Second look at title sequences

I am constantly looking at new title sequences and each time there are parts, if not the majority of them that fascinate me. I have recently been watching a Canadian supernatural drama series called 'Carnivale' which involves tarot cards very cleverly interspersed in the title sequence. It sums up the overall symbolism and plot of good against evil within the first minute. Past historical figures both good and bad are shown in stock footage, some are associated with the cards and with a 3d camera involved, the public is able to view everything as though it is a journey flooding into and out of the pictures.

Ink and texture tests

I have been doing more tests creating some ink effects of my own. I bought some Red and Black ink from the local art supply shop, filled a jug with water and placed it against a green screen with some back lighting. I filmed it with my lecturer Rob's Canon 7d camera and all in all the effect once keyed out was quite good. There were some bubbles picked up by the camera in the water which I wasn't able to get rid of sucessfully in the edit, but I think they may add their own interesting effect to the title sequence. I also shot some stills of some dirty scratched glass against green screen. I got the inspiration from The Walking Dead title sequence, a layer on top of all the visuals which gives an old film camera effect and adds more movement and panning effects as it moves through the titles:

Test Videos

These test videos are the most basic I'll be putting up. They show the styles and layering techniques I'll be trying, but, timing is an issue and stock footage filmed by myself rather than action essentials will be used. I may chose to incorporate tarot cards and photographs more and get rid of the silhouettes. I'll see how my next tests look.

More to come.

Post Four

After finally being able to get the footage onto my computer from Richard's camera via his Mac, I was able to cut up the green screen shots into clips then key them out into sillouettes by using a white solid layer as a base, keylight, changing the track code to inverted matte then playing with the alpha channel in the curves adjustment. I saved both keyed and un-keyed footage as I may want to remove the green screen and just desaturate the model rather than make him a silhouette. Here is a screen shot below:

I was also able to do a test title sequence against a brown crumpled paper background, with stock footage of ink drops in water, mirror effects on after effects and text masked to reveal with the movement of the ink. I also added a ripple effect to the centre where the ink blot originated just to give the idea of movement for the text. I'll upload that to youtube for my next post.

Third Post

On Friday, Richard White and I set up the green screen in Rob's animation room and filmed some test footage for some various silhouette ideas against different backgrounds. I will also attempt a number of visual effects along side the silhouettes including making the silhouettes shatter and merge with smoke and/or ink blots. We got a fair amount of stills as well as shots of Richard walking or moving into different poses etc. There should be a lot to mix and match into a draft title sequence of sorts. Next post will hopefully be when they're all edited and up on YouTube. I also found an interesting website devoted to the art of the title sequence with a wealth of film and Television title sequences to look through to see what makes the best title sequences stand out from the crowd:

http://www.artofthetitle.com/2008/09/10/

Words from some of the world's leading title sequence designers Kyle Cooper and Danny Yount on what makes a good title sequence:


Danny Yount interview - Forget the Film, Watch the Titles from SubmarineChannel on Vimeo.



Also, titles involving Rorschac ink blot footage:

Second Post

Here are some links to title sequences that have seen using techniques and styles I believe could be useful for the title sequence I hope to create:

Looking at the music video for Gnarls Barkley - Crazy, I was interested in the idea of using the Rorschach ink blots moving to create text. Rorschach being used to determine a person's psychological state, perfect for a film about Dissociative Identity Disorder. I think it would set the tone for the film straight away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd2B6SjMh_w

Also some other interesting title sequences using different textures, silhouettes etc I think could help develop a sinister mood. To me, silhouetted characters generate the feeling of the unknown.
 
'Luther' crime drama opening credits:



I very much like this title sequence, the misty, grimy, textual feel to it, the colours all fit the dreamy, surreal, corrupt world we're hoping to create in our film. I love the music, from Massive Attack, also helps create a chilled, seductive detective show theme. I like the use of pictures in the scene appearing and dissolving with another 'ink blot' style. There are pictures of the setting, the city, industry, urban, gunshot holes through glass, barbed wire fencing, an empty subway. All are symbolic as places people would feel uneasy around, places where crime and murder would take place. All of which is brought to mind quickly from each shot, establishing the general plot.

'Hustle' heist drama series:



Not quite the genre we're looking for, but I like the silhouettes again, they're a lot more simplified with crisp lines, making the characters out of block shapes than actual shadows. The movements of them are interesting though and it's all very fast paced with lots of movement.

Casino Royale James Bond opening credits:



I very much like the use of playing cards and characters moving round an environment full of symbolism. The idea that each different personality the main character has is based on a tarot card, the symbolism from the cards could fit into the title sequence somewhere along the line. I also like the idea of seeing silhouettes shatter into pieces, a play on the idea that the main character has a 'fractured' personality, hence the film's title.

First Post

Proposal:

For my Craft Development module, I hope to work on title sequence and eventually create a title sequence for a short film. I will be looking at effects on After Effects and using green screen to attract the interest of the audience from the very beginning and briefly sum up the plot using pictures, props and symbolism. I will also be looking at title sequences I have seen and enjoyed as a viewer and what made them visually appealing.