Video file
A modern title sequence for the 70's film, One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest
Graduates
Ella Sherman
BFA in Illustration - Motion Illustration — IllustrationCourse:
Motion Design 2
Faculty:
Miguel Lee
Term:
2024 Spring
One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest
A modern take on a title sequence for the 70s film One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. The core themes of my design are a slow suffocation and a descent into insanity. It tells the story of our main character Randall McMurphy who has faked mental illness in hopes that the mental ward will be a peaceful respite from prison. The longer he stays, the more he sinks into insanity as he learns that the nurses are keeping him there indefinitely. The sequence uses a misdirect, comparing a vast open ocean to a tiny suffocating wading pool. To further push the feeling of suffocation, I use depth of field blurs to represent McMurphy’s descent into madness.
Process:
I was heavily inspired by the scene in the film where McMurphy and his fellow mental hospital patients sneak out to go on a fishing trip. This pivotal scene in the film inspired me to use water as a motif for freedom. I decided to use a toyboat to represent McMurphy in order to lead the audience into a misdirect, comparing a vast open ocean to a tiny suffocating wading pool. I started by brainstorming using mind maps and a mood board to pinpoint the tone I wanted to capture in the sequence. I used these mood boards to inform my storyboards and from there jumped into modeling on Cinema 4D. Once everything was rendered I focused on typography treatment for my titles. I animated kerning and rotation of the letterforms, in order to further convey a sense of eeriness.
Learning Outcomes:
I learned a lot about storytelling; how to tell a story that makes sense to an audience. Additionally I learned a lot about typography and tonally matching typography to visuals. Lastly this project allowed me to technically grow a lot as a 3D modeler.
Project Website: