Omnibus (1995)

Concept and creative process

Opening titles for the long-running arts documentary strand ‘Omnibus’, which aired from 1967 until 2003. The sequence was a witty collection of arts ephemera, real and imagined, assembled in a 2D animated sequence. On a graph paper background, the ‘Omnibus’ logo rotated about its ‘O’ like the big hand of a clock, creating momentary coloured arcs of circles as it went. It was accompanied by a witty animated caricature of Dylan’s ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ video performance, with Dylan discarding commemorative postage stamps of the great and good of the Arts instead of his song’s lyrics handwritten on cards. Da Vinci’s iconic Mona Lisa appeared in a camera flash and moments later a strip of identical images dropped down, as if from a self-service photo booth. There was much to spot and enjoy in this title sequence which guaranteed it well deserved longevity, not least the collection of admission tickets to Arts venues of all kinds from the previous year.