--
The paradoxical evolution of titles --
Thu, 03 Dec 2015 09:47
--
SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE: Tim Horwood, channel director at MTV Base, believes that in recent years there has been somewhat of a paradoxical evolution in terms of the visual quality of television shows and title sequences in particular. He shares with Screen Africa his thoughts on the ongoing developments within this content genre.
In the last few years there seems to have been an increase in the quality of television programming. How has this affected the production of title sequences?
Certain sectors of the TV industry have seen a massive increase in budgets and resulting high-end output rivalling even feature films. Conversely, in other areas, budgets have decreased considerably and yet some of these less expensive productions are commanding the lion s share of viewership. No matter what budget you are working with, the effectiveness of a production be it a TV show or a title sequence - remains in its relevance to the audience and its ability to tell a story making quality a very subjective term.
How much importance do South African producers place on the title sequence?
It really depends on the channel and the producers, but I think overall not enough attention is placed on the opening sequence. Generally, SA producers have smaller teams than our international counterparts and the reality is that priority is often given to the content of the show itself versus the actual opening sequence. Often, the responsibility for the titles is put onto the editor who is expected to slap some highlights together, sprinkle of a few graphics and voila!
Often title sequences are given less consideration within a budget do you feel this is the case and has there been any change in this over the last few years?
This is pretty much the standard situation all over the world; very often the title sequence can be treated as a bit of an after-thought when it comes to the budget, even by some of the biggest productions. It is often up the creatives working on the sequence to work within quite tight budget limitations and yet still come up with something brilliant. It is often within these confines that some of the best work is achieved. At VIMN Africa, we have been recognised for full 3D big budget title sequences but have also won awards for work shot for virtually zero budget using innovative techniques like stop frame animation.
How intensive is a brief when creating a title sequence? Is it very specific? Are you given some room for your own ideas and creativity?
Again, this varies considerably based on who the producers of the show are and what kind of level of production you are looking at. Some producers have a very specific vision of what they want the titles to look like, others really do give the creative team the freedom to interpret and conceptualise the piece. It is always important for the creatives to intimately understand the essence of the show, the nuances, the vibe etc, and that process can take quite a lot of time and alignment. Often the creatives will spend time on set with the writers, directors and cast and immerse themselves in the production so that they can truly reflect the nuance of the show in the titles. Other times you are just given a few days to work it out and deliver something effective!
How important a role do music and animation play?
The use of music and animation are important editorial choices that can contribute to the atmosphere and overall success or failure of the title sequence.
What role does a title sequence play in the mind of the viewer?
A great title sequence should act as a tease, contributing both information and atmosphere to the viewer, and encouraging them to engage with the programme.
Has audience viewing behaviour (like time shifted viewing or access via digital platforms) played any role in the increasing quality of title sequences? Is it more important to grab a viewer s attention in our multiplatform consumer choice driven world?
There has been a movement in some sectors to shorten the title sequence and to get right to the point. With the introduction of digital media, and the resulting fight to hold the audiences attention from the so-called second screen there is a much shorter attention span particularly within the younger demographic; brands like MTV have consequently evolved content like promos and title sequences to match the shorter, bite-sized content that our audiences are consuming on an hourly basis.
Any personal favourite title sequences?
I really like the work that Hugo Moss (UK) does. He works on some really big International productions, but often has very small budgets to work with. He is forced to think of inexpensive and yet effective creative solutions.
Related Articles
PromaxBDA Africa 2015 highlight: Tim HorwoodTim Horwood is presenting a session titled: World Gold - 75 reasons to love your job at PromaxBDA Africa...
Read more...
PromaxBDA Africa celebrates Creatorshakers This year marks the 10th anniversary for PromaxBDA in Africa...
Read more...
Cultivating innovation at PromaxBDA Africa Today s world is constantly undergoing creative metamorphosis, not only in the way people consume media but in how they think, behave and interact...
Read more...
-- --
-- --
-- Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. comments powered by Disqus
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
15/06/2026
Detach from Direct-Attached: How Remote Editing with EVO Keeps Creative Teams Mo...
14/06/2026
Library captures 1960s R&B/pop drum sound
Following on from their recent wave of plug-in effects, Iconic Instruments have just launched an all-new virtual d...
14/06/2026
HBO Comedy Rooster Shot with URSA Cine 17K 65
Brie Clayton June 14, 2026
0 Comments
Large format brings viewers intimately close to characters.
Black...
13/06/2026
Latest expansion pack includes 252 presets
Devious Machines have recently introduced another expansion for their powerful multi-effects plug-in, Infiltrator...
