Sirens of Titan Title Sequence
For this SCAD project I designed and animated a title sequence for a mini series based on the classic novel Sirens of Titan, by Kurt Vonnegut.
Originally published in 1959, it follows the journey of Malachi Constant, a wealthy but aimless man, as he becomes embroiled in a cosmic adventure spanning across time and space. Through a series of unforeseen events orchestrated by the enigmatic Tralfamadorians, Constant discovers the true meaning of fate, free will, and the purpose of human history.
This sequence consists of a series of visual metaphors that reflect events of the story, but also its deeper themes and how the characters are affected.
PROCESS
MOODBOARD
To develop a moodboard I started by opening up my old Meggs’ History of Graphic Design book, and surveyed design history starting with post WWII Polish Posters, since WWII was a powerful influence on Vonnegut’s work.
I looked at work from artists such as Tadeusz Trepkowski, and Roman Cieślewicz, which led me to mid century American designers like Milton Glaser and Pushpin Studios, which led me to more modern designers like April Greiman and Mike McQuade. All of this helped me slowly get a sense of where to start with the designing of style frames and storyboards.
COLOR
CMYK was used for a few reasons.
The simple color palette was a way to tie disparate illustrations together and create harmony throughout the design.
It is a nod to the vintage print roots of the book.
The ’Sirens’ are described as being 3 different colors, one white, one brown, and one golden colored.
I wanted to infuse a bit of pop art mindset into the design because it reflects the darkly comedic tone and quizzical nature of Vonnegut’s writing. Pop Art is probably the most openly sarcastic and humorous of the respected art movements in history. Pop art also finds its roots around the same time as the book was published, 1959.
INITIAL STYLEFRAMES
These initial styleframes were a way to test the concept, and see how it would come together once it was implemented.
In the opening frame the faceless man is meant to immediately illustrate the characters in the story have a lack of agency over their identities. This turned into a scrambled face effect, to dive a little deeper into the fact that their identities are taken from them. The vertical stack of letters was removed, as it was too distracting, but I was able to find a more effective use for it later in the sequence.
The train station timelapse mirrors external forces shaping humanity, with a tilt-shift effect to depict us as ants from their perspective. Dust particles and light rays enhance depth, while the idea of adding book quotes was discarded as redundant.
The soldiers' split array symbolizes the Martian Army, comprised of Earthlings manipulated into a futile war. Radio antennas in their heads render them sacrificial robots. The color pattern of the layers ended up being too much, and they were left black and white to maintain balance.
The mushroom clouds symbolize Earth's bombing of Mars, with drawn missile trails reflecting the book's theme of determinism vs. free will. Their vibrant color contrasts the dark comedy of this horrific act. Once again the quotes were removed in the final sequence.