
How We Did It: SNL Title Sequence - shakes
http://www.alex-buono.com/how-we-did-it-snl-titles-sequence/
======
brokentone
This is incredible. Normally just one or two of these techniques would
represent a pretty impressive feat. This used 3d printing, freelensing,
pixelstick lightwriting, and a custom bokeh cutout -- in addition to the cool,
but more common helicopter shots, timelapse, tilt-shift, and steady cam work.

Being willing to (or maybe having the budget to) use all these techniques AND
getting a consistent result is SUPER impressive.

~~~
fragmede
> cool, but more common helicopter shots,

I'm glad they pointed out that a similar shot could have been done via drone.
I've been told that drones have made cool aerial sequences available to
directors who don't have the budget of SNL's 40th though I'd be interested in
learning more.

~~~
thrownaway2424
Photographers were using RC helicopters long before multicopter thingies that
people like to call drones for some reason became trendy. These are still
around and they have the lift capacity to hoist your 5D or your Red Epic on a
pan/tilt rig, unlike most multicopters that can hardly lift a go pro.

~~~
raverbashing
That's the issue, this equipment is heavy!

Sure, digital is usually "lighter" but get a DSLR in your hands and you see
that even that is not something any drone can carry

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ejdyksen
If you think this is interesting, there's an entire site dedicated to title
sequences in film and television:

[http://www.artofthetitle.com/titles/](http://www.artofthetitle.com/titles/)

~~~
jstclair
Awesome! Gonna spend a weekend on this.

And an easy way to share my personal all-time favorite title sequence,
Delicatessen:

[http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/delicatessen/](http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/delicatessen/)

~~~
Fuzzwah
I have to link to North by Northwest. Just incredible when you consider it was
done in 1959.

[http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/north-by-
northwest/](http://www.artofthetitle.com/title/north-by-northwest/)

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RyanCooley
As someone who enjoys both programming and video production, this is great to
see on HN. In my experience, there is a lot of overlap between both skillsets.
As the article makes clear, a lot of time goes into finding cool "hacks" to
trick the lens into conveying a particular look via lighting, optical effects
and more.

Post-production is also a very technical process that takes a lot of time and
effort to get right and involves exploring the particular quirks of your
editing software and tricking it to get it to do what you want. There are
often little moments of discovery where you do something you weren't even sure
was possible. Then there are those serendipitous moments where visuals and
audio come together better than you were anticipating or could have ever
planned. It's a great feeling.

I encourage any programmers out there who have even a modicum of interest in
the subject to go out there and experiment. Video production can be a great
creative outlet that uses a lot of the same talents and opens up new artistic
pathways.

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HorizonXP
This is a fantastic blog post. I love that we can get this behind-the-scenes
look behind something so iconic.

The light painting and lens-whacking details were awesome to read about. I'll
definitely have to give the lens whacking a try.

~~~
wgx
I got one of these as a gift a while back - lets you experiment with the
'moving lens' technique without as much potential for sensor damage:

[http://lensbaby.com/lenses-spark](http://lensbaby.com/lenses-spark)

~~~
ygra
I love my Lensbaby (an older one), but the effect is a bit different. There is
no light leakage _behind_ the lens like there'd be with freelensing. You
sometimes get fun and weird artifacts from light sources just outside the
frame, but a subtle streak over the image where light enters the camera behind
the hand-held lens ... not so much.

Both interesting effects, though.

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Volscio
Uh oh, Wordpress problems.

Cached:
[http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:2Z0Puiw...](http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:2Z0Puiwia-4J:www.alex-
buono.com/how-we-did-it-snl-titles-sequence/+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us)

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npinguy
Is it just me or is stuff like this way harder to appreciate these days (with
the ubiquity of CGI), unless you work in the industry, or see a behind-the-
scenes look like this?

This is simply incredible, and yet I don't normally pay the title sequence any
attention at all...

~~~
joezydeco
How many shows have opening credits this long anymore?

