The Chi Season 4 focuses on the stories of three young boys following an incident of police brutality.
From 1952-1959, Compton’s non-white population grew from 11% to 37%. What followed was a real story of fear and division that continues to impact Los Angeles to this day.
From 1952-1959, Compton’s non-white population grew from 11% to 37%. What followed was a real story of fear and division that continues to impact Los Angeles to this day.
Our promo package for the drama is designed to set up a new season that sets out to reveal what it means to be Black in America and how policy and community shapes Black lives.
Shying away from the violence and trauma and instead toward the community, strength, perseverance, and joy that threads through the series, we set out to develop a package that embodied more than a place – but a feeling – the perfect backdrop for an emerging storyline where a community takes matters into their own hands to protect themselves and each other.
Them: Covenant is the first season in an upcoming thriller anthology created by writer and producer Little Marvin. Centered around a Black family moving from North Carolina to the all-white neighborhood of East Compton in the 1950s, it’s a story where malevolent forces both real and supernatural threaten to taunt, ravage, and destroy them.
Starring Deborah Ayorinde, Ashley Thomas, Shahedi Wright Joseph, Alison Pill, and Melody Hurd, Them: Covenant is a terrifying, provocative, and profoundly relevant dramatization of the real and imagined horrors of redlining, segregation, and racism in America.
Them: Covenant is the first season in an upcoming thriller anthology created by writer and producer Little Marvin. Centered around a Black family moving from North Carolina to the all-white neighborhood of East Compton in the 1950s, it’s a story where malevolent forces both real and supernatural threaten to taunt, ravage, and destroy them.
Starring Deborah Ayorinde, Ashley Thomas, Shahedi Wright Joseph, Alison Pill, and Melody Hurd, Them: Covenant is a terrifying, provocative, and profoundly relevant dramatization of the real and imagined horrors of redlining, segregation, and racism in America.
True stories, harsh realities, and powerful pop culture poetry formed the foundation of our design system.
Our titles for Them: Covenant, shot in-camera, then edited and animated in-house is an ode to vintage horror, mixed media, and Faustian thrillers popular during the time.
Inspired by iconic Saul Bass titles for films like Vertigo, Cape Fear, and Lady in a Cage, we shot much of the sequence in-camera, experimenting with techniques like stop-frame animation, paper play, shadow work, and film degradation to create a graphic, jarring introduction using red lines as a thematic through-line that foreshadows the narrative.
Our titles for Them: Covenant, shot in-camera, then edited and animated in-house is an ode to vintage horror, mixed media, and Faustian thrillers popular during the time.
Inspired by iconic Saul Bass titles for films like Vertigo, Cape Fear, and Lady in a Cage, we shot much of the sequence in-camera, experimenting with techniques like stop-frame animation, paper play, shadow work, and film degradation to create a graphic, jarring introduction using red lines as a thematic through-line that foreshadows the narrative.
Our promo package combines graphic typography, hand-drawn illustration, impactful type animation, and live action shots of urban environments to promote, message, and title the series.
Early on in the creative process, we commissioned Chicago-based artist Nikko Washington to create custom illustrations for the package – which were then designed and animated across title cards, end cards, promos and more. The result is a living, moving system that blends imagination and reality while touching on the themes, settings, and motifs featured in the show.
In-camera shots were then edited and animated in-house, using a staccato style and low frame rate to achieve the same analog quality. The result is a half tactile, half digital world where composited red lines, shapes, and redactions drive real-world divisions across live-captured maps, photographs, and documents — illustrating to audiences how racial discrimination in housing and community policing shaped the demographic and wealth patterns of American cities, while hinting at the oppression, surveillance, and violence to come.
In-camera shots were then edited and animated in-house, using a staccato style and low frame rate to achieve the same analog quality. The result is a half tactile, half digital world where composited red lines, shapes, and redactions drive real-world divisions across live-captured maps, photographs, and documents — illustrating to audiences how racial discrimination in housing and community policing shaped the demographic and wealth patterns of American cities, while hinting at the oppression, surveillance, and violence to come.
In-camera shots were then edited and animated in-house, using a staccato style and low frame rate to achieve the same analog quality. The result is a half tactile, half digital world where composited red lines, shapes, and redactions drive real-world divisions across live-captured maps, photographs, and documents — illustrating to audiences how racial discrimination in housing and community policing shaped the demographic and wealth patterns of American cities, while hinting at the oppression, surveillance, and violence to come.
We also designed and developed a social package that brought the on-air identity to life on every platform.
From the outset, retro Sony Pictures and Amazon Studios vanity cards take audiences back to the 1970s, the time period in which Them: Covenant’s shocking footage was supposedly “found.” After the title sequence, a minimal opening crawl inspired by 70s horror titles sets up the history, protagonists, and premise for the series.
From the outset, retro Sony Pictures and Amazon Studios vanity cards take audiences back to the 1970s, the time period in which Them: Covenant’s shocking footage was supposedly “found.” After the title sequence, a minimal opening crawl inspired by 70s horror titles sets up the history, protagonists, and premise for the series.
From the outset, retro Sony Pictures and Amazon Studios vanity cards take audiences back to the 1970s, the time period in which Them: Covenant’s shocking footage was supposedly “found.” After the title sequence, a minimal opening crawl inspired by 70s horror titles sets up the history, protagonists, and premise for the series.
From social show opens and tune-ins to title cards, animated backplates, and more, we gave Showtime all the tools it needed to tease and promote the new season digitally – from versioning out fresh vertical and horizontal formats, to creating custom templates for every content scenario.
We then threaded out this design strategy across cast announcements, quote posts, episode set lists, and more, with a major focus on native tools and authentic messaging whenever possible that tied both back to the on-air show package, and the creativity and characters that guide us through the narrative.
As we descend into the story, jagged red lines mark out the horror that unfolds, day-by-day to the Emory family. Finally, retro-style end credits close out each episode with a nod back to the history and sociopolitical forces introduced in the opening titles.
As we descend into the story, jagged red lines mark out the horror that unfolds, day-by-day to the Emory family. Finally, retro-style end credits close out each episode with a nod back to the history and sociopolitical forces introduced in the opening titles.
As we descend into the story, jagged red lines mark out the horror that unfolds, day-by-day to the Emory family. Finally, retro-style end credits close out each episode with a nod back to the history and sociopolitical forces introduced in the opening titles.
Created at Trollbäck+Company.
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Email: mmenesdesigns@gmail.com
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© Marcelo Meneses 2019