Pride and Prejudice (1995)

Concept and creative process

For the titles of 'Pride & Prejudice' the design concept required a live action video studio shoot with set, artistes, costume designer, choreographer and animal handlers. Clearly it was not possible to employ the actual cast for the shoot, so cameo scenes evoking the characters were filmed using stand-in actors in semi-silhouette, with the action designed to create moments when the camera view was completely obscured. Those short interludes of black were later used in the video edit to insert beautifully crafted hand drawn title cards in white on black between the scenes. Some drawn backgrounds were also keyed in behind the action to give a sense of place. The whole sequence flowed beautifully and had a lightness of touch that struck the perfect note on which to introduce the episodes of the play, elegantly supported by the accompanying music composed by Carl Davis.

Designer/Director - Bob Cosford.