My roommate recently got in to watching Veronica Mars on Netflix Instant, so we spent a lot of our down time this weekend plopped on our couch watching it. While it's a great show, especially season 1, I really love the opening credits. After watching so many episodes that I lost count, I can't get the theme song out of my head.
Watch the music video for We Used To Be Friends by The Dandy Warhols after the break.
While I love movie title artwork, I think it's definitely fading out and being replaced by artwork in the end credits. Movies want to just start with the action already, fearing the audience will tune out if you don't jump in quickly enough, and then use the end credits to either showcase more information (like THE OTHER GUYS' use of financial stats) or to just expand a little more on the world the film created (like the bloopers after many Pixar films).
Which style do you prefer: opening credits or end credits?
Hulu's Best in Show March Madness Bracket is down to the Final Four! I'm pulling for Chuck to take it all, but it's got some serious competition against the fanatical fanbase of Community. But how can you not love Chuck after watching this awesome fanmade credit sequence?
Reminds me of 70s sitcoms a bit, what do you think?
The Cape was one of my most anticipated midseason shows; on paper, it's everything I love. However, after a slewof negativereviews, I'm a bit hesitant and am going in with lowered expectations. One of my favorite critics did love it, so there's still hope. She's just in the minority.
Regardless of the negative buzz, I'm going to check it out to judge for myself. I've only seen the previews and now these opening credits, but already I approve. I'm a huge lover of television opening credit sequences, and hate that it's been slowly dying out over the past few years. Check out the awesome comic book inspired credits for The Cape:
Tune in to the 2 hour premiere tonight, January 9 at 9pm. It's also replaying tomorrow, January 10 at 9pm after a Chuck rerun.
Like I mentioned earlier this week, television show opening credits are dying. I'm sure I'm taking this harder than most, but I truly believe that opening credits are an art. They establish an entire show's universe in under a minute with a song/tune and selected clips. To honor their passing, below are my Top Five Opening Credits for shows currently on air. Stay tuned for my Top Five for shows that aren't on anymore (sneak peak: Buffy).
5. True Blood
While it doesn't set up the characters, it does an excellent job of introducing the tone of the show. By contrasting images of religion, gross creepy-crawlers, and the south set to the bluesy rock of "I wanna do bad things to you" you get thrown in to this not-quite-real town of Bonne Temps waiting for its dark side to come out.
4. How I Met Your Mother
In just 13 seconds, we know the friendship and dynamics of this group. Plus, the upbeat ditty just makes you ready to laugh.
3. Chuck
Set to Cake's Short Skirt/Long Jacket, the animation introduces the characters while simulateously showing that while this is a spy show, it knows how to go for laughs.
2. Mad Men
The haunting music, the silhoutte/shadow of man falling through the ads, the office falling away while he watches, and then ending with him leaned back in a chair, presumably enjoying a drink. Don't tell me that does not perfectly encapsulate everything that is Don Draper and Mad Men.
1. The Big Bang Theory
This gets bonus points for being the only show to have its theme song specifically written for the show. Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady were inspired after hearing the Bare Naked Ladies' "One Week" and asked them to create something for their new show. The song, characters, and clips let you know this is a geek's show about a group of friends, their nerdy adventures, and hints at the evolution they all will go through during the show. Ok, that last one may be a stretch but I still believe it.
What are you favorite opening credits on tv right now? Anything with only one note a title card is automatically disqualified. I'm looking at you LOST, The Vampire Diaries, FlashForward, V and Glee! You would think a show all about music would have a musical theme song.
The Emmy Awards released their latest updates to the qualification rules. Below is the section on theme songs.
MUSIC
Effective for the 2010-2011 awards year, the Main Title Theme category will be eliminated and replaced with a new category, “Music Composition for a Nonfiction Program.” Details about the placement of main title theme achievements are still being discussed by the Music PGEC. This change was made due to the decreasing number or traditional television main title theme music.
It's official. TV show theme songs and opening credits are dead. I blame you, Lost! With your 1 note creepy opener, you showed that you didn't need 30 seconds to introduce the world of the show while simultaneously allowing the network to fit in one more commercial. And at $900,000 per 30 seconds, it proved too valuable to pass up. While Lost does it well, now everyone is doing it! Even The Vampire Diaries!
In honor of this last nail in the coffin of an art form I love, I'll be showcasing some of my favorite opening credits all week.
To kick it off, watch this iconic credit sequence from Friends.
The song will forever be tied to this show. The song lyrics set up exactly what this show is about - 20 somethings trying to figure life out together. The moments cut together perfectly set up their relationships with one another and conveys the tone the show. If you had never seen this show before, you would have a pretty strong understanding after this short segment, and that my friends is the beauty of the opening credits.
