Recently there has been a lot of talk about HBO’s new show Boardwalk Empire.

It’s received mixed reviews for just about every aspect, right down
to the title sequence. Those who like the show, are hooked. While, those who weren’t impressed have been very vocal about their discontent. For
motion-graphics artists, it seems to be a particularly hot topic. Many feel that Imaginary Forces shouldn’t have gotten the project. Many have
stated that Digital Kitchen would have done a better job, and then reference their motion graphics masterpieces, title sequences for Dexter or
Trueblood. I have great admiration for Digital Kitchen. It was their work that inspired me to change my direction from print to motion, and there is
no doubt in my mind that their work is exquisite; Imaginary Forces doesn’t attempt to emulate Digital Kitchen’s style in this sequence, and I don’t
think it should be held against them when reviewing their work, and for that I respect them. Yes, I am aware that in life it is inevitable to have
decisions made based on comparison, but good decisions only let the comparisons influence them to a point.

The title sequence for Boardwalk Empire opens with a medium shot of the surf lapping up onto the shore. As the water recedes, the first credit is
revealed, “Steve Buscemi” in what seems to be Helvetica Neu Condensed, or similar condensed sans-serif typeface. The Placement of the text has
been criticized as being “arbitrary at best” , but this opening shot proves otherwise. The text is placed where the image tells it to be placed. A great
designer knows that the image chooses the type placement, not the designer. With motion, that task becomes a bit harder, because every second
is composed of 24 individual frames. The foamy surf pulls back to reveal the main actors credit center screen. That choice seems logical, not
thoughtless. The tide slows as it reveals Steve Buscemi’s name, which introduces the viewer to the concept of time. Time is an integral part of the
series, things happen quickly and often simultaneously, but the importance lies in the details. The viewer must keep track of time throughout the
show to understand it, and time lapse is a technique of speeding up and slowing down time used in the title sequence.

The next shot is of Buscemi walking towards the ocean, with gloomy threatening looking clouds over head. The next title appears just to the right
of Buscemi’s head, and is nestled between 2 strands of a fading cloud. The white text stands out enough to be legible, and provides a nice contrast
to Buscemi’s silhouette.

At the next cut, time speeds back up and another medium shot of the surf reveals the third credit. Once again, the placement of the text seems
appropriate, not forced or thoughtless. The motion of the water is parallel to the height of the letters, which allows the viewers eye to linger on
the text instead of following the action. After the reveal time slows down again, emphasizing the addition of the text to the frame.

Then we cut to a pair of slick shoes, Buscemi’s based on context clues, come to a standstill on damp sand. The manipulation of time is introduced
again in this shot. The viewer can assume this was a continuation of Buscemi’s earlier action of walking towards the surf.

Quickly, the camera cuts to a view of black rocks jutting out of the ocean in the mid ground with the next title laid over it. The placement of the
text seems, once again, logical. The white text stands out against the darkest area on the screen, and the motion of the water is leading the
viewer’s eye directly to the credit. At regular speed, waves crash over the rocks with extreme force. Up until now the water has seemed calm, but
now it’s agitated and dangerous. The force of the water is beautiful but terrifying at the same time. This is a theme that runs throughout the show,
the ideas of false perceptions, and unanticipated upset.As the water begins to spray out over the rocks time slows down again and the camera
cuts back to Buscemi. The viewer can infer that the last shot was from Buscemi’s perspective. Buscemi’s surroundings move quickly as he slowly
turns his head to the left.

This still seems to be a direct nod to the surrealist artist Magritte. Critics haven’t quite seen the beauty and appropriateness of this connection.
The surrealists were direct descendants of the DaDa movement, which began as an anti-WWI statement. Instead of tearing apart this small
nugget of borrowed beauty, I find it to be a clever treat for those who notice. The Surrealist/DaDa style is an appropriate choice for the time
period of the show. The bluesy-guitar riffed soundtrack doesn’t seem out of place when viewed in light of the surrealist/ DaDa influence. Those
movements were all about not making sense. Also, if this title sequence was set to period music it’d seem cheesy. Imaginary Forces chose some-
thing unexpected and new. The show’s target audience isn’t those who lived through prohibition, it’s 20-30 something hip young adults. The
song has obvious influences from the time, but is even more obviously more relevant to their target audience. The show is extravagant and over
the top, but that extravagance has extreme consequences. The choice of music relays that feeling much more effectively to the young adults
watching it than Benny Goodman or Glenn Miller could. The combination of the changing speed of the scene, and the experimental lulls in the
track create an effect on the viewer that I feel is almost cinematic. The 2 combined create the feeling of a deep breath, or the feeling of floating
just before you fall. It’s a surreal moment of synesthesia that rarely happens in tv shows, let alone tv title sequences.

