Motion Graphic Titling for Film,Video and the Web

You sit in a movie theater. The lights go down. The music and picture start. The opening titles fade in, and you know you’re in for a journey! On the surface level, the primary purpose of title sequences is to accurately credit the cast and crew, or even more simply, to give the film’s title. […]

Creative Process Overview (Title Sequences: Function With Form) (Motion Graphic Titling)

There is no set formula on how to create an effective and successful title sequence. Success depends on a variety of factors, including objective, strategy, and the target audience of a movie. A common tool that will help you navigate through the myriad options, keep the project on target, and avoid pitfalls is to compile […]

Title Sequence Positioning (Title Sequences: Function With Form) (Motion Graphic Titling)

You now have a client. You have a movie or animation to create a title sequence for. You have a creative brief and have started brainstorming or even storyboarding. Let’s spend a moment thinking about how your title sequence could weave into the movie. The positioning of a title sequence within a movie or animation […]

Title Sequence Style, integration, and Transitions (Title Sequences: Function With Form) (Motion Graphic Titling) Part 1

How do you transition from the opening titles to the movie, and from the movie to the closing titles? This could appear to be a simple question with a simple answer, but it is indeed more complex. The most intuitive answer is to fade out the opening titles, then fade in the end titles. Although […]

Title Sequence Style, integration, and Transitions (Title Sequences: Function With Form) (Motion Graphic Titling) Part 2

Combining Footage and motion Graphics Gareth Edwards directs a gorgeous title sequence for the BBC series How We Built Britain (2007). As far as the creative process, he proposed eight different concepts, which didn’t quite win the client over. By the end of the meeting, with an increased understanding of the scope of the project, […]

Title Sequence Style, integration, and Transitions (Title Sequences: Function With Form) (Motion Graphic Titling) Part 3

Escamotage: Alternative Transitions A clever example of a nontraditional transition between the title sequence and the movie is the one created by Imaginary Forces for the movie Dead Man on Campus (1998), directed by Alan Cohn. This film is a dark comedy that centers on two students who, after learning about a college clause stating […]

Opening and closing Titles (Title Sequences: Function With Form) (Motion Graphic Titling)

When you are starting to work on your opening titles, you might want to organize the credit information you receive from the client and begin a rough sketch of how the titles will unfold over time (also called animatics). The following terminology and concepts will help you organize your work and facilitate the communication between […]

The Video and Film workflow (Title Sequences: Function With Form) (Motion Graphic Titling)

Depending on whether your movie has been shot on film, video, or CG animation, there are a number of possible workflows though which you will be able to deliver an accurate, foolproof title sequence that will match the client’s desired specifications. To make an informed decision on the right workflow, when you’re beginning to work […]

Film Process and Transfer: The Digital Intermediate Process (Title Sequences: Function With Form) (Motion Graphic Titling) Part 1

Digital intermediate (DI) is a process that might be necessary while working on your title sequence if your project requires transposing your source footage from one medium to another— from digital video to film, for example, or from film to video and from film to digital, then back to film. A typical digital intermediate workflow […]

Film Process and Transfer: The Digital Intermediate Process (Title Sequences: Function With Form) (Motion Graphic Titling) Part 2

Do you do any preliminary tests before you shoot your titles? I’ve been designing titles for so long, I don’t have to shoot preliminary tests anymore unless it’s something I’ve never done before. I’ve got tests for all types of situations, both in 35 mm and 16 mm film: top lit and bottom lit, and […]