Best of Title Sequences
Best of Title Sequences
Client: HBO
Directors: Karin Fong and Michelle Dougherty Project Info:
The Great War has just ended, booze has stopped flowing (legally), and women are fighting for the right to vote… Welcome to “Boardwalk Empire.” HBO’s latest epic series transports us to Atlantic City at the dawn of Prohibition, when organized crime was about to explode across the country.
Imaginary Forces worked with the show’s creator, Terence Winter, and the incredible teams at “Boardwalk Empire” and HBO to design and produce a main title sequence that brings central story points of the series to life and introduces us to the main character, Nucky Thompson, ”ruler of the boardwalk.”
Client: McG – Feature Director, 20th Century Fox/Wonderland Sound & Vision – studio
Imaginary Forces Director: Karin Fong
Chris Pine. Tom Hardy. Two international spies, elite high-flying agents with the playboy lifestyles to match. How could we resist giving them their own Bond-inspired open to let you know just the kind of men-about-town that we’re dealing with? Before they both fall for Reese Witherspoon, that is, and spy vs. spy hijinks ensue.
The title sequence and promo package was the work of Imaginary Forces directors Mark Gardner and Steve Fuller. It was executive produced for the studio by Maribeth Phillips and produced by Cara McKenney.According to IF’s Gardner, the challenge the studio faced in this project was to connect a 1960s period TV series with today’s audiences. “We approached the opening title sequence like a live action film title project instead of a purely animated piece,” he explains.
“The disciplined use of camera angles, combined with sophisticated graphics, achieves an insight into the main character’s subconscious and the precarious duality of his “boy’s club’ career juxtaposed against his perfect nuclear family,” Gardner continues. “It’s as if he’s created this monster, really. The character of Don Draper is a conflicted, tortured soul.
“The action of falling past endless skyscraper walls creates a claustrophobia and helplessness,” adds IF director Steve Fuller, “which is abruptly cut short by his composed, reclining pose.”
Weiner described that closing shot as reflecting a tremendous sense of confidence, while also being mysterious. As for the character’s free-fall from the office suite, past the skyscrapers bedecked with advertising imagery, Weiner explains, “It captures the story of the show—that of a character who’s calm on the outside and in free-fall on the inside.”
Both Weiner and series producer Scott Hornbacher were impressed by the way the IF team managed to incorporate thirty different on-screen credits in the span of the thirty-second show opening. Weiner says he expressly did not want any titles to appear over the program content, as he was striving for a more cinematic feel to the opening title sequence. “A lot of studios might have just thrown type up on the screen, but this solution left everyone feeling that the cinematic feel of the opening was preserved.”
Geoffrey Whelan, V.P., Brand Creative Director for AMC, says the closing image of the title sequence has not only become the branding device for the show, but has also been the image used in its print advertising and key art. “It’s an iconic image that pays off on every level,” Whelan says. “This felt like the best creative choice for us at AMC.”
http://adland.tv/commercials/mad-men-title-sequence-2007-30-usa
Some of the most exciting creative work is being done in the field of title design for film, television, online and live gatherings. With its INTRO competition, The Type Director’s Club (TDC) recognizes excellence in title design and gives international artists a forum to showcase their work. The deadline for submissions has been extended to February 9, 2011.
The 2011 competition will be judged by a panel of distinguished professionals including Randy Blasmeyer (Big Film), Timmy Fisher (MK12), Karen Fong (Imaginary Forces) and Mark Kudsi (Motion Theory). TDC Chair Jakob Trollbäck will serve as the chairman. Winners will be celebrated at the annual TDC award show in New York and the work will be posted online as well as published in TDC annual Typography 32. Entry forms are available online at www.tdc.org.
The competition features three categories:
A. Titles for feature films, shorts, and documentaries
B. Titles for TV shows
C. Online titles (e.g. for online episodic) and titles for live events (e.g. conferences)
Each category has seven sub-categories: typography, animation, visual design, music & sound design, student work, unscreened work and end credits.
The TDC INTRO competition was founded in 2009 by chairman Jakob Trollbäck. He states, “I was struck by how little attention the art of title design was given. As ubiquitous as motion graphics have become for everyday communication, there is still scant recognition of excellence in the field.” TDC hopes the competition will set a high bar for everyone who strives for excellence, and will serve as a source of inspiration for practitioners in the field of motion graphic design.
About TDC
The Type Directors Club is the leading international organization whose purpose is to support excellence in typography, both in print and on screen. With a solid historical background, the TDC today represents the best of today’s type design and type use.
Chuck • NBC
Studio: Imaginary Forces
Title Designer: Karin Fong, Jonathan Gershon, Dana Yee