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American Gods |OT| You Had Me At Bryan Fuller - Sundays on Starz
- Thread starter TheOddOne
- Start date
NoblesseOblige
Banned
That's quite the bad opinion.
molnizzle
Member
Memorable opening credits have at least a bit of music you can hum. Even if only for a few seconds.
Game of Thrones, Westworld, Outlander, etc. Great, memorable credits.
American Gods credits = nothing but trash.
NoblesseOblige
Banned
Ironically the same people who made GoT and WW made this one and you easily tell. So your 'bland' comment should also apply to them. And why does a good opening credit require a track you can hum?
More_Badass
Member
molnizzle
Member
The music is what makes it memorable. Without at least a bit of a melody, intro sequences like this are just visual masturbation with some names on the screen.
Another series with an absolute garbage intro: Hannibal.
More_Badass
Member
Imagery is what makes it memorable, music can help enhance that imagery
molnizzle
Member
Imagery helps, but it's not the most important part. A memorable intro requires at least one melodious sequence that your brain could recall if someone played it on a piano. The music is the entire point.
More_Badass
Member
Absolutely not. Imagery first, along with the music. Or imagery and music together. The whole point is that the imagery and design of the title sequence evolved over time. The imagery and the tone that imagery evokes is what's important. The music certainly helps, but it's nothing with the imagery of the opening.
Check these out:
http://www.artofthetitle.com
https://www.wired.com/2017/03/tv-opening-titles-got-damn-good/
molnizzle
Member
I mean, that's nice for you if that's what you're looking for. Personally I don't see a purpose for an intro sequence without a melody. I'd rather have one of those short, 5-second title cards if there isn't gonna be music. The music is an intro sequence's entire reason for existence. The music should come first—the visuals should be adjusted to match it.
That's when the truly memorable intros make their impact. The fusion of music and imagery.
Admiral Woofington
Member
I like the melody. Reminded of a girl with a dragon tattoos immigrant song intro. I won't be singing it like with game of Thrones, but it ain't bad
More_Badass
Member
It's not. Check out Art of the Title, and what the actual title sequence designers think about and focus on when they create those sequences
molnizzle
Member
"Actual title sequence designers" are wrong, then.
Night Hunter
Banned
So, Wednesday is
, right? Chernobog called him
and a friend whose from Denmark told me that Wednesday is
in danish. Plus something seems fucked up with his
, although that could just be Ian McShane being old...
Odin
Wotan
Odinsday
eye
Night Hunter
Banned
Thanks
More_Badass
Member
So you're going to just dismiss people who designed the sequences for Game of Thrones, Westworld, Outlander, Black Sails, etc.?
NoblesseOblige
Banned
I disagree completely. The imagery is infinitely more interesting than any music you can put it to. The American Gods one uses a lot of in-story references and allusions that can spawn discussion and speculation.
Vulcano's assistant
Banned
I mean they are a VFX company and it is their work to make the visuals while someone else composes the music. Naturally they hare restricted in terms of what the music is going to be and dedicate their efforts in the imagery and visual metaphors of the opening. What else can they say? They have been getting better at it. Visually this is one of their bests.
Nah, ep 2 spoilers:
Dude straight up said "You're still getting fucked out of jobs and shot at by police." That's not lying. That's clairvoyance.
It was way too on the nose, lazy writing, and doesn't add anything to the story. They already worshipped him, that's why they were praying to Anansi. We already know America is inherently evil because, hello, they're fucking slaves. It pretty much looks like he can time travel, which is just...silly. It just doesn't make sense. Didn't feel in line with Anansi at all.
It was way too on the nose, lazy writing, and doesn't add anything to the story. They already worshipped him, that's why they were praying to Anansi. We already know America is inherently evil because, hello, they're fucking slaves. It pretty much looks like he can time travel, which is just...silly. It just doesn't make sense. Didn't feel in line with Anansi at all.
