4 Title Sequence by BenGilpin

TITLE SEQUENCE

What is a title sequence? What is a title sequence used for? This book explores what a title sequence is and follows the journey as I attempt to design and film my own while applying it to a context. A student on the BA Graphic Design Programme, this book holds my ideas, thoughts and views on title sequences. While it shows my skills, design and abilities in attempting to film my own.

THE BRIEF After reading the brief, it was clear that I was being instructed to create a title sequence for a tv program or series. I would have to start by producing a storyboard that would culminate in a short motion title sequence that is 30 seconds or longer. Right Image 1 - Here you can see the play doh figures used by Sony in there adverts. This is one still image that is combined wih other frames to create stock motion tv advert.

I believe that by looking at the rationale for the brief it is easy to see that the title sequence ties together the graphic visual identity of the film or tv show. This is because it is a key companant in showing style of the show or film from the begining. The graphic language allows the audience to see how the continuity of the show/ film will flow. The history of the title sequence goes back to the 1950â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, where it was introduced by Saul Bass in the film The Man with the Golden Arms. When this was introduced it was a revelation, as it meant the cast and crew was not just listed. It engaged the audience emotionally and created an atmosphere before the film had begun.

RESEARCH I started by researching into the different generes and types of tv programmes that excist, I then started to narrow it down to 3 differnet generes of tv shows that I would be interested in producing a title sequence for. Here you can see the spider diagram which I drew up, it shows my brianstorm off all the different tv generes that there are. After looking at the choices of possible topics, I decided to concentrait on 3 of the topics. The ones that I chose where Action, Documentries and Arts. I selected these 3 topics as they are the ones that I felt I would be most interest in and would have the best ideas for as they are generes of tv that I watch. I deceided to brainstorm off of each topic what I fel was associated with the topic, along with how I felt when I watched these generes of tv. Near Right Image 2 - A notepad page showing the different areas of TV that I could produce a title sequence for. Far Right Image 3 - My 3 favourite areas of tv, the ones that I felt would be best to produce a title sequence for.

Beloe Image 4 - A double page spread from my notebook that shows my analysis skills of different documentries I watched.

After looking at the 3 topics I had chosen I decided that my stenghts would lie in the ability to produce a title sequence for a documentry. This is because I feel my minimalistic and clean design style would lend itself to an informative documentry better and be more apporipriate than if it was to produce a title sequence for an action tv series. The next stage in my process of work was to go on and look at excisting title sequences for both films and documentries. By doing this I was able to see what was appropriate to put into a title sequecne and how to associate it with the topic or subject of the film/documenty. What is seen on the notebook pages is my notes that I made about title sequences that I watched. A broad range of subjects are covered in the notes, these range from the type of music I heard and the pace it was playing at. Along with the type of typography that was in the title and wether or not it was appropriate for the subject matter shown in the composition of the title sequence.

Below Image 5 - My analysis of excisting documnetries and their visual systems.

On this double page spread of notes, I was concentraiting more on would be found in a documentry title sequence. I started by looking at a documentry called Fahrenheit 9/11, and then Shaoh and finally the Helvetica film. I chose these documentrys as I felt that the subject matters in them were all vast apart from one another and this would allow me to see a variety of visual system use in different title sequences.

Right Image 5 - Further analysis of title sequences from documentries.

Above Image 6 - A notebook page showing what the definition of a documnetry is.

Below Image 7 - This is a notebook page that shows my tail of though, as I tried to find a context that I could apply to a documnetry title sequence for TV.

TOPIC IDEAS After researching what would go into the documentry, it was time for my to start some idea generation about what I would like the subject matter and topic of my documentry to be. My process started with me jotting down as many topics that I could think off that I could possibly create a documentry on. I then from this branched out and create smaller topics that could be found in these larger toics. With certain ideas I attempted to tie the documentry in with a brand. This would off allowed me to try and bring in that brands visual language into the film as well. Within my brainstorm the ideas that I felt where my stroungest I circled to highlight to you that they are more important and ones that I found could possibly have the best potential.

