Legendary Entertainment
Scroll DownCrimson Peak - Main-on-End Titles
(12)
The film arrived in stunning pictures. We distilled it into three words: gothic, lavish, menacing.
That was Guillermo del Toro’s starting point for the titles of Crimson Peak, one of his most beautiful love stories. With those three words and a copy of the script, we built a ghostly walk through Allerdale Hall, a house possessed by its past. The sequence went on to win a SXSW Film Design Award.
We pitched it as an opening. As the film came together, it became clear that an opener would give too much away, so the titles moved to the end.
Instead of a teaser, they became a recap: a final, slow tour of the house after the story is over.
Each credit gets its own vignette. Cast members are paired with sets that recall their characters. The crew get nods too: spectacles for the director of photography, a wall of picture frames for the editor.
The titles end the way old storybook films began: with a book closing. It was the directors idea, a perfect ending. He even sent us one of his own old books for reference.
Feedback came in person, fast and precise. Most of it pulled us closer to the film: camera moves, transitions, and the materials and lighting of every object. Over four to five months, a core team of five to eight, growing to twelve with our partners at Topix, built the sequence in 3ds Max, ZBrush, Ornatrix, V-Ray, Nuke and After Effects.
Feedback came in person, fast and precise. Most of it pulled us closer to the film: camera moves, transitions, and the materials and lighting of every object. Over four to five months, a core team of five to eight, growing to twelve with our partners at Topix, built the sequence in 3ds Max, ZBrush, Ornatrix, V-Ray, Nuke and After Effects.
Director: IAMSTATICCreative Director: Ron Gervais, Dave GreeneProduction Company: TOPIXSenior Producer: Cathy JefferiesLead Animator/Rigger: Kevin VriesingaStoryboard: Ron GervaisLighting & Rendering: Abdul Mohamud, Dave Greene3D Modeling & Animation: Chris Crozier, Abdul Mohamud, Dave Greene, Ronak Shah, Pearce Perkins, Steve McArdle, Chris Johnson, Livio PasseraCompositors: Rob Del Ciancio, Ron Gervais, Dave Greene, Abdul MohamudEditor: Ron GervaisMusic: Fernando VelázquezClient: Legendary Pictures / Guillermo Del Toro
