Backstrom

Client 20th Century Fox Television
Art Direction, Animation Alphonse Swinehart

Editor Nate Gray
Typography Kenny Kegley

Title sequence for Fox's police drama Backstrom starring Rainn Wilson and created by Hart Hanson. After we were directed by the studio to move away from the original pitch (see below), we had to work with an edit of show footage, creating and animating all the graphical overlays throughout the sequence.

My original set of storyboards were a little more abstract and moody, involving the use of reflections – a common occurrence in rainy Portland, Oregon, where the show is set. The audience would catch glimpses of our hero and his bright orange poncho, as well as known landmarks of the city, reflected in a variety of puddles. The camera perspective would flip for some of the scenes, establishing a unique view of our surroundings – a metaphor for how Backstrom sees the world. Eventually, the studio deemed this “too cable” (which is almost a compliment) and thus we had to go forward with a more conservative approach.