Handwaving legit criticsm as it's just "not for you," is annoying as hell. I loved the book. I love the show so far. Anansi is a blemish in what has been pretty much perfect for me.
I don't see why this would be the case. I don't think one scene is enough to say what direction they took with him.
molnizzle
Member
The people who designed those sequences didn't write the music for them. They were handed a music track and created the imagery to go along with it. Or they created the imagery first and handed it to a composer who created the music for it. Either way, they only handled the visual aspect of the sequence. Obviously that's what they're gonna talk about. That's what they know.
...but if they think their visuals are the main reason why people remember those sequences, they're wrong. When I think of the GoT opening I hear the melody before I see the map of Westeros. Or I think of the truly brilliant moments where the music aligns perfectly with the visuals, like when the statue above Meereen opens its wings during the middle seasons. Beautiful moment, and a great example of masterful fusion of audio and imagery.
Orlando Jones was actually the only real apprehension I had with the casting before this aired, and I remember saying the exact same thing about him being perfect for
Spider
He's barely in Anansi Boys anyway.
NoblesseOblige
Banned
Because they're using 'original' to mean 'original programs distributed by Amazon' for territories that there isn't a Starz.
And when I think of GoT opening I think "ugh, I've heard this melody way too many times, but there might be something new in it this season so I'll watch it this once.".
Nah they use the Amazon Exclusive label for that. They probably mixed up the labeling then. Just had me confused.
molnizzle
Member
But you remember it. That's the point. You're sick of it because it's memorable and you've heard it so many times.
If you played the GoT theme for me after I'd only seen a handful of episodes, I'd be able to recognize it. Whereas I doubt I'll be able to recognize the American Gods theme after 5 full seasons. It's borderline dissonant white noise with a couple of violin pulls. Utterly forgettable.
NoblesseOblige
Banned
Struggle to put myself in the mindset of somebody who doesn't find the American Gods' visuals as memorable. And what does memorable even matter. I remember the worst dumps I've taken, that doesn't mean I want to experience them every single week.
I'd say that Fuller's projects are, moreso than a lot of series, true audiovisual experiences.
There's a very careful contact between what plays out on the screen and all the sonic touches (dissonant strings, the jazz at the start of the second episode) that follow. I have a difficult time imagining American Gods (and Hannibal) without its sound design.
There's a very careful contact between what plays out on the screen and all the sonic touches (dissonant strings, the jazz at the start of the second episode) that follow. I have a difficult time imagining American Gods (and Hannibal) without its sound design.
JayhawkerStL
Banned
Read what I wrote again. The events from that opening are not necessarily true. You are getting hung up on logic and reason. In surreal stories, events do not have to be logical, chronological, or even part of the main story. They can just provide backstory, or even just give an idea of what a character is like.
Stop taking everything so literal. I have no idea how someone can accept everything else, but once character appearing to slaves on a ship delivering a rant about the nature of race in America is the road too far. Unless, maybe, it was the message that is causing people to push back so hard.
JayhawkerStL
Banned
I will never forget the Lost theme. Is that what you mean?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LDh8DefWpI
Because the story has a pretty consistent logic and a this character didn't make sense.
And yeah, the message is problematic for me. It was lazy, as if somebody thought that this is what the god of africans americans would want an african god to say to the men and women on slave ships. As I said, too on the nose.
And yeah, the message is problematic for me. It was lazy, as if somebody thought that this is what the god of africans americans would want an african god to say to the men and women on slave ships. As I said, too on the nose.
Pretty much everything on that list except American Gods has the Amazon Exclusive label here in Germany instead of Original. That's why I was confused.
molnizzle
Member
eh, kinda. That's one of the "5-second title cards" that I referred to earlier. I find those preferable to full intro sequences if there isn't a decent musical track.
The visuals aren't what make a sequence though. They're half of it. I mean, yes, the visual impact of the American Gods sequence is pretty strong.