Above Image 9 - This is a notebook page where you can see my spiliting the story and nrrative behind my idea.

The idea that I decided to proceed with was: a fly on the wall documentry about the journey a man goes through as he battles non-hodgkins lymphoma. It starts the day he gets told that he has cancer and ends the day you see him pass away. The narrative of the story is about a mans struggle with cancer while realising the short time he has left as he relies hes going to die. I went about breaking the idea in to different topics, this allowed me to see the different subjects I would feature in the title sequence. I also started to figure out the differnet sounds or music that I could possible use.

Above Image 10 - On this notebook page you can see me coming up with a name for the title sequence I am going tto produce and film.

on the notebook page I also started to figure out possible names for the tv documentry. There were a few name titles that I was experimenting with. I was looking for something that was catchy and interesting to say. However it would also sum up the story of the issuses that are being displayed in the documentry. The tile that I decided on was The Day My Life Stood Still.

STORYBOARDS After finalissing the detials of ideas and plots that I could use in my title sequence it was time to start drawing a story board and creating a visual system that I could use. Due to the amount of ideas that I had flaoting around my head I went on to produce a variety of storyboards.

Below Image 11 - A illustrative image showing a man walking down a hospital corridor. Right Image 12 - The first title sequence I drew up, this shows one idea I had for a title sequence.

My first idea revolves around seeing the patient appraoching the camera from a distance. It would envolve having a long corridor like you would find in a hospital. While at the far end its dark and you see the patient walk down the corridor coming out from the dark and stop as they get close to the camera. This would allow the audience to see how ill the patient is, while it will also allow them to try and figure out what he is suffereing from by looking at him. Then as the camera focuses on a close up of the patient, the title would fade in as the patient narrated the title of the documentry.

Top Left Image 13 Another storyboard that shows another idea that I had for a title sequence. Bottom Left Image 14 The final story board I produced to show the final title sequence idea that I had produced.

My second idea revolves around showing the horrific scenes that you would see at the hospital and the consequences of having this type of cancer. The clip starts by panning along trays of hospital equipment, then as the pan goes on the equipment starts to become bloody. Then as you get past the equipment you can see the patient, standing there with a clock in the background. as the time goes on the closk speeds up, then the hour hand drops away. This is followed by the minute hand dropping away, which is intertextuality for sybolising death. My third idea consist of playing with the idea that you can see the time slipping away, from the person who is the subject of the documentry and cancer. The compositional frame layout consist of two hands holding a stack of photograph. Then as a second passes a photo is dropped on to the floor. I beleive this symbolises the moments falling away from the persons life. The final image will be a blank, which I believe to symbolise that the subject has died. The title follows by fadding in on the blank image.

Right Image 15 - This a tutorial sheet that shows the feedback I recieved from my tutorial with my tutor Alice Stevens.

I took these 3 storyboards and my initial research into a tutorial with Alice Stevens, we disucussed the ideas that I had approached her with and the meanings behind them. Upon discussing my work with Alice it was clear to see that with a few of my storyboards I was being to litteral and was revealing to much of the story to the audience. We also discussed the idea of bringing in emotion into the title sequenece and trying to get the audience hooked through that. Alice spoke to me about the idea of empathy and trying to get the audience to feel how the subject in the title sequence is feeling. This would be beneficial in to getting the audience hooked and eager to watch the title sequence as they have an emotional connection to the subject. Furthermore Alice and I decided that the title sequence I would progress with would be my 3rd storyboard. This is because it had the most potential and is the title sequence with the best posibilities of bring in emotion for the audience.

MORE RESEARCH After deciding my to develop my third storyboard, I fel that i needed to do a bit more research into the way other viceos about cancer bring in emotion into their videos.

