Supernatural Opening

Something that is unique about the show Supernatural, is that every season they change the graphics of their opening theme and they match it to the running plot of that season. The show is about two brothers who dedicated their lives to hunting down demons and monsters, and the atmosphere of the show is captured in just a few seconds of their opener. I'm sure very similar aspects of these can be achieved using after effects, but some of them are things we have talked about or gone over. Season 3 is set over fog and clouds, which we have done very basics forms of with the smoke. Another one that involved particles could be season 7 where the name of the show emerges from black material that dissipates into smaller pieces. Similar to season 5, where there is a red liquid that looks like many of the examples from Video Copilots riot gear expansion. It is also really similar to the end credits of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

We're definitely seeing a lot more opening credits that rely heavily on motion graphics rather then rolling text over live action. Especially the opening for Chuck, shown below.

This is a really interesting article on fanboy.com that chronicles animated opening sequences in television from the 50's through the 70's (it also mentions how Saul Bass played a large part in this television revolution that brought animation to the audiences at home). It says that in the late 1970's, credits began to switch back to live action or just straight animation.

An article in smashing magazine showcases many of the impressive animated credits that have been playing in the last couple of years. Everything from the minimalist title of Lost, to the pop-up book in United States of Tara. While live action seems to work better with comedy, dramas are better paired with animation because it can create a certain mood for the audience and prepare them better for the show without getting distracted.

Title Sequence - United States of Tara

This week I started watching the TV show United States of Tara. The title sequence is very well done and because of the things we've talked about in class, I found myself wondering how they made it.

I looked it up and it's stop motion made with paper pop-up characters and settings. I also found this behind the scenes video which shows how they did it, and has the completed sequence at the end.

The titles won an Emmy for Outstanding Main Title Design. The video led me to the creator, Jaimie Caliri's, site, where he has posted other amazing videos in the same style. I like his ad for United Airlines is even better than the U.S of Tara video.

Jamie Caliri United Airlines Dragon

I'd recommend watching his videos to anyone who's interesting in paper stop-motion.