13/06/2026
Create custom DAW/plug-in controllers using prompts
MetaGrid have recently introduced an all-new AI Builder function to their touchscreen-based control surf...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
YES Network and The Gotham Sports App will air seven Athletes Unlimited Softball...
12/06/2026
The United Football League will host its FAST Innovation Suite at the 2026 United Bowl presented by Credit One Bank on Saturday, June 13 at 3:00 p.m. ET at Audi...
12/06/2026
PTZOptics and LayerJot will present live demonstrations at InfoComm 2026 showing how natural-language AI prompting, robotic camera control, and on-device comput...
12/06/2026
MultiDyne Video and Fiber Optic Systems will exhibit at InfoComm 2026, featuring...
12/06/2026
Ateme has announced that Eurovision Services is using Ateme's software-based frame-rate conversion technology for international live event workflows. The de...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin and Simplestream have announced a partnership with Xperi to simplify the launch of OTT streaming services on TiVo OS smart TVs and devices. The collabo...
12/06/2026
Net Insight has announced that a multinational technology company is deploying a...
12/06/2026
MLB Players Inc., the business arm of the MLB Players Association, has announced a partnership with Athletes First to develop and sell brand partnerships across...
12/06/2026
Guntermann and Drunck (G&D) and VuWall have announced the CommandKeyboard-Advanc...
12/06/2026
Comcast Smart Solutions announces a new smart technology deployment with Major L...
12/06/2026
Elevation Worship completed the initial leg of its Elevation Nights 2026 tour ...
12/06/2026
AJA Video Systems has announced KONA IP25 support for Colorfront Transkoder and ...
12/06/2026
Audinate Group Limited (ASX: AD8) will exhibit at InfoComm 2026 (Booth C7321, Ce...
12/06/2026
Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould has announced the appointment of Scott Adametz as Chief Technology Officer. The Pac-12 describes the hire as the first CTO appo...
12/06/2026
Grass Valley has announced AMPP Edge Live, a production system combining Grass Valley hardware, NVIDIA Blackwell GPU acceleration, and AMPP OS in a single platf...
12/06/2026
At one time a trailblazer with the launch of the Longhorn Network, the Universit...
12/06/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
12/06/2026
Chyron has announced PAINT 10.4, an update to its illustrated replay and sports ...
12/06/2026
SVP, Production, Mark Gross: With the new schedule, with not having every Sunday night, it has given us an opportunity to take a step back and reimagine what o...
12/06/2026
For Televisa Technical Engineering Manager Roberto N nez Ibarra and the small team of 12 technicians and two production personnel at the IBC things are already ...
12/06/2026
Simple Steps to Better Acoustics - Taming The Small Room
Most of us mix in spare rooms and small spaces, where the acoustics fight us at every turn. At Gear...
12/06/2026
Latest addition expands vintage-inspired effects palette
Meris' Ottobit pedal range draws its inspiration from vintage gaming consoles, and the latest a...
12/06/2026
Soundbox-based chamber strings series expanded
Sonora Cinematic have just announced the launch of the second instalment in their Soundbox-based chamber stri...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
AJA Announces KONA IP25 Integration with Colorfront Software
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Collaboration enables uncompressed SMPTE ST 2110 I/O ...
12/06/2026
URSA Cine 12K LF Used to Create Visuals for STUTS' K-Arena Concert
Brie Clayton June 12, 2026
0 Comments
Organic visuals projected on a giant scre...
12/06/2026
MTI FILM Acquires Mango New Edit, Expanding its Global Post-Production Services ...
12/06/2026
AI Point Tracking Speeds Up Complex VFX Tracks in Mocha Pro
Jessie Electa Petrov June 12, 2026
0 Comments
The 2026.5 release adds automatic point trac...
12/06/2026
Bitmovin, a provider of video streaming solutions, has partnered with Simplestream, a provider of OTT and broadcast solutions, and technology provider Xperi, to...
12/06/2026
Leostream Corporation, creator of the world-leading Leostream Remote Desktop Access Platform, today announced Jigsaw24, a leading B2B IT solutions provider wit...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
12/06/2026
How Aussie indie games and screen are levelling up with IP 11 June 2026
Ari Harrison, Pro Jank Footy
Head of Games Joey Egger and Ari Harrison of Umbrella sha...
12/06/2026
AgentPerf from Artificial Analysis, the industry's first agentic AI benchmark, gives developers, enterprises and infrastructure providers a clear way to com...
-- 
