Just wanted to do a quick post about the importance of the opening titles to TV shows.

The idea came to me as I was watching last Sunday’s episode of Poldark (don’t judge). A typical BBC period drama shown on ABC1 8.30 Sundays, it follows the life of almost-nobleman Ross Poldark as he navigates his way through the troubles of Cornish mining life in the late 1700s. I was inspired to write this brief post because I am always struck by the power of the opening credits. I absolutely love the piece of music, and I don’t quite know why; I just think it’s a moving work that really sums up the themes of the show. Have a look:

I think the evolution of TV credits is an interesting one. Back in the 60s or 70s, it seemed common for TV credits to be up to a minute in length, but then in the 21st century economy of time was valued and credits were minimised. Take the example of Modern Family‘s 11-second title sequence:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhylCcN52nk

But I think the opening title is having a resurgence, and it’s becoming more of an art form again. Global company Imaginary Forces is devoted almost entirely to opening credits, having been responsible for the titles of South Park, Nurse Jackie and even the classic Mad Men:

I find the process of making opening credits fascinating; how do you capture the essence of a show in just a few seconds? It was something I had the pleasure of trying myself when I made my short film for year twelve media in the style of a murder mystery show (a la Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries or Nancy Drew), and accordingly had to use Adobe After Effects to create a stylised theme. I had to incorporate an introduction of the characters, a set-up of the show’s concept and a snapshot of the show’s light-hearted, self-parodying tone into about 30 seconds, and it wasn’t easy but I enjoyed the process, and hope it’s something I’ll get the chance to do again in the future.

https://youtu.be/mynk0e8iPug