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www.postmagazine.com 6 POST OCTOBER 2014 HOLLYWOOD — The HBO series The Leftovers asks many big ques- tions about the meaning of life, the existence of God and the future of the human race. Likewise for the show's main title sequence, in which show creators Damon Lindelof (Lost) and writer Tom Perrotta turned to creative studio Yu+Co (www.yuco.com) and creative director Garson Yu to create a concept that matched the ambitions of the show. According to Lindelof, he knew he wanted a Renaissance-inspired sequence, but wasn't sure how to use it. Yu+Co came in with the concept of using a traditional fresco painting style (most notably Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel) to visually depict the forever-changed world imagined in The Leftovers. "That suddenly made the sequence feel less pretentious, more irreverent and most importantly, original," Linde- lof says. The Leftovers takes place in the aftermath of a rapture-like event, where two percent of the world's population suddenly vanished. The show centers not on the people who were taken, but on those left behind, specifi cally the people living in the hamlet of Mapleton, NY. "Frescos are like visual history lessons and for this title sequence I wanted to use the look of a classic fresco painting style, but create im- ages that relate to the new dramatic event that is the basis for the show," Yu explains. Set to Max Richter's ominous, mournful score, the title sequence slowly reveals itself as a series of haunting images that juxtapose shots of people fl oating help- lessly away toward the heavens with those left behind depicted as grieving, angry and confused. One of the most aff ecting shots shows a newborn baby fl oating toward the heavens as his father reaches out for him with one hand while consoling his crying wife his other. Adding to the piece's sense of mystery is Yu+Co's elegant camera work that slowly pans the fresco in such a way that it is often unclear who is being taken away and who is left behind. The sequence ends on a heightened dramatic note as the camera pulls back to reveal the visuals are all part of an immense fresco on a domed church ceiling. To create the authentic fres- co look, Yu turned to Rhode Island-based painter Jon Foster to compose the basis for the vignettes. Yu worked closely with Foster to ensure that all of the subtle facial expressions for each painting were represented. YU+CO CRAFTS OPEN FOR HBO'S THE LEFTOVERS BITS & PIECES Post mag 6.75 inchesWX4.875inches H WE'RE FULL OF SHIFT For the full story visit forscene.com Forbidden is shifting the way media makers work with Forscene, the world's most advanced cloud-based post-production platform Artist Jon Foster worked with Yu+Co to create The Leftover's Sistine Chapel-inspired open.