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 any combination of top lit and bottom lit titles, burn-throughs, titles on top of all kinds of things.

Since I’ve got all kinds of tests, I can usually get the titles right the first time I shoot them. And almost every time I shoot a job, I shoot a test at the end of the setup, a wedge, half stops all the way through. When I have the finished film titles, I usually get a mid-light workprint, and if it doesn’t look right, then at least I’ll have a reference to do it again if I have to.

wedge test.

Figure 1.9 wedge test.

Usually, color negative has a wide enough latitude that you can get it right the first time. There’s some wiggle room for exposures in color negative. Hi-con film, which a lot of titles are shot in, has pretty much one or two f-stops [of latitude] and that’s it. It has to be really hot [in terms of exposure] in order for the black to be rich and dark and the whites to burn though crisp and clean.


I did something recently with a bunch of broken windshield glass. A client brought in a big box of windshield glass— they wanted it bottom lit with other little pieces of glass in there, and they wanted the titles to burn through on top of that; top lit and bottom lit. So I had to do a test for that. They came out looking pretty nice.

Do you have any recommendation is regard to font size when working with 16mm or 35mm film?

I’d say nothing smaller than 12 points. And, you know, it could be enormous if the title of the film is Yo, or M . so you can fill a frame. Sometimes people want their titles to look so big that they are going out of the frame but you can still read it, just so it looks kind of ridiculously huge.

What’s a typical length of a project?

Usually the turnaround is one day to shoot the titles. Once I get the name credits, I’ll take them to a typesetter, and they’ll output them to film negative the same or next day. Then I can bring them back here and do all the artwork, prepare it to make it camera-ready, and shoot it. If the client brings me the film negatives, the codaliths, then I can do it that same day. I cut them out; if they are bottom lit I mount them on paper animation cells with black tape, put them on the stand, add colored gels. I can do it in a day, unless it’s a subtitled project or a longer and more elaborate project.

Then the film will be processed at a film lab. Wait for it to come back—about a week sometimes—and then you can look at it and call the client and tell them to come and get them.

The client needs to proofread it because very often I’ll shoot something and they’ll go: "Oh my God, I misspelled my mother’s name! She gave me the money [to do the film],” so I’ll have to do it again, and if it’s a crawl, I’ll have to do the whole thing again.

Rock Ross at his animation stand.

Figure 1.10 Rock Ross at his animation stand.

How do you control the kerning and leading of your titles?

It used to be, when I was using press-type—Letraset—you’d have to do it all yourself by eye, but now you don’t have to do that much work anymore. Very often the typesetting equipment does a good enough job that doesn’t need adjusting too much.

Sometimes, though, I will still do some kerning myself. If the main title doesn’t look right—if it looks crowded, for example—I’ll just cut it up and space the letters using black tape and make it look a little better, not so crammed. Or separate lines a little, just so that looks more balanced and fits in the frame neatly.

What are the most challenging aspects of your work?

My experience has been that by the time independent filmmakers get to do their titles, they are frustrated, stressed out, broke, and very impatient. So you’ve got to be patient with them, and you’ve got to work with a tiny budget. You try to give a great production value for very little money. And that requires putting on your thinking cap and using a lot of elbow grease, and making it look as good as you can.

It’s always a challenge, and it’s going to be satisfying if you can take all these discomforts and still come out with a good job. It’s more satisfaction if it’s a hard job, and you do it anyway and quickly deliver those good-looking titles. And then, of course, the tough part after that is getting paid.

rock Ross at his animation stand.

Figure 1.11 rock Ross at his animation stand.

What are the most rewarding parts of your job?

Well, if you go to a film’s premiere and they have a great reception, they have a good audience, if the film was great and titles look great, that’s satisfying.

How many movies do you think you have worked on, as a filmmaker and as a title designer?

Thousands. I’ve kept all the invoices that I’ve sent people, and I thought that maybe one day I’d get all the client’s names and put them all together in a title sequence

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