Judy & Punch – Trailer Titles

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One of my favourite trailer title designs I've created, for Judy & Punch UK Trailer.
Awarded Best Title/Motion Design at Golden Trailer Awards 21.

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The main goal was to use the title design not only to convey the necessary information but to also contribute to the storytelling of the trailer, using it as another element alongside edit and music that drives the pace and progression of the trailer and paints the world of the film.

To do that we aimed to integrate the title graphics into the edit as seamlessly as possible, so that you're never taken out of the world of the film.

We kicked the trailer off with a couple of logo/laurel cards in a full-on puppet stage design, using these almost like a cold open in a narrative – starting with some eye-cathing visuals and helping to establish the setting and style of the trailer and film.

After the initial opening of the trailer, we continue with a more stripped back look. While the background footage is hero here, there is still some progression in text animation that subtly gets more characterful.

When we reach the turning point of the trailer, the intensity increases with a drop and we go back into the puppet world. The scenes were built using puppet stage shots from the film, cleaning them up and creating little environments for our titles for a seamless integration of graphics and footage. The physics were simulated with Newton in After Effects with a bit of Y rotation added manually.

As the trailer gets darker and more intense nearing the end, the stage background switches and we introduce another visual element to progress the design reflecting the mood – the stage spotlight, casting horror-esque low angle shadows.

For the final title reveal we use a shot from the film, integrating the Judy & Punch title into the shot and having strings interact with Punch's stick for that extra little bit of tasty detail.

Finally ending the trailer with another set of curtain roll, made by simulating a cloth drop in C4D to create a displacement map to use with a curtain texture from the shot from the film.