Extended Practice: Producing The Title Sequence

I was in the middle of planning out my trailer, when I realised I was still unsure of the font I was going to use for my titles. I figured the next logical step was for me to complete my opening title sequence, so I could decide on a brand that was going to be used across my promotion material.

To get started I had to make a new background that could be used for the pan that I had planned. I had drew out a 16x27 template for the background, and made sure to work on a large scale, so that it wouldn't lose quality when it was zoomed in on for the pan. Once this was complete I was able to experiment with text.

Large Background Design

A few months ago when I was testing After Effects components for my initial title sequence, I had briefly explored different fonts. My idea was that I wanted to find a font that looked handwritten, as the entirety of the film is - or at least looks - hand painted.

Experimenting With Fonts

I thought the idea was nice, but I don't think any of these fonts were quite right. In order to try and achieve the handwritten look that I was hoping for, I attempted writing out the title myself. Shocking.

Hand Written Title Testing

I started off using a variety of calligraphy pens in Photoshop. I was experimenting with Red as the kite in the film is also red, so thought this could be a nice touch. However, the red seemed to get lost within the background, so I opted for a white. This didn't stand out either (I don't know why I was surprised by this) so I gave the text a thin, black stroke/outline to try and combat this. The result was better, and I liked that it had a fine outline that was consistent with my background designs, but it just didn't work. I moved onto using dry media brushes, and I really liked that the textured feel was consistent with the rest of my work and so I stuck to experimenting with this.

Attempt One

Playing with the hand-written theme, I animated the text using the stroke effect in After Effects. I thought this worked well, and it was more interesting than just a simple fade in and out, but I felt there was something not quite working with the titles. I couldn't put my finger on what it was that I didn't like, so I tried changing the colour of the text again. 

Final Titles

That was the issue. The black seemed to be too harsh and stood out TOO much. The blue that I opted for is easy on the eyes, and works well against the blue of the sky.

I'm really happy with my opening scene. I like the timings of the animated text against the timings of the music, which I think is complimented by the subtle pan of the camera. I think this is also a nice introduction to the characters and the scene, as the movement isn't harsh or too fast.