Clearance Level Zero

Main Title Sequence

Self Initiated - 2025

In 2025, I joined Filmsupply's Edit Fest once again. Earlier this year, I had the chance to work on pitch material for The Running Man. It sparked a desire to further explore sci-fi visuals and push myself beyond my comfort zone.

This time around, no AI, just good old After Effects built-in tools. I limited the production timeline to one week. Forcing decisiveness over endless iteration. Definitely something I need to work on.

Below is a look at my process. I hope you enjoy the journey.

Deliverables

Animation

Client

Self initiated

Year

2025

LOGLINE

A near-future thriller where a rogue spy and a counter-intelligence agent play a deadly cat-and-mouse game.

Ideation

I was highly inspired by Nol Honig’s work on The Report as well as Kyle Cooper’s amazing titles for Godzilla (2014). I wanted to play with this redacted type and take it to a futuristic digital look to fit my made-up movie.

During my research for futuristic spy esthetic, I saw the amazing main title sequences from Imaginary Forces for Jack Ryan and Sarofky work on Butterly. Two sequence that inspired my animation and transitions.

PROCESS

I started by searching FilmSupply for footage that captured the mood and atmosphere I had in mind. Harrison Schaaf’s coverage of the Los Angeles ICE protests, and the police repression that followed, ended up being an unexpectedly dystopian match for the project. Once I added in a few drone shots and some headshots, the material was ready to be taken to the next level.

This project was an excuse to go deep on footage manipulation. Pixel sorting, distortion, and happily breaking things up to add a layer of mystery. I learned a lot from Jo and Severo at Workbench, whose experiments have been great references. I spent a good amount of time studying their projects and geeking on their smart use of expressions. If you want to level up your After Effects game, check out their tutorials. I also use a really fun tool from The Waenderer. The Fake Long Exposure allowed me to add some more magic to the timelapse footage I had. It’s simple, yet effective way to use the Echo effect.

Typefaces

For the typography, I chose ACTEasy, a clean sans-serif that feels grounded and utilitarian. In a piece already dense with redacted information and additional text, the typography was to support the story without becoming the focal point. It was fun to come up with random spy gibberish to allow for material to be redacted.