Below Left Image 16 - This is the Logo for Cancer Research Uk, an iconic logo that means a lot to a lot of people. Below Right Image 17 - Here is the final frame from a Cancer Research UK promotional video.

I did this by looking at Cancer Research UK videos. This allowed me to see how an organisation can capture emotions in publisity videos and make the audience feel emptahy towards the subjects of the video. It is a key feature in getting an audience hooked on a serious subject matter that can be challenging for people to watch. However it is clear to see that by creating an emotional attachment between the audience member and the subject matter. People will watch the videos as they want to know what happens to the subject and if there is a happy ending for the person of a sad story.

Above Image 18 - This short video is showing a promotional clip produced by Cancer Research UK. I used this clip to figure out how they brought emotion and empathy into their videos.

By looking at the clip above of a Cancer Research UK video, they have managed to bring in empathy for the patient in two ways. The first is with the music where they have used a lifting and heart warming beat, however they have overlayed it was sad depressing sounds. The second way they have brought empathy and emotions into their videos. Is through the selection of clips that they shown. They use a combination of heart warming and soul destroying clips showing the happy and sad times of a subjects trip through cancer. This sends the audience member on a emotional rollar coaster as they watch the video.

I decided that I would follow the principles used in Cancer Research UK videos and use hearth warming subjects along with sould destroying subjects to bring in the emotion and empathy. That I will need to make my title sequence gripping and engaging. With the storyboard that I have decided to progress with, the way I am going to show a combination of warming and sad subjects. Is through the use of the photographs that the hands in the title sequence are holding. I believe that If i use family photos of happy moments, the audience will feel even more sad on the upsetting photographs. Due to the fact they feel the subject of the title sequence will be loosing everything.

Above Image 19 - A photograph of a man holding his children, this is one of the photos that I am going to use in my title sequence.

I went about searching for images that would cause the audience to have happy and sad emotions. I decided for the images that are meant to be soul warming I would go with happy family photographs. This would make the audience aware that the subject matter has a family and is surrounded by loved ones.

Above Image 20 - A photograph of a man being told his results in a doctors office, this is a photo I selected to use in my title sequence. Right Image 21 - A photograph of a man being taken away in hospital, this is one of the photos that I am going to use in my title sequence.

In order to create sad emotions and empathy for the subject matter of the title sequence. I needed to find sad photogrpahs, these would be similar to the ones found in the short videos produced by Cancer Research UK. By inserting sad photographs into the title sequence, it shows to the audience memebers the sad, hard and emotional turmoil of battling cancer. With the combination of photographs that I had selected I hoped that I had the right combination, in order to produce the emotions in the sudience members that are needed to create empathy.

Below Image 21 - This is showing the order of the photographs I am going to drop during the title sequence. Left to right. Right Image 22 - A side on photograph showing the sequence of photographs that I am going to use.

Knowing that I had the photographs that I wanted to use in my title sequence. I needed to order them in the correct manner to put the audeince on an emotional rollar coaster as to hook them to the onto the subject matter of the title sequence. I did this by printing out all the photographs that I had collected. Then placing them on the wall and rea arranging them till I felt I had the right order. In order to create the right set of emotions with in the audience who view the title sequence.

Above Image 23 - This photogrpah highlights the items I selectd to show to the audience that the person holding the photographs is in hospital.during the show.

SHOOTING The next logical step for me was to start shooting my title sequence, now that my sotryboard was drawn up and I had my photographs in the correct way to produce emoitions. I first started by collecting the items that the subject of the title sequence would need to wear to make it look like they are in hosptial. I wanted to make the title sequence as authentic as possible so I got a hospital gown, a fake cathiter and some medical tape as they would all be used in the medical world. The photograph on the left whos the items which I collected to be used in the title sequence shooting. I also decided to video the title sequence over the flooring of the graphic studio. This was because I felt that it had a similar look to one that would be found in a hospital and had a in industrial look.

