Sweeney Todd – Title Sequence Design

Design and Animation direction on the title sequence for Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd. The concept was to follow the film’s narrative unfolding from the point of view of the blood. Continuous camera movement takes us on a journey from the cityscape rooftops and ending in London’s gutters.

Process

I art directed a team of animators and artists through all stages of the production. Creating the initial images for the pitching stage, overseeing the storyboard artists and directing the physical effects shoot. Creatively directing the post-production, working on the matte painting and making sure all elements come together at the compositing stage.

I wanted to achieve a slightly uncanny feeling throughout the sequence, to do this I utilised alternative elements to generate effects, for example clouds made of milk in water and heavy rain made using glycerine. This approach carried through to the designs themselves.