Motion Production - Alternative title sequence Brief
The brief for this assignment was to design an alternative title sequence for a film/TV Series of our choice. A alternate is a common occurrence in the field of sequential media and also in the development of many titles during the life of a film. The alternative must still function as an appropriate introduction to the work.
The deliverables for the assignment are broken down into 4 different sections
Deliverables
Pitch ideas with sketches/style frames
A storyboard to map out your sequence
Animatic to test your sequence which will evolve over the project
A complete, one-minute title sequence to a professional standard
The Pitch
Opening Statement
In a post‐apocalyptic world where zombies have conquered the human race, few survive. Those who
have survived now live in a bleak and rotten world always searching for a safe haven that they can
never seem to find. The survivors have to contend with a variety of dangers like being bitten by
zombies or being captured or killed by the living as well as dealing with their own personal demons.
The characters of the show often find themselves in situations that can change in a split second
when what seems safe and peaceful can quickly change into danger and chaos, nothing is ever black
and white.
The title sequence for the walking dead differs with each season often giving visual clues regarding
the story of the characters and what lies ahead for them in the upcoming season. Often the title
sequence will put the viewer in the character’s position showing abandoned cars and buildings while
using a shaky camera technique to give a sense of panic to the viewer. The use of symbolism is also
seen throughout with certain objects like a sheriff’s hat and weapons being used to symbolise the
main characters in the show.
There is a thin balance between good and evil in the show and the show is as much about how
humans react when their humanity is stripped from them as it is about zombies with many of the
characters battling between survival and what is morally right to do.
For my alternative title sequence I plan to use a minimalistic approach to the title design which is a
complete contrast to the original, using simple shapes and imagery to try and evoke emotions from
audience. Contrasting colour will be used throughout the sequence to make the imagery stand out
as well as playing with the whole idea of nothing ever being black and white in this post‐apocalyptic
world.
The world that the survivors now live in is bleak with death only around the corner and by using
minimalistic design and colour scheme we can help to give the viewer a sense of this bleak world.
Key Elements
Elements that are visually fundamental to the walking dead story.
Post‐apocalyptic world
A world in ruins with abandoned vehicles and empty streets. Civilization has fallen apart and nature
has now started to reclaim the world with many elements decaying and falling apart. Grass and trees
can be seen on building as they over grow varies structures. The world that the characters inhabit is
a dark, bleak and decaying place.
Zombies
The undead have over run the world and now roam the streets searching for the living to feed on
our characters spend most of their time trying to escape from them and avoid being bitten. The
show is set in a post‐apocalyptic, zombie‐infested world, but it's about how humans react when their
humanity is stripped from them. The zombies are a metaphor, if not always a clear one, in addition
to being a cool, terrifying element of the show.
Symbolism
We associate certain imagery with characters on the show whether its Ricks sheriffs badge or Daryls
crossbow these symbols are often used especially during the title sequence to give us a visual clue
regarding what to come. An example of this is during season fours title sequence where two arrows
were shown in a tree a reference to Daryl being reunited with his brother. There are also recurring
symbols throughout the different series, one of these was a deer that was often seen throughout
the first two seasons, the deer represents innocence (and hope that innocence can survive in the
zombie world).
Narrative Development
As the sequence progresses it will become dark and edgy, the pace will increase and the sequence
will feature elements that include…
Urban Decay
Death and Destruction
Fear
The Storyboard
The next step in the process of creating the title sequence was to storyboard out the shots and ideas on paper.
Please note that the storyboard was created on a sketch pad and was too large to scan so I had to photo it for upload, apologies for the quality not being of a better standard.
Animatic
This is the final version of my alternate title. I added some live action shots as well as using better imagery and adding some effects to make the title more polished looking. I also added an ident that I created for my multimedia company at the start of the title....Hope you enjoy it !
