Media Design and what it tells us

How to Make it In America- title sequence 

I've been an avid film and TV-watcher for a long enough time to have seen my fair share of title sequences. Sometimes the title sequence tells you nothing about what you're about to see, and sometimes it tells you everything. In some cases, it can be simple and to the point- just words telling you the credits, the names of cast and crew, and no other images. Or, in other cases, it can be so abstract that you're not even sure what you're seeing. Some movies or shows just display the title of the show and then do the credit sequence just superimposed over the beginning scenes, causing little disruption.

A particular title sequence that I think stands out a lot from the others is from the HBO show, "How to Make it in America". In the short time it spans, you can gather so much about the underlying theme of the show and the main characters' lives. The design of the sequence parallels and reflects the tone, or vibe, of the show itself. The plot of the show centers around two young guys in New York City who are trying to start their own streetwear clothing line. They don't have money or the connections, so they have to come up with their own methods, often unorthodox. In a cut-throat environment of artsy entrepreneurs and Manhattan elite, they're just trying to keep up. Being as thrifty as possible, they're slowly but surely scraping together a business of their own, doing what they love in the city that never sleeps. The title sequence, set to the very fitting words of "I Need a Dollar" sung by Aloe Blacc, uses various images and puts them into this collage of faces, places, works of art, all layered together in a choppy, chaotic manner; many of the moving images start off at a quick speed but then slow down or pause at the end of the shot. Something about it is colorful yet gritty at the same time. The images show a cross-section of the environment: There are people of all shapes, sizes, colors, doing what they can to make a living, street vendors and performers, art dealers, cab drivers. Then there's also the glamorous lifestyle of the high-fashion world, the wealthier trendsters going to clubs and posing for photographs. The result is an immediate sense of the vibrant yet touch-and-go lifestyle of young artists in the city, together with the chaos and pressure that these two humble beginners have to go through just to be a part of it.

Here is the title sequence from HBO's How to Make it In America: