SU Opening Credits Idea #1

[nraven760]

Okay, here's my rough-cut idea for opening credits.  Hardly Man From U.N.C.L.E.-ish, but stylistically closer to modern dramatic shows.

http://www.zeitloft.com/Zeitloft/Media/Entries/2009/8/28_Shadow_Unit_Opening_Credits_(Idea_1).html

Truecofffe, if you're still out there, get in touch with me and I'll help you get your video converted.

[txanne]

Is it supposed to do something other than be green and sit there? "This text will be replaced' is a bit meta even for us....

[MadGastronomer]

I got a video.  Try again, Anne.
Not bad, and I like the brain bit, but I'm not too sure about the coughing-germs-blood sequence.

[will shetterly]

nraven, looking very cool!

[txanne]

How odd. Safari liked it just fine.

And how cool is it that Beto is first in the DNA swoop?

[jeffy]

It's gorgeous. I too am uncomfortable with the strong suggestion of a communicable disease angle for our favorite anomaly, but who knows, maybe it is!

[DavidG]

Liked it. Non-cast based opening credits can be really effective -- I was blown away by the opening credits for 'True Blood', which barely touch on the subject matter of the show but are just the right kind of Southern Gothic.

I'd agree there's probably a little too much suggestion of a contagion-based anomaly at the moment, but a longer credit sequence could accommodate more suggestions -- brain waves, a Typhoid-Mary wandering through a crowd, traumatic situations and so on. Maybe incorporate some of the Shadow Unit jargon - Gamma, WTF, Anomaloid, etc. -- in flashcard fashion.

[txanne]

Well, it *is* just S1's opening. I bet S2's will incorporate what we learned over the course of S1. (I mean, just look at the DNA part. That's the kind of thing you don't even notice the first time around.)

[jennythe_reader]

That's pretty cool looking.  My only (teeny-tiny) quibble is that the font "Shadow Unit" is in at the very end doesn't look very good.  I think it isn't standing out enough against the somewhat busy background.

[nraven760]

How odd. Safari liked it just fine.

And how cool is it that Beto is first in the DNA swoop?

Well, I thought about the order...  Shows with a relatively longish ensemble cast typically get listed alphabetically unless there's enough ego-tripping with the cast to demand specific placement.  In the end, I just went with the order that has always been posted on shadowunit.org. 

Presumably, The Powers That Be already took care of the negotiations with the actors. 

[nraven760]

That's pretty cool looking.  My only (teeny-tiny) quibble is that the font "Shadow Unit" is in at the very end doesn't look very good.  I think it isn't standing out enough against the somewhat busy background.

Nor do I... but I promised I was going to post overnight and I ran out of time.  I decided to post the idea anyway to get feedback like this.  I'm working on changes, but it will be a few days before the next iteration is ready to go up.

[nraven760]

Here's attempt #2:  http://www.zeitloft.com/Zeitloft/Media/Entries/2009/8/30_Shadow_Unit_Opening_Credits_(Idea_2).html

[makito]

....*Squee*! Love the computer sequence a lot a lot, and the rest, of course, is also awesome.

[will shetterly]

I would watch that show.

[jeffy]

This is really great. I love how the opening head sequence starts off seeming like a gunshot wound and continues into disintegration. And the final head sequence is a nice bookend while also looking really cool and being very suggestive of things anomalous.

So are these individual sequences stock footage of some kind or are you actually building all this stuff?

I like the computer flyby, but it felt a little long and the look of it clashes a little with the rest of it. In fact, now I think about it, this feels more choppy overall due to the different looks of the various clips. Wonder if you could unite them with some color timing tricks. The digital flashy thingy is spiffy.

Fun!