Created by actor and screenwriter Taylor Sheridan, the TV show 1883 is a prequel to popular series Yellowstone. Animation, motion design and main title studio Elastic crafted the titles using tintype portraits of the cast and footage treated to live within the same aesthetic. According to Duncan Elms, creative director, Elastic, “We crafted the sequence with a less-is-more mantra, believing that the techniques should not overwhelm the piece. It needed to be tasteful, mature and feel like an authentic tintype coming to life.”
The team researched the developmental process of tintypes, including how the development liquid swirled and revealed the negative and the photo in an organic way. “I think we managed to create something that feels classic and historical while also feeling contemporary and fitting in with a modern-day interpretation of the period,” added Elms. Creative credits include designers Lynn Cho, Felipe Carvalho, Huy Dang, Steven Biggert and Arik Waiss; animators/compositors Evan Larimore, Lee Buckley, Nol Honig, Bruno Ferrari and Daniel Moreno; Lead CG Modeler Jose Limon and Editor Jessica Ledoux.
