commercials. He wanted to create main titles that were raising the bar creatively.^[3]

In 1996, Kyle co-founded Imaginary Forces with Peter Frankfurt and Chip Houghton- one of the most successful creative agencies in Hollywood that came out of the West Coast division of R/GA. "We have spent a long time building and refining a brilliant creative and production team ... Keeping this group together as our own company is truly exciting," commented Cooper about the name change.^[4] Too involved by the business-side of running a design company the size of Imaginary Forces, Cooper decided it was time for him to focus more on his creative work. He left Imaginary Forces. In 2003, Cooper founded Prologue, a creative agency in which he works in a small team while concentrating on creating title sequences.

Prologue, initially located in Malibu, moved to offices in Venice Beach, California, in 2008.

His work in the field of film title design is often compared to Saul Bass.^[5] Cooper has also directed a feature film, New Port South (2001).

He received an AIGA medal in 2014.^[1]

Selected film, television, and game title sequences

• The Laser Man (1988)
• She-Devil (1989)
• Bird on a Wire (1990)
• Home Alone (1990)
• Narrow Margin (1990)
• Men of Respect (1990)
• The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990)
• The Hard Way (1991)
• Curly Sue (1991)
• Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991)
• McBain (1991)
• Passenger 57 (1992)
• Newsies (1992)
• Zebrahead (1992)
• Home Alone 2 (1992)
• Used People (1992)
• The Joy Luck Club (1993)
• Body Snatchers (1993)
• Indecent Proposal (1993)
• Rising Sun (1993)
• Matinee (1993)
• Amos & Andrew (1993)
• Last Action Hero (1993)
• Sister Act 2 (1993)
• Carlito's Way (1993)
• Homicide: Life on the Street (1993)
• True Lies (1994)
• Angels in the Outfield (1994)
• Immortal Beloved (1994)
• The Getaway (1994)
• When a Man Loves a Woman (1994)
• Wolf (1994)
• North (1994)
• Richie Rich (1994)
• Quiz Show (1994)
• Braveheart (1995)
• Seven (1995)
• Nixon (1995)
• The American President (1995)
• Dead Presidents (1995)
• The Island of Dr. Moreau (1996)
• Mission: Impossible (1996)
• Twister (1996)
• Eraser (1996)
• Gotti (1996)
• The Fan (1996)
• White Squall (1996)
• Ghosts of Mississippi (1996)
• Bogus (1996)
• The Juror (1996)
• Celtic Pride (1996)
• Flubber (1997)
• Mimic (1997)
• Donnie Brasco (1997)
• Men in Black (1997)
• Gattaca (1997)
• George Wallace (1997)
• Mousehunt (1997)
• Metro (1997)
• Nightwatch (1997)
• Volcano (1997)
• Men with Guns (1997)
• Red Corner (1997)
• G.I. Jane (1997)
• The Practice (1997)
• The Mask of Zorro (1998)
• Fallen (1998)
• The Horse Whisperer (1998)
• Sphere (1998)
• The Avengers (1998)
• The Negotiator (1998)
• The Rat Pack (1998)
• Lost in Space (1998)
• Without Limits (1998)
• Might Joe Young (1998)
• The Parent Trap (1998)
• Arlington Road (1999)
• The Mummy (1999)
• Three Kings (1999)
• Pushing Tin (1999)
• Wild Wild West (1999)
• The General's Daughter (1999)
• Forces of Nature (1999)
• The Story of Us (1999)
• Reindeer Games (2000)
• The Crossing (2000)
• Along Came a Spider (2001)
• The Mummy Returns (2001)
• K-Pax (2001)
• Zoolander (2001)
• Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001)
• Spider-Man (2002)
• Minority Report (2002)
• One Hour Photo (2002)
• Path to War (2002)
• Boomtown (2002)
• Dreamcatcher (2003)
• Darkness Falls (2003)
• Identity (2003)
• Angels in America (2003)
• The Rundown (2003)
• Dawn of the Dead (2004)
• Spider-Man 2 (2004)
• Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)
• Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)
• The New World (2005)
• Superman Returns (2006)
• Spider-Man 3 (2007)
• Across the Universe (2007)
• Iron Man (2008)
• The Incredible Hulk (2008)
• Tropic Thunder (2008)
• Orphan (2009)
• Sherlock Holmes (2009)
• Tron: Legacy (2010)
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
• The Walking Dead (2010)
• Arthur (2011)
• American Horror Story (2011)
• The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (2013)
• Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)
• Scream Queens (2015)
• Limitless (2015)
• Death Stranding (TBA)

References

1. "Kyle Cooper". AIGA. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
2. Solana, Gemma; Antonio Boneu (2008). Uncredited – Graphic Design and Opening Titles in Movies (2nd ed.). Barcelona: Index Book. ISBN 84-96309-52-5. Retrieved 28 March 2010.
3. Wolting, Femke; Remco Vlaanderen (2010-02-12). "Stars Aligned for Se7en's Main Title". SubmarineChannel. Retrieved 2010-03-25.
4. Weiner, Rex (1996-12-02). "Title card change: RGA/LA becomes Imaginary Forces". Variety.
5. "Wired 12.06: The Dark Genius of Kyle Cooper". Wired.

External links

• Kyle Cooper at the Internet Movie Database
• Prologue
• The Incredible Hulk (+ Kyle Cooper interview) on Art of the Title
• Kyle Cooper video interview pt. 1/2 on Forget the Film, Watch the Titles
• Kyle Cooper lecture Kyle Cooper lecture at Boston University