The camera cuts again to Buscemi’s view as he’s turning his head to the left. There the screen is filled with the sea. The next credit fades into view.
The intent behind the text placement becomes apparent as a wave crashes towards and under the name. It never obstructs the clarity of the text,
but guides the eye to it. As the wave is crashing the motion is slowed down which adds emphasis to the text.

The next shot shows a lot of thought on the part of the directors, because it transitions the viewer back to Buscemi seamlessly, but in a non-
repetitive manner. Buscemi’s hand follows the motion as the wave in the last scene. This technique connects two otherwise unrelated shots. There
has been so much criticism placed on other aspects of the sequence, that the cinematic quality, and complex intershot relationships have been
glossed over, if not forgotten all together. This vignette within the sequence is a perfect example of Imaginary Forces ignoring the influence of
Digital Kitchen. Digital Kitchen’s openers are very design based. Their work generally uses ultra-saturated colors, and are obviously the brainchild
of brilliant designers. Imaginary Forces allows the director and cinematography of the show to be their main influences. Boardwalk Empire is
more lush and cinematic than most other television shows. The use of color, and filters creates a dreamy muted pallet not uncommon to many
period oriented films. This emphasis on the story, and cinematography of the show is indicative of Imaginary Forces’ refreshing style. They
shouldn’t be chastised for thinking outside of the “swiss-design” box, but praised for attempting to make the title sequence intigrated into the
show, and not simply stylishly relay imortant information.

With the viewer’s focus now back on Buscemi, the cuts back to a point of view shot of Buscemi’s hand opening the cigarette case. Providing
varying shots of this action holds the viewers attention and prevents boredom by variety. The act of taking a cigarette out of a case, and tapping
it in preparation for smoking it isn’t a lengthy task, but in relation to the length of the title sequence, it’s actually a substantial chunk of time.
Focusing on this task creates a sense of anticipation for the viewer. Either smoking is a major aspect of this character, or the camera is forcing you
to watch a distraction while something else is happening. There is no text throughout this entire sequence, which adds even more emphasis to it.
Buscemi’s character in the show is a corrupt politician. He’s always in some sort of trouble or cahoots, but seldom loses his cool. Showing this
extreme nonchalant act could provide a little bit of insight about this aspect of the character.

This next shot of Buscemi lighting the cigarette provides another visual connection between the action and the surroundings. Many have
critiqued this shot as being an obvious use of green screen. I think this is actually intentional. As I stated before, Imaginary Forces has their own
style. Many of their pieces have a dreamlike feel. The unrealistic look of this shot to me doesn’t read like an amateur use of green screen, but an
intentional manipulation of lighting to create an extravagant dream-like effect. To add to this effect, the color pallet is muted, and there is a filter
darkening the corners.

The camera then cuts back to the ocean, but the sea is relatively calm. The motion is slowed which adds to the calming effect. The text is placed
on the darkest area of the screen providing contrast.

The camera then cuts to a time-lapse shot of clouds forming and dissipating in the sky. The sky seems to be getting more and more ominous in
every shot, which continues to build anticipation. This shot of the sky is an obviously intentional choice. The movement mimics that of waves of
the ocean crashing onto shore. This motion provides continuity between the shots. The music becomes less intense at this point almost lifting the
foreboding sense the sequence has built up thus far.

Continuing the lighthearted tone there is a succession of close up shots of Buscemi with credits placed accordingly. This is literally the calm
before the storm.

The next shot shows the ocean more agitated than in any of the previous shots, but the slow motion makes it seem less aggressive.

