Opening Titles
Moderator: Spectrum Strike Force
I feel that in order to get new viewers, particularly adult viewers, the first 30 seconds of each show represents a unique opportunity to capture their attention. I therefore believe that it is a mistake to repeat the same opening titles, particularly as they contain some of the less convincing CGI from the first 2 episodes. I think these titles should be shown up to 5 minutes into the show at the end of the first significant piece of action.
The show called “Department S” used this trick. The first episode had an airline pilot climbing down the steps of his Boeing and saying “Why the greeting party - we’re only 20 minutes early?”. The Airport Controller replies “You are not 20 minutes early, you are late – by 6 days!”. The audience is now hooked on the story so roll the opening credits…
If I could change things for an adult/family audience on NCS, I would start the show as usual with the rocket striking Mars and the name, “Gerry Anderson’s New Captain Scarlet” appearing and then go straight to the episode. You would then have 26 different ways of grabbing the viewers attention.
Sometimes it can be embarrassing for an adult to admit to liking/watching such shows (I am 53) but by moving straight to the action this difficulty is overcome – because the action is great and would appeal to any adult!
As an example, take the last episode, “Rain of Terror”. I would show the Gerry Anderson’s New Captain Scarlet title and then go straight to the action. In this episode, I would wait until the moment when Black takes off his balaclava mask and surveys the scene of his destruction and THEN run the opening titles.
Finally, I think that Black is the star of the show and that the moment referred to above was the most spine-chilling moment I have seen. Maybe every episode should start with the last few seconds of this scene (including the unmasking) and that this sequence should replace entirely the short bit where Destiny says “He’s alive” and Gold says “Impossible”.
SIG!
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Father Unwin
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Father Unwin wrote:As an example, take the last episode, “Rain of Terror”. I would show the Gerry Anderson’s New Captain Scarlet title and then go straight to the action. In this episode, I would wait until the moment when Black takes off his balaclava mask and surveys the scene of his destruction and THEN run the opening titles.
To be very honest I think this could work very well. Most of the orginal series started this way and then cut to the Spectrum logo and then the main action as I recall.
Maltray AKA Captain Cobalt
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Maltray
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Aegis
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Aegis wrote:I have to say, my favourite title sequence for a Gerry Anderson show was Thunderbirds - I loved all the clips hinting at what was to come and they always tied in beautifully with the dramatic (and unforgettable) opening music before finishing on the Thunderbirds logo framed with lightning - pure genius!
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Aegis, was there ever any possibility of having a 'designed' title sequence for NCS, rather than - on the whole - just a collection of clips?
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shaqui
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James. C
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I am a very old fan of Gerry’s work, being 53 years old, and it can be a little bit embarrassing to want to watch what may appear at first sight to be only a children’s programme. With this in mind, I have two main reasons for wanting to move the opening titles back a few minutes until after the first action sequence has finished.
Firstly, the opening titles are too cartoon-like, mainly because they have been taken from the first two episodes when the CGI technology was still being developed. I would like to see all the CGI after Scarlet crashes through the UN building window replaced by CGI from later episodes. For example, I would replace the shots of the Vampire jets being blown up with aerial footage from Circles of Doom.
Secondly, and most importantly, by starting with the first action sequence I think that the CGI and motion capture are so good that adults would be highly curious and would continue watching right up to the end of the first scene because they wouldn’t be able to tell for sure who the target audience was.
My concern is that people who have heard of Captain Scarlet, but who think it is a children’s programme, will be triggered into changing channels without ever getting to see how good the new show really is. If you cut straight to the action and they still don’t like it then fair enough - but by keeping them guessing (by not showing the titles) you will have up to 26 different opportunities to persuade them to give the show a chance!
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Father Unwin
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The original opening sequence of Scarlet also served to set the tone by spooking out the viewers via that machine-gun assault on the hero (albeit somewhat inaccurately, bearing in mind that he doesn't even blink, let alone collapse in a heap before getting up again), reminding them once again of the sheer alienness of the Mysterons. Unfortunately I do feel the Mysterons in this reincarnation are just a little too comprehensible. Oh, sure they still have powers we cannot hope to understand and all that, but their basic motivation is all too obvious, inasmuch as they're kinda nasty. Personally, I think the playing down of the moral ambiguity underlying the cause of the conflict is a shame - but that's another matter.
Incidentally, I'm glad to see that everybody else is picking up on the real star of the show, namely Captain Black. He's fun, isn't he? Just goes to show that creating a baddie is far more interesting than creating a goodie. Actors have known that since the year dot, but evidently it applies equally to CGI animation teams too - and it illustrates that the most interesting conflicts are the ones where the viewers can admire and respect the capabilities of the baddies. Star Trek TNG explored that avenue brilliantly by allowing us to understand something of the cultures of the Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians etc, whereas at the other end of the scale, Lost in Space (the original series) failed abysmally - in my opinion - by giving the arch-villain, Zachery Smith, no admirable capabilities whatsoever. I mean, you have to respect your enemy if he's to be worthy of the name, don't you? I do hope we learn something of the Mysterons' culture before the end of this run. At the moment they're really only worthy adversaries by virtue of their superior technology, whereas I feel we'd benefit from having just a few clues as to what aspects of their culture result in their being such a vicious bunch.
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Clya Brown
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I'm not at all surprised Captain Black is winning votes. I agree with Doc Brown that the baddie of the show is often the most interesting character. He quite often has the best lines as well. However, in this case I think Captain Black would be at the top of the list because he is also the best acted. Good acting does make a difference.
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