That's only half of the equation though. As a whole, the sequence comes across as bland due to the lack of a strong melody.
keltickennedy
Member
So the American Gods opening IS technically memorable since it seems to get under your skin so bad.
Personally, only thing I got from it was that it seemed to be lifting from the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo a little.
molnizzle
Member
?
I'm just replying to a thread.
Only part of American Gods sequence I can recall is there's a buffalo with fire eyes. Cool.
Messofanego
Banned
Orlando Jones' monologue at the start of the second episode is incredibly powerful.
" 'Once upon a time, a man got fucked'. Now, how is that for a story? Cause that's the story of black people in America.
Shit, you all don't know you're black yet. You think you just people. Let me be the first to tell you that you are all black. The moment these Dutch motherfuckers set foot here and decided they white, and you get to be black, and that's the nice name they call you...Let me paint a picture of what's waiting for you on the shore. You arrive in America, land of opportunity, milk and honey, and guess what? You all get to be slaves. Split up, sold off and worked to death. The lucky ones get Sunday off to sleep and fuck and make more slaves, and all for what? For cotton? Indigo? For a fucking purple shirt?
The only good news is, the tobacco your grandkids are gonna farm for free is gonna give a shitload of these white motherfuckers cancer. And I ain't even started yet.
A hundred years later. You're fucked. A hundred years after that. Fucked. A hundred years after you get free, you still getting fucked out a job and shot at by police. You see what I'm saying?
This guy gets it. I like him. He's getting angry. Angry is good. Angry gets shit done. You shed tears for Compe Anansi, and here he is, telling you, you are staring down the barrel of 300 years of subjugation, racist bullshit, and heart disease. He is telling you there isn't one goddamn reason you shouldn't go up there right now and slit the throats of every last one of these Dutch motherfuckers and set fire to this ship!"
" 'Once upon a time, a man got fucked'. Now, how is that for a story? Cause that's the story of black people in America.
Shit, you all don't know you're black yet. You think you just people. Let me be the first to tell you that you are all black. The moment these Dutch motherfuckers set foot here and decided they white, and you get to be black, and that's the nice name they call you...Let me paint a picture of what's waiting for you on the shore. You arrive in America, land of opportunity, milk and honey, and guess what? You all get to be slaves. Split up, sold off and worked to death. The lucky ones get Sunday off to sleep and fuck and make more slaves, and all for what? For cotton? Indigo? For a fucking purple shirt?
The only good news is, the tobacco your grandkids are gonna farm for free is gonna give a shitload of these white motherfuckers cancer. And I ain't even started yet.
A hundred years later. You're fucked. A hundred years after that. Fucked. A hundred years after you get free, you still getting fucked out a job and shot at by police. You see what I'm saying?
This guy gets it. I like him. He's getting angry. Angry is good. Angry gets shit done. You shed tears for Compe Anansi, and here he is, telling you, you are staring down the barrel of 300 years of subjugation, racist bullshit, and heart disease. He is telling you there isn't one goddamn reason you shouldn't go up there right now and slit the throats of every last one of these Dutch motherfuckers and set fire to this ship!"
Monocle
Member
I feel like you're going to be really, really disappointed when you find out that music is often an afterthought in title design. Like, the titles can be totally done and some producer will go "hey how about we set this to bagpipes instead."
The main focus of titles is almost never the music.
molnizzle
Member
I feel like title sequence designers are going to be really, really disappointed when they find out that the music if often the first thing people think about when recalling their favorite intros.
I get that it's often an afterthought. As it clearly was with American Gods. Like an obvious afterthought. Which is exactly why it's bad.
...in the truly great intros, the music isn't an afterthought. It blends with the visuals gracefully yet has a melody you could recall by ear.
Jag
Member
Definitely not an afterthought. I think a lot of effort went into it.
Here is an amazing breakdown of all the images.
Aries the God of Virtual War, with a chariot pulled by two customized American muscle cars, holding a crossbow with a nuclear ICBM loaded into it.