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There is no doubt that we live in a very fertile period for the production of series. Although the 1990s and 2000s are full of classics such as "Seinfeld", it was only in this decade that it was said again that we are living in a new Golden Age of TV. And you don't need to be an expert critic to notice this: the quality, in narrative and technical , has increased, as has the complexity of the topics covered. h6g1w
Another factor is the interest of the great stars, whose eyes were previously focused solely on the cinema and who now move to productions with labels. Netflix e HBO. Series are no longer secondary products, they are a very strong part of the industry. And therefore, there is a heavy investment in them.
But, did you notice that the series openings followed suit? Over the years, they expanded their commercial role and function within productions. Here's what motivated this evolution:
A little help from technology 4z5u3v
Nas sitcoms Twenty years ago, it was common to watch a compilation of scenes of less than a minute, in which moments from the series were mixed with not very elaborate footage. An iconic example is "Friends".
But, little by little, these openings gained an artistic layer. They followed the trend started by music videos: they stopped being mere advertising accessories and became statements of art.
One of the main reasons for this is the improvement in software in the mid-1990s. Above all, with the arrival of Adobe Creative Suite. Because of this technological evolution, a new generation of designers can push the creative boundaries in these openings.
The function is to present, but to what extent? a3c5c
At that time, procedural series still predominated, that is, those in which the episodes could even come in sequence, but had no connection other than the presence of the same characters. So people didn't necessarily follow the shows every week.
The openings, then, had the function of presenting a context for those who were seeing the series for the first time. In many cases, they were very objective and even delivered the entire series at once. But, some, escaped the rule, as "Fresh prince of Bel Air".
However, the production that really stood out and kick-started them to start rethinking the role of openings was “The Sopranos”. For website editors The Art of the Title, Lola Landekic e Will Perkins, the series' opening sequence, ironically, avoids revealing too much about the main character.
“Editing and cinematography cut Tony. You can't see it all. You see his cigarette, his eyes, his hands on the steering wheel. You can only see him at the end, when he gets out of the car,” Landekic said. “Who is this guy?” Perkins asked, as did all of us after watching the scene. “That [question] is the series, right?”, added the editor.
endorsement to dare lr3d
Since then, HBO has been daring. It left behind the traditional 30-second opening and started using 60 or even 90 seconds for this. Designers were encouraged to use new techniques and create new meanings for old footage. As a result, we have two of the most iconic openings of recent years: "Game of Thrones" e "True Detective".
In the series inspired by the books by George RR Martin, the opening works as a way of locating the viewer in the universe. With epic music and the cartography itself, we discover that it does not take place in today's times and that there is an imminent conflict. All this without even wanting to see anyone's face.
In interview for Wired, the mind behind the opening of “True Detective” and the studio’s creative director Elastic, Patrick Claire, explained why such short scenes gained importance:
“The title sequence acts as a link between everyday life and where you go when you watch the show”
Now, we see works with musical numbers, drawings or, simply, focused on the typography of the title. No matter, they are always well planned.
Therefore, it would not be strange if the professionals behind these openings become, in the near future, influential people within the industry. And why not, directors and showrunners?
What's your favorite opening? Tell in the comments!
