This motion graphic is the opening title sequence for the BBC TV series Sherlock. It uses footage of London landmarks and symbols overlaid with graphics to establish the setting and tone. The sequence features sped up shots of London streets accompanied by a mysterious orchestral score. Graphics depicting clues and clues related to the crime drama genre appear throughout. Techniques like blur, grain and layered compositing create a stylistic homage to Victorian source material for the modern series.

1. Salford City College
Eccles Sixth Form Centre
BTec Level 3
Extended Diploma in Creative Media Production
Unit 64 – Motion Graphics and Compositing Video
HA1 – Motion Graphics Now – Task 3 Analysis
Sequence:
Type of motion graphic and purpose:
What is its purpose and specific subject?
(Title, Credits, animated captions, stings,
indents, interactive menus, web banner)
This type of motion graphic is an opening title sequence. It is to precede each episode of Sherlock so the viewer
knows what they are watching.
Description:
What do you see and what do you read
from this? What symbolism is there?
How suitable is the sequence for its
purpose?
You see the streets and sights of London throughout the video, which instantly tells the viewer that the series is
primarily set in the City (It could be inferred that it is set in England as the landmarks are prime international
symbols of the country). The symbolism that it is a crime-drama based on Victorian novels is also prominent.
You can see that it represents Sherlock Holmes by the very clear ‘Sherlock’ titles and towards the end text reads
‘Based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’. You also see who it is written by, created by and who stars in it.
The stars, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman appear in a picture, so the audience can recognize them
straight away. The sequence also includes things that are to be featured throughout the course of episodes,
such as cells under a microscope, graffiti and scrawled words on a note. The sequence sets the mysterious tone
for the series.
Techniques used:
Animation, visual effects, colour, audio,
graphics, movement.
Blur, sharpen, distortion, rotation, opacity.
The scenes of London are sped up, with cars moving quickly down the road. The sequence is also very grainy
with a slight blur and appears to be in the style of an old film. The music played is in the style of an old orchestra
and is reminiscent of the Victorian times in which the original Sherlock Holmes was created and set. The music is
also mysterious and suits the crime-drama genre of the series. The colours also suit the style of a contemporary
Victorian TV show, with very murky dark tones such as grey and brown. There is a lot of panning movement in
the shots, as the sequence glides between things featured in the series. While this is occurring, graphics appear
over footage of various things. As mentioned above graffiti is featured and is shown on its own layer on the
street

2. Technical comments:
Video Format, Screen Ratio, Resolution,
Frame rate, Compression
Video compositing has been used as motion graphics of graffiti appear on the screen as the camera moves
rapidly around. Some footage has also been used on top of others, blending them in together. I cannot tell of
other things as the video was sourced from YouTube. The video’s quality was 480p with the ability to extend to
720p (HD).
Use these prompts to develop a written response to each of your three chosen sequences. You can then compare and contrast the results.