Next there is a shot of Buscemi’s eyes. His brow is furrowed and he looks concerned.

The camera cuts to what Buscemi has been looking at, a few bottles floating in the water. The music is still calm, which is appropriate for this
discovery period.

The camera then cuts to a close shot of a bottle bobbing up from the surf. The viewer is now aware that the bottles in the water are whiskey, and
given premise of the show, Buscemi is responsible for the whiskey.

The camera cuts back to a similar shot of the rocks and dock we saw earlier, but the sky is much darker, and the viewer can just make out the
shapes of tons of bottles in the water. It seems that with every shot the situation is becoming more and more intense.

The last shot of the build up is a beautiful perspective view from under a pier. The piles of the pier recede into the distance. The enormity of the
pier is emphasized by the use of depth of field in the shot. The piles and the text guide the viewers eye straight to a whiskey bottle in the center of
the screen. The bottle rides up to the crest of the wave and disappears as the wave crashes.

Just as this happens, the camera cuts to a close up of one of the piles of the dock. The music crescendos and the footage speeds back up to regu-
lar speed, only slowing down to emphasize certain actions. The water moves at regular speed, but the bottle crashing and shattering is in slow
motion. Obviously this is what Buscemi’s worrisome gaze was leading up to. His empire, built on corrupt government and illegal alcohol is out in
the open, and being smashed to bits. All the viewer can assume is that the only thing Buscemi can do is stand on the shore and watch it happen.

More bottles quickly roll onto shore in the surf, and the music continues to boom. The lighting has become darker and more ominous, and the
shot is blurred with the speed and ferocity of the actions.

This next shot is one of my favorite shots in the sequence. It’s beautifully composed, deeply saturated, and the information is clearly displayed. The
waves careening into the rock spray out and frame the text. The skyline and the rocks mimic each other in shape and hue. A perfectly composed
shot seems only appropriate for the director of photography’s credit, though.

The camera cuts to an extremely saturated shot of Buscemi. The sun is disappearing behind the storm clouds, and the camera is angled upwards
indicating his power. He doesn’t seem phased at all by what is going on around him.

More whiskey rolls onto the shore. Only this time, we see the bottles hit Buscemi’s feet. This is the first visual connection that is made between
Buscemi and the whiskey. Imaginary Forces has done such a superb job of editing, that this connection was made many shots ago by the viewer.

All signs of sunlight are gone, and we have a lingering shot of Buscemi looking out onto the ocean as his surroundings are flying by him. The
pacing at this point is much faster at this point. The bottles seem to be accumulating quickly, and the screen gets darker with every shot.

The camera then cuts to a reaction shot similar to the shot of Buscemi’s eyes that was displayed earlier. Only this time his eyes are glowing. They’re
the same stormy blue as the sky behind him, and there is more emotion in his expression than we’ve seen thus far. Lightning strikes behind him
and the sky lights up. The light changes are reflected in his eyes. This seems to imply that he is the source of all the calamity happening around
him. He seems to be governing his surroundings silently with his emotions.

This is the final shot of the storm. The clouds clear, and the musics settles back down.

The camera then cuts to a low shot of a few bottles on the beach, but pulls back to reveal an ocean full of whiskey. This image has been critiqued
as being cliche and over the top, but the whole story-line tends a bit in that direction. The time period was about extravagance and lavishness.
The issue with prohibition was people were overindulgent, so why not allow the title sequence to do just that?

The screen is much brighter now, and the camera cuts back to Buscemi’s legs. He’s about knee deep in the water, which could easily be a reference
to his involvement in the illegal sale of alcohol, and unsavory politics his character is known for. The camera pans up Buscemi’s body, and the
music hesitates. This creates a sense of calmness or rest after the visual bombardment and overindulgence of the previous frames. It also gives
more time for the viewer to focus on these important titles, which are the executive producers who lent their name and notoriety to the show to
draw a following.

