Proof of Concept - Camera Panning in After Effects

In the fourth scene of my title sequence, I'm planning on having a close up, that quickly pans out to a full body shot. Of course it's animated so I'm talking about using imaginary cameras here, and that's mostly used in After Effects. I've done a tracking shot before on Flash using Parallaxing (moving multiple layers simultaneously in a particular manner that generates the illusion of depth), but I've never tried zooming/panning out in animation. I figured the best way to do it was to use After Effects, seeing as it uses 'video layers' so I can use something animated on, say, Photoshop, render it, then manipulate it on After Effects. It was actually very simple this way. Here's what I made:

I simply made an animation on Photoshop, rendered it to Quicktime video, then imported the video file to After Effects where I can alter the shape whilst the video is moving, then changed the scale. Okay, it does sound complicated but when you actually jump right into it, and you have an understanding of the After Effects as a tool, then it might work out well for you. 

Intro Themes

Now the most important part of the title sequence, of course, the music. Music is basically a standard for title sequences because they can make the intro more memorable, depending on the song used, whether the song is an original one or an existing song; the purpose of the music is usually to assist the flow of the imagery and follow the pace of the editing.

Steven Universe's intro emphasises the joyful nature of the series through the use of a cute, original, theme song, which actually works well with the upbeat anime-esque images. The song itself is really quick and introduces the characters very well, on top of that, the lyrics are easy to remember. A very short title sequence but it works because of the dynamic between the images and music.

Hunter x Hunter's first intro is rather similar to Steven Universe's, in that it introduces the characters and presents itself in a rather friendly manner, using happy music to work alongside the images. The second intro, however, is the exact opposite, instead using very bleak rock music to go with the gothic and surreal imagery. It's not unheard of for an anime to change its intro throughout the series and this is no exception. The reason this works though is because of the juxtaposition between this opening the original one, and set up the current events of the arc. The images used in the second intro are not only presented in an intimidating, neo noir-like fashion, with a huge emphasis on a modern-day city location in a nighttime setting, but establish rather well who the villains of this arc are, and actually foreshadow events to come. Of course, the music itself is so awesomely grim that it works with the images, and it's probably the best type of song to be used in an opening like this, the song also works with pacing and the timing of the melody coincides well with the images. It genuinely gets me excited every time I watch it.

More Backgrounds - "Blank Backgrounds"

There's a certain technique used in animation, where characters are placed in front surreal stylised backgrounds. No matter how hard I look, I can't seem to find the correct terminology for this technique so I'm just going to call them "blank backgrounds", because they comprise of nothing that specifically establishes setting and location but rather puts emphasis on the main animation and the mood of the scene, through use of colour and texture. It's used most famously in anime, but it has been used in western animation as well. Here are some examples:

These each use different styles and techniques, but mainly for comedic effect. Ren & Stimpy and Spongebob sometimes use them just to add to the surreal nature of the shows (often to a disturbing extent), whereas Pokemon, among other anime, uses these types of backgrounds for moments of extreme emotion or during action sequences, they are normally moving in anime as well, and because of how they are used they are normally more elaborate than the westerners' blank backgrounds.

These backgrounds are used a lot in title sequences as well, for illustrative means. The image of Spongebob there is from the intro of Spongebob Squarepants, which pretty much always uses them, because they help show off the series' bright and silly tone through the use of colour codes, and the use of the tropical wallpaper-esque imagery and the colour blue reminds the audience of the underwater setting and the typical themes throughout the series.

Flash - Proof of Concept - Backwards walk cycle + silhouette

One part of the title sequence involves a silhouetted character walking backwards, and I realised as I planned this that I had no idea how to animate a backwards walk cycle. I also planned on using Flash to animate this portion of the title sequence, as I think that would be a good way to simplify and stylise the silhouettes, sticking to the art style of this segment, whilst also maintaining the overall form, through the use of converting the characters to graphic symbols. Now I want to show the basic look of the segment whilst also trying out a backwards walk cycle.

I used this video for reference and quickly made this little piece of animation with it.

I only animated two lines that represent legs, and I used a similar colour scheme to one I'd use for the final version. This isn't perfectly animated but it looks enough like a backwards walk-cycle that I can look at it and see how I could improve on it.

Silhouettes in title sequences

Silhouettes play an interesting role in title sequences, creating a stylistic portrayal of the characters and their actions, sometimes even the setting can be seen as shown in this manner. It's been a regular aspect of title sequences for decades (one of the most famous examples being the James Bond sequences), it is typically used portray the characters as suave loners, or stylising action sequences. It certainly adds visual appeal to the sequences; personally, I love them, they're cool, stylistic, and almost automatically add to the visual spectacle.

