Opening Titles
OTX: Ugly Betty
March 29, 2011
I recognize that most of our readers haven’t ever seen Ugly Betty much less, are actually fans. But since it is one of Natalia’s and my favorite TV shows (and is special to us as a couple because we have always watched it together), I decided to start off the whole Opening Titles Examined feature with it.
Starting about 20 years ago, opening titles started getting shorter and shorter. The standard opening for a 30-minute show was around 45 seconds, and for a 60-minute show, about 1 minute. Nowadays, openings are as short as 12, 6, or even 3 seconds. The opening titles for Ugly Betty have always been 12 seconds. Here it is:
Though I love the theme music, and its style… the dang thing is way too short. I want more! I am grateful it wasn’t 6, or even 3 seconds though. Throughout its 4 seasons, the titles never changed, (which, I’m not a fan of).
How difficult would it have been to make something like THIS (the video below) into a fun title sequence?
Opening Titles Examined (OTX)
March 22, 2011
Opening Titles for television shows have become a lost art. What once was a creatively crafted tool to help introduce and establish the feel/tone of a show, has now been replaced by half-thought quickie title cards. For example:
Long gone are the days of the uber-cheesy, Turn-And-Smile type opening titles, as made famous by such lamefests as Full House or Family Matters. Here’s an hilarious example of what I speak:
Opening Titles, though, weren’t all forced smiles, and lame tunes. Many were actually masterfully done and really did help introduce the show. I’m kind of a nut when it comes to opening titles. I have a vast collection of television themes in my music collection and can spend hours watching random opening titles of shows from all eras of television. Weird and quirky… I know.
In this series of posts, I will take a look at different shows’ opening credits I’ve admired… from The Simpsons to Happy Days.
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