MOTION GRAPHICS AND COMPOSITING IN TITLE

SEQUENCES

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TITLE SEQUENCE While title sequences have always served a functional role in introducing cast, crew and film to an audience, in more recent years the title sequence of a feature has become a staple part of a feature’s formation and have even contributed to many films and TV show’s success.

Titles sequences may be used to set the tone of the film and establish it’s genre and style (Psycho, Se7en). Title sequences may also introduce plot elements and characters early to the audience (Star Wars series, James Bond series) , and are particularly effective for establishing setting (Twin Peaks, TRON).

Modern title sequences make extensive use of motion graphics and compositing to create a visually compelling beginning to a film or TV show that will attract viewers.

Motion graphics in particular allow great artistic freedom and can be incorporated into a film’s aesthetic simply and effectively. Animation can expand this further and allow a title sequence to stand alone as an artistic contribution to the main film or TV show it precedes.

The simplicity and ‘blockyness’ of animated motion graphics can still be visually appealing and are useful for making a title sequence stand out. Even simple animated symbols and icons relevant to the work can capture an audience’s interest and prepare them for the feature to follow.

USING MOTION GRAPHICS AND COMPOSITING EFFECTIVELY

“Bass fashioned title sequences into an art, creating in some cases, a mini-film within a film. His graphic compositions in movement function as a prologue to the movie – setting the tone, providing the mood and foreshadowing the action.” — Martin Scorsese

The title sequence for Hitchcock’s 1955 film ‘The Man with the Golden Arm was unique for it’s time and represented a huge shift in the art of title-making. Unconventional for the time, the sequence does not allude to the narrative or story of the film but excels at setting a mood and introducing the audience to story through symbolism and music.

The sequence also uses simple graphics and repeated symbols to introduce the star’s crippling heroin addiction; this technique was relatively unseen before the film, the image of a the crooked arm in particular was seen as extremely controversial at the time.

Bass’ use of black and white, despite being unavoidable due to the technology available at the time, is masterful as the title sequence manages to be striking and sophisticated, and amazing modern even now.

KEY/PIVOTAL TITLE SEQUENCES: THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (SAUL BASS, 1955)

For the title sequence in Se7en, designer David Fincher designed the titles to expose the audience to the film’s antagonist early; the serial killer in the film is not seen for the majority of it’s runtime, only appearing slightly in the title sequence and in the films final moments. For most of the film, he is a presence more felt than seen, and Cooper’s title sequence was constructed to reflect and compound this.

Cooper built his title sequence to be as deeply unsettling as possible, combining unused assets created for the main feature with other items and a deeply disturbing soundtrack to create an unseen, obsessive force and to convey that “somewhere across town, somebody is working on some really evil shit”.

The sequence goes beyond the material on screen and the soundtrack to be unsettling; the notebooks were filmed in an degraded, gritty film under soft, almost surgical light, and the superimposed titles are just as noisy and broken. The typeface used for the titles is similarly manic to the handwriting used in the notebooks, creating a visual link between the world of the film and the titles, which are in their nature separate.

KEY/PIVOTAL TITLE SEQUENCES: SE7EN (KYLE COOPER, 1995)

Much the same as in the main feature of a film or TV show, colour is used in title sequences to ‘prepare’ the audience for what they are about to watch. Certain colours are strongly associated with genres or emotions, and the vibrance or dreariness of the colour in a title sequence may be used to support or in some cases contrast the mood of the main feature.

DESIGN CHOICES AND THEIR IMPACT: COLOUR

Similar to colour, typography establishes the genre and mood of a piece for the audience. If typography is used it will typically link to the context of the film or TV show and may even contain clear links such as use of character design or integration into the setting. Typography is largely used to make functional titles more appealing but can also be seen enhancing the artistic merit of a work as a whole.

DESIGN CHOICES AND THEIR IMPACT: TYPOGRAPHY

Graphics are used to add variety, much like typography, to an otherwise conventional title sequence. Graphics are often designed to interact in some way with the live action plate they are composited onto, whether simply tracking with a scene or reacting to action within the live-action itself.

Graphics are mostly used to provide titles text, but man also be used to add artistic merit to a title sequence that is lacking in action or interesting content. Animated graphics moving in and out of frame accompanied by titles on a live-action plate have become a popular formula for title sequences in recent years.

DESIGN CHOICES AND THEIR IMPACT: GRAPHICS

Movement can have different effects, depending on the way it is used, the type of titles involved and the context of the film it is associated with.

Movement is typically used to show progression or a journey, especially if the title sequence prefaces the main feature with a character travelling to their destination.

Movement is also used to introduce a film full of high action and intense, fast sequences. In this case, an opening sequence that includes movement in it’s titles and graphics would be very effective.

DESIGN CHOICES AND THEIR IMPACT: MOVEMENT