Above Image 24 - One of the first attempts at filming my title sequence. Top Right Image 25 - A still from the final title sequence video. Neat Right Image 26 One more still from the title sequence video. Far Right Image 27 - A frame from an attempt at filming the title sequnece.

I attempted to use myself as the subject matter and video my hands as they dropped the family photographs. There where benefits and weaknesses to using my own hands. The strengths included that I knew how I wanted the title sequence to flow and the timings that I wanted. However the weknesses included that I couldnt look through the camera and do the title sequence with my own hands. This meant that when I rewatched the sequence, my hands where not were I wanted them in the composition a lot of the time. This meant that I had to tak emultiple takes before I manged to shoot the right clip. In the final clip I managed to get the composition correct and the timings to how I wanted them, this allowed me to take it into editing to finish it.

Below Image 28 - This is showing the scale and size of the video being adjusted in Adobe After Effects , this is so the composition is better.

Above Right Image 29 - This is showing a text layer being added to the title sequence.

I took the clip that I had filmed into Adobe After Effects and started to edit it. I changed the size of the film so that I had more of a clear shot of the compositional frame that I wanted to be shown in the title sequence. I also went about editing the videos length so that I had the correct clip length. This meant that I got rid of sections of the video that I didnt need, such as excess time at the start and end of the title sequence. The next step that I did was to place the title sequences name into a text box. I then applied a opacity transcition to the layer so that it would fade in and out when I wanted it to be read.

After sorting out the composition layout of the frames for the title sequence and other layers. The next logical step for me was to add sound to the clip as this is a big way of adding atmosphere to the title sequence. It is also a way to bring in information and relay that to the audience, which is beneficial to my title sequence. This is because with the visual system I have used, it is a minimlastic appraoch with little movemnet used with in the title sequence.

The sound clips that I have tried to emulate with in the title seuqence, is noises that an audience member would hear at a hospital. I have added un underlying heart beat sound to the clip, I believe this gives that audience the idea the subject matter is still alive and gives them a connection to the subject. Below Image 30 - Here you can see all the layers in the video and the adjustments being made to the sound layers.

The sound system I have created, is similar to others impemented in title sequences. It is a combination of sound clips that try to emulate a larger sound that would be found in a location.

FINAL PIECE Once the shooting of the clips and editing of the sound was complete. All that was needed, is for the video to be rendere and the final title sequence is produced. Right Image 31 - The final documentry title sequence that I produced, it introduces you into a fly on the wall documentry about a cancer patients cancer story.

Here you can see the final and complete title sequence that I have created. It is meant to be the opening credit for a fly on the wall documentry about a man who gets told he has cancer up until the day he dies. Although a sad subject matter I believe that I have produced a interesting title sequence that would emotionally get the audience hooked. Because they will want to watch it till the end of the show to see what happens to the subject matter.

EVALUATION This is the section on where you can read how I felt I did through out this project. You will be able to see where I felt my strengths lied and where I think I need to improve.

While working on this brief I feel that I produced some of the best work I undertook this term, this was because as I undertook the project by myself and didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work as a team I felt I was able to execute the ideas that I had in my head to perfection. When doing research I was able to taylor made the areas that I wanted to looked into specific sections of title sequence design that I feel would of benefited my work. I felt that working by myself on this brief was beneficial as it allowed my to grab the brief and progress with my learning. I feel that I pushed my design process and experimentation with both ideas and design into areas that I had never worked with before or areas that I hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t undertaken research into. This meant my research was vast for the project as I had to figure out how to film, how to bring in

On the next few pages you find my personal evaluation and how I feel i did on the breif along with my refernecing .

emotion and editing of sound and video. All of which I had never undertaken before. I decide on a challenging topic for the brief and I felt this was beneficial as it meant I would have to research into areas that other students would know about thus giving me a skill only a few would have. Such as being able to bring empathy into design. How I feel I have grown with this unit is experimenting with new challenging topics that few people would want to work with, I also feel that I have experimented with new technology and processes that I would not have worked with before.

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