Best of Title Sequences
Best of Title Sequences
New York based creative studio Trollbäck + Company designed the opening title sequence for the highly anticipated nightly commentary show, Countdown with Keith Olbermann. Considered one of the most progressive voices in the media, Olbermann returned to cable television June 20 on the Al Gore-helmed network Current TV.
Countdown’s move to Current TV opened up the opportunity to upgrade the show’s design to fall in line with the branding of the network. The creative team at Trollbäck focused on bringing the Countdown brand to a new sophisticated level that would speak to the existing fan base and reach a new audience.
The opener features Olbermann in an evening urban landscape surrounded by luminous elements appropriate for the new primetime slot. The final design was a sleek, updated version of the previous look and translated across all media and marketing of the show including website design, promos and print.
Credits
Creative Director: Anna Minkkinen
Executive Producer: Mike Eastwood
Designer: Adam Wentworth
Designer / Animator: Lloyd Alvarez
Animator: Edwin Santacruz
Animator: Eric Konon
Animator: Julie Siemon
Producer: Whitney Green
Creative studio Trollbäck + Company can now add iphone applications to its list of design services after the launch of their first app called +loop. Developed by Trollbäck + Company digital creative director Stephen Baker, +loop allows users to split their iphone screen into a custom grid of small video players that record and play back motion or still images. Users can choose from the full screen mode to create a juxtaposed video loop or record imagery in individual squares. The grid, frame offset and playback speed can be adjusted to create a wide variety of compositions. Video loops or composed still images can be exported to your iphone photo library. Examples of +loop videos can be found on the Trollbäck + Company Vimeo page. The app is available for $1.99 on itunes.
About
Trollbäck + Company is a creative studio communicating engaging ideas in the simplest, smartest and most visionary ways. Led by executive creative directors Jakob Trollbäck and Joe Wright, the collaborative group directs television commercials, designs film titles, brands networks and creates experience-based content for global brands. Past clients include advertising agencies BBDO, Anomaly, Euro RSCG and Y&R and brands Nike, Jaguar, HBO, ESPN and Target.
In addition to receiving a primetime Emmy for the opening title design on Mira Nair’s “Hysterical Blindness,” Trollbäck + Company has been profiled by Apple.com, featured in The New York Times, Creativity, Conde Nast and American Cinematographer and was showcased at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum.
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
New York, New York, March 24, 2011 – Creative Studio Trollbäck + Company launched its digital division early March to expand its experience design capabilities and provide integrated digital solutions and interactive media for advertising / branding campaigns and public space installations.
Making the decision to expand into digital was strategic yet organic, considering Trollbäck + Company has worked over the past ten years extensively within the commercial, network and entertainment industries. Executive Creative Director Jakob Trollbäck states, “Our work has always been about creating experiences. For us, it was natural to venture into more immersive, engaging projects that are both emotional and intellectual.”
After a successful run at his award-winning agency, Red Antenna, Digital Creative Director, Stephen Baker joins Trollbäck + Company to helm the T+Co Digital Division. With a background in both design and programming, Steve has the cross-discipline perspective to develop highly visual interactive experiences. His work with clients such as American Express, Sony, VH1 and Nokia has earned him industry and peer praise. Most recently, Baker played an instrumental role in the programming for a collaborative display in Times Square that invites pedestrians to submit answers and photos via text message. He has also developed interactive works for international museums, commercial and art exhibits in Abu Dhabi, Doha, Antwerp and London.
The T+Co Digital Division now has the capabilities to complement advertising and branding campaigns with digital solutions as well as explore opportunities in exclusive experience design projects. Baker will be collaborating directly with the design team on digital initiatives. “I?m looking forward to working with Trollbäck + Company to enhance the art of moving image and interactive design by combining the strengths of both fields. I’ve admired the quality and aesthetic of their work for years – always inspiring, memorable and bold.” Trollbäck on Baker, “Steve has a unique talent to see opportunities for immersive interactions and can quickly figure out how to make them come to life. We’ve collaborated with him over the years at Red Antenna and were impressed. We’re delighted to have him join the team.”
Trollbäck + Company is no stranger to experience design and large display installations. Previous digital projects include: content for the Gehry IAC wall, the 2012 Olympics campaign displayed in Times Square graphics and most recently a project for Metlife at the New Meadowlands Arena 54-foot monitor.
As Trollbäck + Company looks towards its future, the goal remains to tell dynamic visual stories for existing clients while also collaborating on digital experience projects. With this expansion, the studio sees the new opportunity to present narratives as an experience and immerse all senses through an environment.
About
Trollbäck + Company is a creative studio communicating engaging ideas in the simplest, smartest and most visionary ways. Led by executive creative directors Jakob Trollbäck and Joe Wright, the collaborative group makes commercials, brands networks, designs film titles and creates digital experiences. The trademark approach relies on unorthodox thinking and immersive storytelling, and that a compelling and focused message is essential for any successful communication.
Past and present clients include: Nickelodeon, A&E, HBO, TNT, AMC, RED, Jaguar, Nike and the New York Times Magazine. Trollbäck + Company has received numerous awards including the Broadcast Designers Association Awards for network branding work, a Prime Time Emmy and four Emmy Nominations for Title Design. For more information, visit www.trollback.com
The illustrations are by Jenny Lee.
The credit for the music heard behind the opening titles goes to Barry Louis Polisar.
design process view this collection of photos on flikr showing the step by step process by the creative team responsible
Chuck • NBC
Studio: Imaginary Forces
Title Designer: Karin Fong, Jonathan Gershon, Dana Yee
Studio: Digital Kitchen
Creative Director: Danny Yount
Animators: Danny Yount, Dan Brown
Compositors:Danny Yount, Dan Brown
Editor: Shawn Fedorchuck
Producer: Drew Bourneuf
Studio: Digital Kitchen
Creative Director: Erin Sarofsky
Designer: Erin Sarofsky
Animators: Anthony Vitagliano, Shangyu Yin, Rick Thompson, Seth Ricart
3D: Mat Daly, Kenji Yamashita
Editor: Matt Egan
Producer: Colin Davis
Studio: Digital Kitchen
Creative Director: Matt Mulder
Lead Designers: Noah Conopask, Cody Cobb, Ryan Gagnier
Animatiors: Ryan Gagnier, David Holm, Pete Kallstrom, Matt LaVoy, Dayvd Chan
3D: Cody Cobb, Igor Choromanski, Gordana Fersini, Thiago Costa
Editor: Dave Molloy
Producer: Jill Johns, Colin Davis
Executive Producer: Mark Bashore
Digital Kitchen: The Company Titles
Source: motionographer.com
New work is often posted in waves, and such is the case for recently featured Digital Kitchen. Their title sequence for mini-series The Company is a beautifully atmospheric piece that shows DK’s diversity of style and sensitivity to subject matter.
I asked producer Colin Davis a couple questions about the project, and he supplied some nice details:
Technique:
The technique was a hybrid of procedural and hand-done cell animation. Technically speaking, this is a mixture of 3D animation with both procedural (2D + 3D + Hair + Ink + Particles) and hand drawn cross-hatching. All the rabbits were hand-sketched — we literally took every other frame (12fps) into Photoshop and drew on top.Timeline:
The whole main title process lasted from August through early June, but for the final product shipped, the hard-core production lasted about 12 weeks.
DK’s attention to detail and love of the craft is obvious. Oh, and the typographic choice of Caslon was a nice, classic move. For a show about the CIA, they could have gone an entirely different route, opting for more of a Mission Impossible sans serif, something that screams “THIS SHOW IS ABOUT SPIES!”
Emmy nominated in 2008.