Motion Graphic Titling for Film,Video and the Web

Early Titles (A Brief History of Title Sequences) (Motion Graphic Titling)

The first examples of title sequences can be found in silent films. These consisted of simple, nonanimated title cards that informed the audience of the main film title, crew credits, and talent credits; they were usually placed at the very beginning of a movie. Early title cards—often created by lettering artists employed by major studios—typically […]

Saul Bass: North by Northwest and Psycho (A Brief History of Title Sequences) (Motion Graphic Titling)

Saul Bass (1920-1996) was an outstanding graphic designer, title designer, filmmaker, photographer, and illustrator. His expertise masterfully ranged among static two-dimensional posters (Carmen Jones, Vertigo, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games), corporate identities (Continental Airlines, Minolta, United Airlines, AT&T, Girl Scouts of the USA), packaging (Quaker, Wesson, Alcoa), sophisticated animated title sequences (The Man with […]

Dr. Strangelove and Delicatessen (A Brief History of Title Sequences) (Motion Graphic Titling)

For Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), directed by Stanley Kubrick, Pablo Ferro created an outstanding title sequence. The movie opens with an aerial shot coupled with a voiceover giving the political context and setting of the film, followed by a scene of a U.S. Air Force […]

Se7en, Kyle Cooper, and the Modern Title Sequence (A Brief History of Title Sequences) (Motion Graphic Titling) Part 1

Named by The New York Times Magazine as “one of the most important innovations of the 1990s," the opening title sequence of Se7en (1995) presents, without any doubt, one major turning point in the history of title design. Se7en is a psychological thriller directed by David Fincher. In an interview with Thunder Chunky, talking about […]

Se7en, Kyle Cooper, and the Modern Title Sequence (A Brief History of Title Sequences) (Motion Graphic Titling) Part 2

Case study: Quantum of Solace, The Kite Runner, and Stranger Than Fiction Figures 2.3 MK12 studio in Kansas city. Motion Graphics Studio: MK12 Creative Directors: Ben Radatz, Tim Fisher www.mk12.com Quantum of solace Can you talk about the creative process while working on the Bond titles, from early inspiration, development and final deliverable? We produced […]

Se7en, Kyle Cooper, and the Modern Title Sequence (A Brief History of Title Sequences) (Motion Graphic Titling) Part 3

Stranger than fiction What was the main concept and inspiration for the motion graphics and main-on-end title sequence in Stranger Than Fiction? Initially, we were given a scrapbook, which was basically a personality guide to Harold Crick, Will Ferrell’s character in the film. It was put together by Zach Helm, the screenwriter. From this, we […]

Writing Systems and the Roman Capital (The Essentials of Typography and Time) (Motion Graphic Titling)

Typography allows designers and communicators to convey their ideas through the form of each letter. Each font has its own personality that manifests itself through weight, proportion, and detail. Furthermore, the way each font is articulated onscreen creates an additional “voice" and character. There is no set rule about what is the “right" font. Using […]

Types of Type: The Anatomy of a Typeface (The Essentials of Typography and Time) (Motion Graphic Titling)

Typefaces have different emotional qualities, depending on their form. Let’s start by defining some of the common type styles: • Serif. These generally include a little stroke at the edges of each letter. In The Origin of the Serif: Brush Writing and Roman Letters (Saint Ambrose University Catich Gallery, 1991), Edward Catich demonstrates how utilizing […]

Kerning, Tracking, and leading (The Essentials of Typography and Time) (Motion Graphic Titling)

In addition to font families, there are additional parameters that allow you to personalize the text that you should take into consideration. Let’s define a few more terms: •    Baseline. The invisible horizontal line that all letters rest on. This is the line across the bottom of the x-height. The curves of some letters, descenders, […]

Design Blocks: Choosing a layout (The Essentials of Typography and Time) (Motion Graphic Titling)

Using a Grid System Figure 3.7 It is quite popular to use a grid system in graphic design. Grid systems are most often used on Web pages, newspapers, and magazines, but we as film title designers can still take advantage of putting a grid system in place. It boils down to how you divide up […]

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