Examples of this method are both the title sequence for Superbad and Cowboy Bebop (among Shinichiro Watanabe's other title sequences). Superbad's use of colour establishes the upbeat and wacky tone of the film, it also shows the characters dancing and acting weird together to establish the the dynamic between them, and also uses different colours to represent who each silhouette is, making each character stand out very well. Cowboy Bebop uses the silhouettes to emphasise the characters through their designs and this gives an idea on how they generally act through their body language. It also establishes the pace and action throughout the series, by showing the characters acting out as if they were in a tense situation. This is very much how Shinichiro Watanabe's anime title sequences tend to establish genre and tone among a series' narrative.

Title Card Transition - Splatter

After the slow beginning of the title sequence, I wanted the moment where Migi appears and freaks out Shinichi to be the set up for the title card to transition. Originally, like in the animatic, the title card was just gonna appear without any visuals other than the typography of the title. I wanted the title card's appearance to be a jump scare and immediately establishes the crazy, depraved, and scary tone of the series, hence why the thrash metal music plays upon the title's appearance. I decided recently that there should be visuals alongside the title card that when shown alongside the music is not only discomforting but would either scare audiences or excite them. So I figured I would make the text more detailed and the title card would transition with an animated blood splatter. The idea of using bloody imagery was inspired by many TV thrillers, and example being the anime Monster, which shows the characters' outlines in the blood representing their darker brutal sides:

But here's the problem: I can't draw a good splatter for shit. So how am I gonna make one look good? I don't have a scanner so I can't use ink splatter on a sheet of paper, and I wanted to see how a splatter would look if it went towards the screen. So I figured a solution would be to record a splat of liquid with a camera to use as reference, and maybe even rotoscope a little. Here's what the set-up looks like:

Sorry for the poor quality, but this is pretty much what the set-up looks like, I got my brother to make a liquid that could simulate the look of the blood splatter and throw it at the window while I record, then I would look at it both in regular motion and slow motion just to get a good idea of how it looks. Seems convoluted but it's effective. Even Art Babbit had to record footage for reference. It's good thing the weather was on my side that day, because just like anything recorded outside, you have to account for lighting, time of day, and weather, like if it was raining then not only would it be too bleak and not get a good enough picture but it would also ruin the look of the splatter, being soaked in rain water. Here's the footage recorded: 

It took many takes to get the splatter right, it either didn't hit the window right or even worse it did but was out of frame, this was the best one. You can just see my brother's satisfaction in the video. Anyway, I was able to make a rough piece to see how I got the pattern down.

Now obviously in the actual sequence I'm use something like this in a broader scale. I just wanted to get an idea of the pattern it makes, and I think it works pretty damn well, actually. 

Title Sequence: Pacing

In terms of pacing for my title sequence, I was influenced by numerous title sequences, but the opening in particular was influenced by Courage the Cowardly Dog's title sequence, which practically doesn't even have a theme song until the end of it.

The whole sequence shows the characters in the usual setting living in a regular manner. It very much establishes the general mood of the show and doesn't really rely on graphics and visuals all that much, just using a 50s style news show to introduce the characters and talk about the situations they get into, and the only music played is the background theme of the news show and the last moment when the credits appear. It's interesting because it's very rare for, not only a kid's show but, TV in general to open with a rather slow-paced title sequence. It works very well though because it gives the feeling of equilibrium and showing the characters in a typical situation in their everyday lives, even for a moment like in this, is a good way of quickly establishing the character's personalities and their dynamic. You can see that Courage is more connected to Muriel than Eustace, and you can also tell he is the hero of the show but is a coward, hence the title and the description by the news reporter.

I wanted to incorporate this method into the first eight seconds of my title sequence, by showing Shinichi in the show's equilibrium but then Migi appears and ends the equilibrium. It would also establish the dynamic between the characters and their personalities. The rest of the opening would be fast-paced and focus on the visuals. It's almost like using the first two acts of the conventional three act structure, showing how the character lived in an ordinary world then establishing Migi's appearance as the interruption and the conflict.

Head turning on Photoshop

A small aspect of the title sequence is one moment in the opening where the character turns his head to his right. It's a very small aspect but I have to account for body language, facial expressions, and the overall flow of the movement for that part to work. So I practiced a turning motion on Photoshop, because that software's good with digital hand-drawn animation and I can create a smoother arc-driven movement on there. So I made a simple head-turn drawing that's 12 frames long, and animated at 24 frames per second. I picked a pose-to-pose approach for this like so:

I then simply filled out the inbetweens.

So it works quite well. I used a squash and stretch technique and moved the facial expressions and tuft of hair to simulate movement, and you can see the results. This proves I can use Photoshop if I need a smooth movement within the scene, so I'll mainly use that in the title sequence.