The London studio of Ignition Creative and Bristol-based director/designer Chris Caswell set a tone of intrigue and mystery for Citadel: Diana, the latest chapter in the Russo brothers’ Citadel espionage TV universe.

Chris Caswell: “Creating a spy genre title sequence has always been a dream of mine, so I jumped at the opportunity when Ignition approached me to lead their pitch for the Citadel: Diana opening.

“Prime Video’s brief called for a one-minute cinematic title sequence that expanded on the original Citadel series. While Citadel: Diana exists within the same universe, its narrative, themes, and cast are entirely different, and the title sequence needed to reflect that distinction.
 

“While Citadel: Diana exists within the same universe, its narrative, themes, and cast are entirely different, and the title sequence needed to reflect that distinction.”

 
“Additionally, to encourage the audience to re-watch the title sequence, the client requested we incorporate unique Easter eggs into each episode’s sequence.

“My original style frames for the pitch used warmer tones and heavy shadows to create a darker atmosphere (below). However, Amazon requested we explore a lighter color palette that aligned more closely with the ‘Citadel vs Manticore’ story line.

“Reworking the scenes to have a brighter style presented a challenge – with everything more visible, it became harder to create a sense of intrigue and mystery.”

Original pitch frames for the winning concept:
 

 
 
Revised pitch frames for the winning concept:
 

 
 
Additional original pitch concepts:
 

 

 

 
Client: Prime Video

Production: Ignition Creative London
Design Director/Motion Designer: Chris Caswell
Motion Designer: Mohammed Kissarli, Luke Smith
Producer: Darcy Shaw

Music: Alex Belcher