Concept and creative process
Designer Iain Macdonald recalls the making of this title sequence: “It was one of my first solo title sequences, so I remember it well. ‘Family Matters’ was a studio-based show, presented by John Humphrys, which dealt with the family and issues with the law, society, politics and culture. I put forward several ideas for the titles. The idea that was chosen by series producer Ann Tyerman was one that was more metaphorical and symbolic than gritty documentary realism. I was inspired by Giacometti with a hint of the stark landscapes of Dali. The idea was that the metal figures represented a traditional nuclear family, expressing gestures of despair and disagreement, which were resolved once they gathered in front of a TV, at which point a bolt of energy and glass shards melted and fused the figures together into one block. The underlying message was ‘watch this show and it may keep your family together’. I approached Andy Staveley at 3 Peach to animate the concept and we developed a look using glass panes for the sky and a bronzed surface. The sequence was filmed on 35mm and I remember we had an issue with one scene where there was a jump in the horizon mid-shot. The animators had made a slight error in the animation and their neg-cutter had cut out the frames. However, the process of re-joining the negative introduced a slight lift in the horizon mid-scene, which happily we were able to rectify in digital post-production. It was a striking look as a title sequence and Ann Tyerman loved it so much that she insisted the production designer followed through the use of the metal figures and textures in the set design”.