You have some shows, like _The Good Wife_ , that use a five-second title card.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rOhzdWZS7E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rOhzdWZS7E)

Some have more elaborate titles, but still only go 15 seconds (e.g. _The Mindy
Project_ )

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HarfyFwRfhA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HarfyFwRfhA)

Compare with an 80's show like _Dallas_ , where the credits went a whole 1:10!
That's like lost real estate for two or three commercials!

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iYjgMygIag](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iYjgMygIag)

And Twin Peaks, which went _2:36_ :

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2lkvrMa27c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2lkvrMa27c)

~~~
johnlbevan2
...then there's Too Many Cooks:
[https://www.youtube.com/embed/QrGrOK8oZG8](https://www.youtube.com/embed/QrGrOK8oZG8)

;)

~~~
iLoch
The perfect setup.

~~~
joezydeco
<facepalm> Beautiful comeback.

~~~
johnlbevan2
Thanks :)

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marcuskaz
Great post, really interesting to see how they did the shots and glad to see
they opted for real footage and techniques most of the time rather than just
post processing everything.

I used to shoot free form lenses, it was difficult to get a still from,
shooting video would be a challenge. My (old) post on free lens shooting:
[https://mkaz.com/2005/01/08/homemade-
lenses/](https://mkaz.com/2005/01/08/homemade-lenses/)

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chm
I get redirected to "[http://www.alex-buono.com/how-we-did-it-snl-titles-
sequence/...](http://www.alex-buono.com/how-we-did-it-snl-titles-sequence/wp-
admin/install.php").

~~~
Lifescape
Yeah looks like their Wordpress box is having a tough time with the amount of
requests HN is sending their way.

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jianshen
I'm really happy to see a post like this on HN. Pulling off creative in-camera
shots like these are a million times more rewarding for some reason than
creating/editing them in post. There's something visceral about getting the
shot right in the moment.

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jarnix
Wow that's incredible how they combine so many techniques. The use of lenses
is really innovative, I mean, people would think it's made only with special
effects and it's 3D printed or done entirely manually ! Congrats.

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function_seven
I usually fast-forward through the title sequence. Now I feel bad for doing
so. Will take the time to watch it next SNL.

~~~
krschultz
Honestly the title sequence is one of the best parts. I get nostalgic for NYC,
while I'm watching it in NYC.

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diggum
This summer I attended one of the editing workshops put on by Adam Epstein who
edits all of the film unit productions. It's incredible how fast they write,
produce, edit, and turn around these projects. They are literally working from
Thursday afternoon until Saturday evening to build these from scratch.

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Pfiffer
Seems down, archive link still works:
[http://web.archive.org/web/20141021121813/http://www.alex-
bu...](http://web.archive.org/web/20141021121813/http://www.alex-
buono.com/how-we-did-it-snl-titles-sequence/)

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robertfw
Was looking forward to watching the final product, but restricted due to being
in Canada =/

~~~
sp332
That's a dumb rule :( Here, download this
[https://www.dropbox.com/s/qtwv5cdh2dajt0g/new_snl.mp4?dl=0](https://www.dropbox.com/s/qtwv5cdh2dajt0g/new_snl.mp4?dl=0)

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dwynings
Now I feel bad for always fast-forwarding through this part of SNL.

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notastartup
this was a really cool effect...but I never found SNL to be funny. I've never
even laughed at it once. I don't understand why people laugh...that and jimmy
fallon/kimmel

~~~
marincounty
It used to be hilarious. I'm talking Bill Murry era. Maybe I was young and
usually stoned, but if the Saturday night was unfruitful(meaning no women);
I'd rush home and watch SNL and really got a kick out of it. Just thinking
about that "Miss Loupner" thing has me smiling.

~~~
joezydeco
As a viewer since season 1, SNL has _always_ been funny but inconsistent. If
you go back now and watch those early shows yes, there were some awesome
sketches, but they were surrounded by a lot of duds as well.

I respect the show just for what it is. These people write and build an entire
90 minute show going from zero to rehearsals in 5 days. No other show has done
this for decades and lived to tell about it.

