Concept and creative process
A simple generic title for use on the front of different comedies in 1977. The animation of the word ‘Special’ in a flowing script was achieved by filming clear on black artwork, back-lit with a coloured gel behind it, on the animation table of a rostrum camera. The complete word ‘Special’ was overlaid with the animation cels of the ‘Comedy’ letters and filmed in reverse. The script lettering was then painted out one or two frames at a time with opaque black paint, in order to achieve a smooth ‘write on’ effect of the script lettering when the film was run forwards at the normal speed of 24 frames per second.