Race to Witch Mountain is a sci-fi adventure about two alien visitors and their search for their lost spacecraft. For the main title sequence, yU+co.’s concept was to tell the story of UFO’s from early sightings in the U.S. to present day, using archival newspaper headlines, film footage, photos and eyewitness accounts of UFO sightings. Set to a pulsating orchestral score, the tension-filled sequence immediately pulls viewers into this mysterious world with fast-paced editing of astonishing UFO imagery coupled with a subtle, yet powerful type design that animates on and off as if emanating from an extraterrestrial transmission signal.

For example, yU+co treated some of the clips with film scratches and burns to simulate aging film stock from the 50’s. They also added microfiche animations on the sections that covered the1980’s, and overlaid TV scan-lines to many of the clips that belonged in the 1990’s and later.

”Race To Witch Mountain represents the third time we worked with director Andy Fickman,” says Yu, who previously worked with Fickman on The Game Plan and She’s the Man. ”I’m proud of the fact that so many top directors like Andy, Zack Snyder, Ang Lee and many others continue to come back to us for titles. It says a lot about both the creativity we bring to each project and the collaborative nature between yU+co. and the director. This project was especially challenging, but we’re proud we could bring Andy’s vision for the titles to life.”

”The main title sequence started in the editing room by researching hundreds of pieces of archival UFO footage that would help us tell the story,” says Synderela Peng, yU+co.’s Art Director. ”We delineated decades of UFO discoveries, beginning with the 1950’s to the present day. We also spent a lot of time on details like treating the headlines and the film footage so they reflect the time period they were supposed to be from.”

”The main title went through several transformations,” Peng adds. ”Andy [Fickman, the director] was very specific about what he wanted in the final. He asked for a title sequence that built the mystique and the history of UFO’s and uses the wealth of footage that have been captured throughout time, mixing it with newspaper and magazine headlines to help inform the viewers on seminal UFO sightings. Typographically, we went with a classic font that was reminiscent of what you would see in 1920’s tabloid newspaper headlines.”

While the creative challenges were many, for David Garber, yU+co.’s Executive Producer, the approval process for using the archival footage proved to be extremely complex, requiring a coordinated effort with Disney’s legal team.

”There were some incidents where we had fallen in love with a piece of footage and how it fit into the whole piece only to find out Disney couldn’t secure the rights and we had go back and find something different,” Garber says. ”There was a lot intricate legal footwork happening. In the end everyone was happy with the way it came out and I think audiences are going to be struck by it.”

In addition to Race to Witch Mountain, other yU+co. projects include the re-teaming with director Zack Snyder (300) for the main title sequence of Warner Bros.’ Watchmen, and the overall visual design and motion graphics applied as visual effects for Lakeshore Entertainment/Lionsgate’s upcoming futuristic thriller, Game. yU+co. also created the cinematics for Capcom’s new release of the popular video game franchise, Resident Evil 5.

About yU+co:
Recognized as an industry leader in visual design and motion graphics with offices in Hollywood, Hong Kong, and Shanghai, yU+co specializes in digital content for all media platforms as well as for title design for film and television, visual effects and animation, theatrical logos, game cinematics and commercials. For more information, contact: Dianna Costello (feature film and television); or Michael Bennett (gaming/game cinematics and commercials) at 323-606-5050.

Web Resources:
Click here to view Race To Witch Mountain titles.
Click here for more info about yU+co.

Click here for more info about Race To Witch Mountain.

Creative Credits:
Project:“Race To Witch Mountain” main title sequence
Client: Disney

Design/Animation: yU+Co., Hollywood, CA
Creative Director: Garson Yu
Executive Producer: David Garber
Art Director: Synderela Peng
Production Coordinator: Annie Chen
Title Editor: Nikita Kleverov
Editorial Assistant: Brandon Muse
Layout Artist: Edwin Baker
Animator: Gary Garza
Animator: Alex Yoon
Animator: Danielle Leiser
Shake Artist: Alan Boucek
Roto Artist: Merlin Carrol
Roto Artist: Miljohn Ruperto

‘The Terminator’, released in 1984 and directed by James Cameron, was followed by two film sequels and a TV series: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Now with talk of two further instalments in the pipeline and Christian Bale signing up for a total of three Terminator films; things look promising for a second Terminator trilogy.

‘Terminator Salvation’ is set in post-apocalypic 2018, where John Connor is the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of terminators. But the future that Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marucs Wright, a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past.

As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.

According to Hollywood director McG, the new Terminator movie is set to “reinvigorate the franchise”. With Bale on board as John Connor, leader of the resistance against the cyborg army, “I knew we had the chance to do something special,” McG told reporters at the London preview.

Despite the many rumours that Arnold Schwarzenegger is set to appear in the new film, McG was still unable to confirm the extent of Arnie’s contribution to Terminator Salvation.

“The T-800 is a big character in the film,” he said referring to the serial number given to the ‘Arnie’ Terminator model. Refusing to reveal more McG said “let your imaginations run riot” fueling reports that, rather than appearing in the film, Schwarzenegger has allowed his likeness to be digitally mapped onto a Terminator’s face.

Playing down comparisons with last year’s Transformers film, McG told a BBC News website “Transformers is an excellent movie, but our film is not about big robots. I wanted it to have lots of hardware and velocity, but I didn’t want to hang the whole movie on it.”

James Cameron’s The Terminator (released in 1984) was followed by two film sequels and a TV series: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. With Christian Bale apparently signing up for a total of three Terminator films and plans for two more installments in the pipeline, things look promising for a second Terminator trilogy.

Stan Winston, the special effects pioneer who designed the original Terminator endoskeleton, worked on Terminator Salvation prior to his death in June this year. McG intends to dedicate the movie to Winston’s memory.

Terminator Salvation will be released in the US on 22 May and in the UK on 5 June 2009.It will compete for box office success with the forthcoming Star Trek, also due for release in May 2009.

CREDITS
Director: McG
Producers: Derek Anderson, Victor Kubicek, Jeffrey Silver, Moritz Borman
Starring: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington. Anton Yelchin, Bryce Dallas Howard
Distribution North America: Warner Bros
Distribution International: Sony Pictures Entertainment