WATCH: Nicolas Ménard and Manshen Lo’s elegant title sequence for Netflix’s ‘The House’
Skwigly
Directors Nicolas Ménard (Loop Ring Chop Drink, Wednesday with Goddard) and Manshen Lo co-created a hand-drawn title sequence for the stop-motion anthology The House, launched last month on Netflix worldwide.
Nicolas and Manshen created a visual language that contrasts with — but also encapsulates — the three distinct stop-frame worlds of the film, delicately filled with tension. Viewers are taken on an eerie tour that sets the tone for the dark comedy that is to follow. Drawing inspiration from 19th century woodcuts as a starting point for their creative process, the pair committed to only showing the essential when creating these shape-shifting environments.
As the audience is transported up a living staircase and over a sinking checkerboard floor, tension and anticipation builds, elevated by the soundtrack of Oscar-winning composer, Gustavo Santaolalla.
On the hunt for a suitable typeface, the pair fortuitously stumbled upon Fermín Guerrero’s “Brick”. The design was inspired by the signage of three prominent pubs in London’s East End. With Art Deco traits and a trace of Art Nouveau heritage, it was the perfect companion to the vignette aesthetic of black prints on black screen. Working with graphic designer Jolin Masson, the trio captured the right balance and subtlety between animation and typography.
What struck us when watching the anthology was that although the house had similar features from chapter to chapter, it didn’t seem to have a specific layout. It was shape-shifting. This gave a rather eerie quality to the spaces featured in the films; one struggles to create a mental map of the place. So that felt like a great foundation for the theme of our intro sequence.
— Nicolas Ménard and Manshen Lo (directors, Nexus Studios)
The House is an eccentric dark comedy about a house and the three surreal tales of the individuals who made it their home. An anthology directed by the leading voices in independent stop motion animation: Emma de Swaef and Marc Roels, Niki Lindroth von Bahr and Paloma Baeza and produced by Nexus Studios.
Credits
Producer: Charlotte Bavasso
Directors: Manshen Lo & Nicolas Ménard
Design: Manshen Lo & Nicolas Ménard
Production Manager: Connie Black
Technical Lead: Nico Domerego
Lead Animator: Iris Abols
Animators: Duncan Gist, Louis Holmes. Başak Kırıcı
Graphic Designer: Jolin Masson
Compositor: Bethany Levy
Animatic Editor: Dave Slade
Studio Assistant: Jenny Goodwin
The House is out now on Netflix. Learn more about the project in our recent review and interview with directors Emma de Swaef, Marc Roels, Niki Lindroth von Bahr and Paloma Baeza.