This next shot is the last close up of Buscemi. He looks contemplative, but almost remorseful. He looks less evil, and the soft halo of light surround-
ing him allows the viewer some insight the softer side of his character. The complexity of the characters is one of the reasons why the show is so
successful. While the audience of America has a black or white opinion of the show on a whole, for those who enjoy it, the task of categorizing any
one character as good or bad is nearly impossible. The angle of the shot once again puts Buscemi in a position of power, but this time he seems
more like a religious deity to be worshiped, not a hardened criminal to be feared. The lack of text emphasises the shot in the context of the story of
the sequence. It’s not relaying any text based information, so the audience must infer that its importance is related to the story and/or the charac-
ter. This was a smart move on Imaginary Forces part, because it allows the viewer a break from textual information before the final credits.

The camera then cuts to Buscemi’s feet, where the water recedes from his shoes without leaving any trace of sand or moisture. Buscemi, turns
around and his feet exit the screen. He is physically leaving the crime without any trace of evidence on his body.

The camera then cuts to a wide shot of Buscemi walking into the sunset over the Boardwalk in Atlantic City New Jersey. The title of the show
glows above is head.

Buscemi’s silhouette grows smaller as he returns to his ‘empire.’ Interestingly enough he seems to have physically turned his back to his wrong
doings. The heros in old westerns ride off into the sunset, and Buscemi is evoking that type of emotion from the viewers by mimicking that prac-
tice.

The title fades and so does the music. The camera begins to pan up from Buscemi and the sunset, leaving the viewer with the final titles.

An artist from Digital Kitchen recently leaked concept boards that were pitched for the Boardwalk Empire title sequence gig. With many critics
claiming that Digital Kitchen would have done a far better, and different job creating the titles, Digital Kitchen’s concept art is a surprisingly less
developed version of Imaginary Forces final product. The text is barely ledgible, and the cinematic grandios of the show has been flattened with
aged photos and soft focus lenses. Instead of introducing the main character within the title, Digital Kitchen pieced together a very realistic
portrait of a day at the shore in the 1920’s. The show, while set in Atlantic Beach, is more character based than this concept art would lead the
viewer to believe. Digital Kitchen got too caught up in the antiquity of the 1920’s and lost sight of the target audience, and underlying timeless-
ness of the storyline. While their shots are pleasing to the eye, the overall feel lacks a key aspect of the show, edginess. The show is a sex, drugs,
and rock and roll look at prohibition. Digital Kitchen’s concept artwork seems more like your Great Aunt Mildred’s account of her summers at the
shore. All of that being said, the major aesthetic differences boil down to each studio’s style. One of Digital Kitchen’s most renowned works, the
title sequence for Dexter, achieves the same end result that Imaginary Force’s title sequence for Boardwalk Empire achieves. By the end of each
sequence, the viewer has insight into the main character’s troubled psyche. The only difference is how they chose to get there. All designers know
that no studio has the final say about any commissioned piece. Ultimately the client gets what they want, and based on similarities between the
concept art from Digital Kitchen and the final product from Imaginary Forces the title wouldn‘t differ much if it had been infact produced by
Digital Kitchen. Boardwalk Empire obviously called for a cinematic approach, and Imaginary forces obviously got that part right. How do I know
this? The striking similarities between the concept art from Digital Kitchen and Imaginary Forces’ final product display that the direction Imaginary
Forces took the sequence in was in the same vein as that of Digital Kitchen. Digital Kitchen took a more literal realistic approach, while Imaginary
Forces let the medium and cinematography guide them thus creating cohesion between the title and the show. In short, Imaginary Forces simply
did it better.

Client: HBO
Director: Karin Fong, Michelle Dougherty
http://www.imaginaryforces.com/featured/6/622
LINKS
1. http://suspended.tv/blog/2010/10/18/comparing-titles-boardwalk-empire-v-dexter
2. http://motionographer.com/2010/09/30/imaginary-forces-main-title-for-boardwalk-empire/#comments
3. http://www.thenation.com/article/155139/boardwalk-empire-all-too-real-world
4. http://brycewymer.blogspot.com/2010/09/boardwalk-empire-digital-kitchen.html
OTHER REVIEWS

1. http://tunedin.blogs.time.com/2010/11/01/boardwalk-empire-watch-the-persistence-of-memory/
2. http://www.boston.com/ae/tv/blog/2010/10/iim_really_lovi.html