Marvel: Echo
Maya is torn between two identities while also in the process of discovering a power within her that is a mystery and may even be a threat. She is surrounded by ominous forces on all sides. It was important that the title sequence expressed this duality with both beauty and threat.
To capture the show’s tones and ideas we began by identifying several visual motifs and themes. These then became the common visual language that runs through and blends both the original as well as show imagery. It allowed us to create something that feels like a part of the show’s world while also re-contextualizing and expanding the visual universe.
Two Worlds
Maya lives between two distinct and, in some ways, opposed worlds. There is the world of her birth and her familial history but then there is also the world in which she came of age—the world where power and violence speaks loudest and the powerful take what they can.
This theme was visualized through the juxtaposition of the people, places, and palettes drawn from these two worlds. Imagery was blended in surreal and surprising ways by leaning into the idea of magical reality embraced by Maya’s Choctaw ancestors.
Shadows
Maya is a haunted character in many ways. She is haunted by her past, pursued by assassins, and assaulted mentally by her ancestral memories. The shadow imagery creates a mysterious and lurking presence in the sequence. But it also evokes history and the idea of the past echoing (see what I did there? ;-) )
Hands
The casting of a deaf star in Alaqua Cox was an important move for representing the character but it also meant that the show would need to deeply explore how to present, film, and translate ASL to a hearing audience. Needless to say, hands are an important visual element within the show. In the title sequence we wanted to find a natural way to weave in hands so we explored the rich metaphorical meanings that they can represent.
On a foundational level they are a form of communication but they are also evocative human elements that resonate universally.
Credits
Studio Sarofsky
Executive Creative Director Erin Sarofsky
Executive Producer Steven Anderson
Creative Director Stefan Draht
Producer Kelsey Hynes
Editor Tom Pastorelle
Assistant Editor Jesus Diaz
Design & Animation
Ariel Costa
Mollie Davis
Stefan Draht
Matthew Nowak
Jens Mebes
Dan Moore
João Vaz Oliveira